F4F-4 Wildcat ‘Operation Torch’

Background

The Wildcat stemmed from a line of Grumman aircraft that served with the US Navy. Initially the US Navy ordered a limited number of the XF4F-1 as a backup in case the preferred choice of the Brewster Buffalo did not live up to expectations. Grumman went back to the drawing board and came up with the much-improved XF4F-3, with the new wings and tail and a supercharged version of the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 "Twin Wasp" radial engine. The improvement led to orders from the US Navy, British Fleet Air Arm [FAA] and France of the production model [F4F-3]. With the fall of Europe the aircraft bound for France were delivered to Britain and were subsequently named the Martlet. Later the FAA adopted the US Navy and Marine name Wildcat. It proved to be successful convoy escort fighter in the air war over the north Atlantic, shooting down many Luftwaffe raiders. Out in the Pacific against the Japanese Zero the Wildcat was successful, despite the Zeros superior performance. Taking advantage of its better performance at altitude enabled it to be used successfully in the tactic of diving – hitting - running. In defence the Beam Defence Position or the Thatch weave was devised by John S. Thatch, a tactic that provided a highly effective against Japanese fighters.The Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat was the first version to have folding wings. A huge advantage particularly on the small escort carriers from which the F4F-4 would operate.

During Operation Torch in November 1942, F4F-4 Wildcats stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Ranger. Wildcats were also based on three escort carriers: USS Suwanee, Sangamon and Santee. Aso in support of the Allied landing in North Africa were the British Martlets from the carriers HMS Formidable and Victorious. The Wildcats had yellow borders applied around the American stars on the fuselage and wings. American stars also applied to the British Martlets to help identify them quickly against the opposing Vichy French aircraft, and to hopefully suppress any resentment of the French against the British.

American escort carriers with Wildcats moved on to new assignments in the Pacific after ‘Operation Torch’. They provided aerial support during operations in the Solomon Islands, most notably the battle for Guadalcanal. The yellow markings from Operation Torch were then painted over with a camouflage colour, which can be seen in photos as a fresh border around the stars. British aircraft after Operation Torch were quickly repainted with standard British markings of the period.

The Kit

Arma Hobby has several 1:72 scale kits of the Grumman F4F-4, FM-1, FM-2 Wildcat as well as the Martlet Mk.II, Wildcat Mk.V, and Mk.VI in their catalogue. The first new tool release was in 2020 with the FM-2 Wildcat [70031]. This release contains plastic parts and paint masks as well as decals for three aircraft that took part in ‘Operation Torch’. Contents includes:

2 x Grey plastic sprues
1 x Clear plastic sprue
1 x set of paint masks
1 x Decal sheet
1 x Instructions
1 x Errata sheet

On opening the end opening box the first reaction is extremely positive. Everything is contained in a single bag for security. The recessed and raised detail is quite superb. Even the piano hinges and fasteners of the access panels are reproduced. There are around eighty parts on the two grey plastic sprues. There are locating pins on all the major airframe parts. The now trademark ejection marks can be seen on the inside of the fuselage and wings.

Arma Hobby has invested a lot of time and effort in ringing out as much detail from the plastic as possible. This is evident in the many detailed plastic parts for the cockpit and the cockpit wall. Detailing on the frame for the seat, cockpit floor and instrument panel [IP] is very good and dry brushing will highlight it. Instrument faces are supplied as three decals. There is also a set of seat harness on the decal sheet as well as placards on the side panels. The cockpit builds into a unit that is fitted in the right fuselage half.

