Official KC Flight Shop F4F Wildcat development thread.

Gibbage said:
Any request's anyone wants to see? Like specific area's or details?
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I would suggest some of the liveries flown by the Cactus Air Force off Guadalcanal. Joe Foss, Marion Carl, John Smith and those guys were studs who kept the thing in check against long odds.

Beyond that, Jimmy Thatch would be a good livery to draw up.

Ken
 
PRB and Ken , a great summary and from the other side, 'Saburo Sakia' sure he'd be proud, for the memory and amazing the books we have to learn, now while's making this Wildcat who's going to make a script for a movie about the hero's from and of both sides :mixed-smiley-010:
 
I'm really surprised no one's made a movie about Sakai. It would make a very compelling story, especially if they included the true action that Sakai chose to omit from his autobiography when it was published in the 1950's.

Sakai was the lead pilot of a formation that observed a Dutch military C-47 aircraft. He was going to shoot it down until he decided to fly alongside and observed women and children looking out the windows and realized it was a military aircraft trying to fly an evacuation mission with civilian refugees onboard! In fact, that's exactly what the situation was as the transport was flying war refugees out of Java to Australia!

Sakai, in an action that could have easily resulted in his court martial had it been discovered he let the plane escape, waggled his wings as the pilot of the transport observed him and let the plane fly to its destination without attack!

It was one of the more remarkable acts of chivalry during the entire war! And yet, it had to be covered up at the time to protect Sakai! The man had so much respect from his subordinate pilots in the formation that they all agreed to keep the story secret. After the war, Sakai's wife died from the disease and malnutrition that plagued Japan for years after the war ended. His lone surviving daughter and he survived the war and she married a US Army officer and moved to America. Sakai's two grandchildren are from this marriage and it is very noteworthy how popular he became among American military personnel almost immediately after the war ended and how close that bond remained for the rest of his life. In many respects, he was more respected among former adversaries than fellow Japanese!

http://acesofww2.com/japan/aces/sakai/

When Sakai started his pilot training for the IJNAF in 1937, he was one of only 70 candidates selected from over 1,500 applications to pilot training!

How his life has not found its way to the silver screen in Japan is truly beyond my understanding. He was a truly honorable warrior.

Ken
 
Tons of wartime (and a few post-WWII) FM-2 photos, including some wartime FM-2 cockpit photos: http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=51080

As for surviving F4F-3 variants, these are all of the known examples currently in ownership. Note that all of these are also Lake Michigan recoveries!

http://warbirdregistry.org/f4fregistry/f4f-3872.html
http://warbirdregistry.org/f4fregistry/f4f-3956.html
http://warbirdregistry.org/f4fregistry/f4f-3969.html
http://warbirdregistry.org/f4fregistry/f4f-4039.html
http://warbirdregistry.org/f4fregistry/f4f-11824.html
http://warbirdregistry.org/f4fregistry/f4f-12260.html (only one flying at this time (currently owned by Rod Lewis/Lewis Air Legends))
http://warbirdregistry.org/f4fregistry/f4f-12290.html
http://warbirdregistry.org/f4fregistry/f4f-12296.html (flown in the 90's, now static)
http://warbirdregistry.org/f4fregistry/f4f-coam.html
http://warbirdregistry.org/f4fregistry/f4f-ohare.html
 
Also, there might be quite a few Wildcats flying in England, several years down the line. Apart from TFC's FM-2 Wildcat, which is currently flying, the Shuttleworth Collection has a, once airworthy, FM-2 slated for restoration to airworthy following the completion of their Spitfire Mk.V restoration (this aircraft, which was formerly on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, and flown previous to that (as N49JC), is currently on static display at Old Warden). There are also three other project FM-2's slated for or are currently under restoration to airworthy in the UK, registered to Bygone Engineering, Ltd. (these being the former N585FM, N750FM, and Navy BuNo. 55404 (a Lake Michigan recovered airframe)).

Photos of the unrestored Lake Michigan recovered FM-2 BuNo. 55404 can be seen here: http://wildwarbirds.squarespace.com/wildcat-bu-55404/before-restoration/


And more Grumman Wildcat photos, galore (starting with the earliest concepts): http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=13327&hilit=F4F&start=60
 
Just a small update. I didn't have a lot of time to work on the kitty this weekend. Holidays and all! Hope everyone had a great year in 2013, and hope 2014 is better!!!
f4f-35.jpg
 

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Gibbage, its looking great! My request is simple. A repaint in the restored version of Kermit Weeks' F4F. :)
 
I must admit that over the years I never really paid that much attention the Wildcat. However, upon diving into its history and
reading how it shouldered a lot in the early years of carrying the fight to the enemy, I developed a lot of respect for the a/c and
the men who flew it.

Looking forward to this release in 2014! As for repaints, I would like to see some of the planes that the Cactus Air Force flew
included. It's looking good so far!
 
Two most influential aircraft for the Navy in the PTO was the Dauntless and the Wildcat. For the USAAF in the PTO it was the B-25 and B-29. And I would put the P-38 as a very close third deserving honorable mention.

