My First F3F Since 1964

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M

MIflyer

1st Lieutenant
7,162
14,798
May 30, 2011
Cape Canaveral
Here is my just completed Monogram F3F-3 in 1/32 scale. I built one of these a long time ago and my main objective this time was to make it just like that one, but rather better. As a result I did not fix everything wrong, like the painting of the cowl (it should have a rear section that is Aluminum colored) and although I tried to make the retracting gear work I finally failed when I was on the verge of success when the Superglue got into the gears . I need to make notes for the next time, since I have four more of these kits in my collection, including an original one with the different colors of plastic.

I did accomplish the rigging and thus learned how not to do it and I went so far as to correctly rig the radio antenna. I was proud that I drilled out the raised carb air scoop only to discover too late that the F3F fighters did not have one, only the Gulfhawk.

I was impressed with the detail on this old kit, although even more impressed with the difficulty of assembly.
 
Meh... a fair job, next time put some effort into it and you might get a better outcome, I give it a 4 on a scale of 1 to 10...


Obviously I'm kidding, great job 10 out of 10. I have about 30 or so models I've bought over the years but after seeing this and the ones in the contest thread last month I'm thinking there's no way I'd even get close to something this good. I believe I'll just leave them in the closet unless one of you guys is interested in them.

Again, well done!
 
Thanks for the compliments, gentlemen! Frankly this was pushing the envelope for me.

Well, Okay, turning two 1/48 Monogram P-51D's into a P-82B was really pushing the envelope, but I broke the envelope, so it does not count.

Also, I have three different versions of the instructions for the kit and each has its good points and bad points. Anybody wants to see them, I'll scan them for you. Funny thing, the Revell Germany instruction sheet three view drawings are excellent but show the gun barrel tunnels and bulges over the guns - and they are not on the kit!
The RG decal sheet has the same markings as the original kit and more extensive as well but they made the red "V" on top of the wing far too broad and I had to cut it and install it properly.
I was very curious how the notches that are designed to hold the wires would work, and the answer was: Not Very Well. I would cut those off and stick pins in the holes so you could wrap the thread around them. I did that would a couple of them.

I met an old US Marine who flew F3F's on the West Coast before WWII. He said they were madder than hell when they found out the East Coast Marines were getting a fabulous new airplane to replace the F3F, a wonderful highly advanced machine called the Brewster F2A.

I think the Marines on Midway with the F2A's would have fared better if they had kept their F3F's.
 
No you can't get at the gears, at all and it turned out that the liquid Superglue ran down into the shaft for the gears. So you really can't get to the problem spot anyway. I got the gears working and inserted the bulkheads that hold them into the fuselage, and then glued them in with liquid Superglue - I wanted something to get down into the cracks. If I had used gel type Superglue all would have been fine.

By the way both the Monogram instructions and apparently the Accurate Miniatures instructions miss saying anything about installing any javelins. So I put some on my model, although I wish I had used toothpicks instead of bits of plastic sprue.

Well, as I said, I have four more of them. But I think my next effort will be Monogram's classic 1/32 F-51D.
 
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Very nice! Now all you need to do is to make about a dozen or so more of these and a matching scale Lexington or Saratoga to put them on! We're waiting...
 
Hmmmm.... Do you suppose it would fit in my pool or would I have to take it down to the lagoon a few hundred feet away?

Maybe I could modify a canoe?
 
MIflyer said:
Hmmmm.... Do you suppose it would fit in my pool or would I have to take it down to the lagoon a few hundred feet away?

Maybe I could modify a canoe?
Click to expand...
I've seen a real full sized F3F-2 (actually a limited production replica) & a honest-to God real F3F-2 at Nat'l Museum of Naval Aviation, & from what I've seen on your model, you've done a fantastic job. The javelins are actually quite short & I think you've nailed that too. For a detailed photo-study may I recommend Stick & Tissue modeling site? They have an archive of various aircraft & you only need to go to Home Page, click onto Fourn in big red letters. From there, scroll down through many threads to the archives section & look for Gtumman's logo. Click on that, & you will find among many Grumman a/c, the F3F. The archives is constantly expanding. Job well done!
 

Skediamonds, thanks for the tip on the Stick and Tissue website. I have some very close up shots of a restored FM-1 I would like to provide for that wesbite, but I just tried to register there and it repeatedly sas I got the verification code wrong, so I gave up.
 
MIflyer,
Good afternoon, sorry to hear about your frustration with the "capsha" code. If I'm guessing correctly why you can't sign on; you're supposed to drop the first two letters (or numbers) of the code & also the last two letters (or numbers) of the code. This is designed to eliminate any robots. So if the whole code las say, 8 numbers & letters, you'll only type up 4 of them that are in between the first two & last two. Hope this helps. Please write back & let me know.

Skye
 
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