By the time the Corsair and Hellcat came along the tide was already turned though hardly anyone at the time knew it. The Dauntless and the Wildcat simply killed the vast majority of Japan's top echelon pilots, either by sinking their carriers or shooting them down in the air. Japan's best pilots were in the IJN. The Japanese Army never developed exceptional pilots. Yet, neither the navy or army in Japan ever had a pilot training program that could maintain their qualitative levels. So, while there's no question that the Wildcat was qualitatively excelled by the Corsair and Hellcat, it was already a different fight when they came online.

The reason why the Dauntless and Wildcat remain immortal is because when things were dire, those two aircraft stood on the line and delivered crushing blows that none of the other aircraft the Navy had at the time were able to deliver.

Ken
 
Since I was hoping for a Wake Island paint, would it be possible to offer a version of the F4F3?

I don't know all the differences, but the intake on the top of the nose cowling seems to be the most visible.

Robert Shaw painting from Cranston's and model borrowed from Bill Koppos
 

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Most -3's had the intake on the cowling (carb air intake). If I recall, it was just the F4F-3A's that deleted the carb air scoop? Its really hard to tell. You cant tell a 3 from a 3A without looking into the wheel well's. The 3A had a single stage super and deleted the intercoolers located in the wheel well since the carb air on the single stage didnt get as hot. Can anyone confirm this?
 
Gibbage said:
Most -3's had the intake on the cowling (carb air intake). If I recall, it was just the F4F-3A's that deleted the carb air scoop? Its really hard to tell. You cant tell a 3 from a 3A without looking into the wheel well's. The 3A had a single stage super and deleted the intercoolers located in the wheel well since the carb air on the single stage didnt get as hot. Can anyone confirm this?
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This is correct though you know more about the precise placements of the two types of superchargers.

The F4F-3A was really a lower performance aircraft than the F4F-3 and the reason was the use of a simpler and less performance capable supercharger on the F4F-3A. The F4F-3A used a 1,200 horsepower engine and a single-stage supercharger. The RAF used them more in the anti-submarine service of the North Atlantic, launching them off escort carriers. However, for the very reason of the lower capability supercharger, the US Navy and Marines got rid of them quickly. The F4F-3A was developed merely because of the shortage of the two-stage supercharger.

In addition, there was a slightly different engine in the two. The F4F-3 was fitted with the Pratt and Whitney Twin Wasp R-1830-76, which produced a rated 1,200 horsepower. The F4F-3A had an R-1830-90 engine, which also produced a rated 1,200 horsepower, but this was deceiving. Because, due to the lower output supercharger, the -90 engine could only achieve its max rated 1,200 horsepower at sea level. Once the F4F-3A started climbing its ability to maintain this 1,200 horsepower output was stymied above 13,000 feet. Below 13,000 feet, the F4F-3A actually had the same horsepower reserve but better fuel economy to get it, resulting in slightly longer range. Above 13,000 feet the -3A had lower horsepower output than the -3 and with that all the associated drop off in aircraft performance, speed, climb, and altitude.

As far as any data I have says, the only difference between the two engines was the integration of the single stage two-speed supercharger on the -3A vice the double stage two-speed supercharger on the -3. Given that you know the precise differences in the internal location of the two types of superchargers, I think you are entirely correct in your thoughts.

Ken
 
BTW: Kevin I noted you were going to also include the F4F-3S, which is the Wildcatfish floatplane version. I suppose you long ago already knew this, but despite placing a production order for 100 of these types, the contract was cancelled. Primarily, this was because the US Navy committed itself to launching fighters off carriers and land bases. My understanding is that a few prototypes were built but none were ever put into service.

Ken
 
Ya. I know the F4F-3S never made it into production, but its still going to happen. There are plenty of photo's and references. I also made the Spitfire floatplane many years ago. I just love floaters, and it adds a lot of value to the product for not a lot of work. Plus it just looks so cool!

f4f3s-4.jpg
 
Gibbage said:
Most -3's had the intake on the cowling (carb air intake). If I recall, it was just the F4F-3A's that deleted the carb air scoop? Its really hard to tell. You cant tell a 3 from a 3A without looking into the wheel well's. The 3A had a single stage super and deleted the intercoolers located in the wheel well since the carb air on the single stage didnt get as hot. Can anyone confirm this?
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Interesting. Are you planning on doing the 3, 3A, and 4 or are you just going to stick with one model for simplicity?

I have my favorite (for obvious reasons ;) ) but I'd be happy to get ANY Wildcat!

My old flight jacket.



Deacon
 
OK guys. I need your help! There are two objects on the left side of the F4F-3 I cant identify.

f4f-q.jpg


The object circled in green. I think its a buzzer or some sort of alarm?

The object circled in red. At first, I thought it was the supercharger state selector since I don't see it in late F4F's, but that lever is on the left side. Can anyone identify this lever? I need more information so I can properly model it. Thank you in advance!!!

Kevin
 
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