The fuselage is split with left and right halves. Arma Hobby has captured the fuselage shape well. The cowl for the engine is separate, made up from three parts with a one-piece lip. The three vents on the lip are moulded in situ. There are two types of cowling, both are made up from three parts. Options 1 and 2 have two the eight-flap cowling. The three vents on the lip are moulded in situ. Option 3 has the cowling sides with two flaps. The cowl lip does not feature any inlets. The three bladed propeller is one piece. There is a choice of propeller boss depending which marking option you are going for. Arma Hobby has not skimped on detail in the engine bay that extends into the wheel bay. Twelve parts making up the P&W Twin Wasp. Behind the engine is a three-part supercharger unit and a three-part engine mount. The supercharger and engine mount are an important inclusion as they can be seen in the wheel bay. It is the kind of attention to detail that would be found on larger scale models. The main undercarriage looks like a masterpiece of design. It comprises of ten-parts and should result in a strong unit. Detail as well is very good. Some care needs to be exercised removing parts for the undercarriage from the sprue. A jig on sprue ‘C’ will help set up some of the undercarriage structure. There are two types of wheels: spoked or faired. With this edition it’s the faired over wheels that are used. Tyres has a flattened look and you can even just make out the Goodyear tyre manufactures name on the sidewall. Another feature modelers will appreciate is that the whole main undercarriage unit can be fitted after painting. The instructions have multi view images of the various phases of construction of the complex gear, and it does look very impressive when completed. There are two choices of tailwheel both are one piece, though very detailed.The separate one-piece rudder has generous sized tabs to slot into the fin The F4F-4 has the ventral windows which are supplied as clear parts. The windows can be fitted towards the end of the build. There is a sill in the recess which makes it much easier to fit the windows after the fuselage halves are joined. The three sets of ID lights on the belly of the aircraft will need removing as all the marking options feature the early production F4F-4. The lights only featured on later models of the F4F-4. The tail wheel is one piece.

The wings are made up from four pieces with nicely detailed ailerons and flaps moulded in. The oil cooler fairings under the wings is separate parts. If you want to fit the wing fuel tanks then you will need to drill holes into the wing. There are partial holes indicating the place to drill. The one-piece horizontal tail has positionable one-piece elevator.

The decal sheet is printed by Techmod and looks comprehensive. As previously mentioned, there are IP and side panel instruments, placards, and seat harnesses for the cockpit. Colour looks good and very glossy. Excess carrier film is kept to a minimum.

Paint masks are included for the windscreen, canopy, observation windows, landing light, main and tail wheels

The twelve-page A5 format instructions booklet utilises black line drawings and monochrome renders. Construction instructions are colour coded and a useful aid are the CAD images of the finished engine, undercarriage bays and the undercarriage itself. There is a small errata sheet for the two styles of engine cowl and propeller boss. There are several paint manufactures referenced in the instructions including: Hataka, AK RC, Lifecolor, Ammo, Humbrol, Vallejo and Tamiya.

Arma Hobby has a useful guide to building this release from the designer of the kit Marcin Ciepierski:

Arma Hobby has included in the instructions access to a file for self-printing on a 3D resin printer. The 3D files include:

F4F-4/FM-1 Wildcat detail Set - Includes seat with harness, cockpit levers details, two bombs with racks, gun barrels, wheel bay chain mechanism, exhaust pipes and engine ignition ring.
F4F-4/FM-2 Wildcat Cockpit Bulkhead
Fuel Tanks for Wildcat

Marking options include:

F4F-4 Wildcat, “3512/29-GF-10”, squadron VGF-29, crash-landed on the USS Santee during Operation Torch, November 1942
F4F-4 Wildcat, “8-26”, squadron VGF-27, Guadalcanal, April 1943
Martlet II, “AJ148 / Ø-7A”, No. 888 FAA Squadron from carrier HMS Formidable, Oran, Algeria, December 1942.

Two of the marking options are for US Navy Wildcat’s and one Martlet II with the Fleet Air Arm. Both US Wildcats are finished in blue grey upper surfaces and light gull grey lower surfaces. The FAA Martlet II is finished extra dark sea grey and dark slate grey on the upper surfaces and Sky type ‘S’ on the lower surface.

Conclusion

It’s good to see the return of Arma Hobby’s excellent F4F-4 Wildcat. The amount of thought and care that Arma Hobby has put into producing this detailed 1:72 scale Wildcat is evident. It’s a great example of what can be achieved with a manufacturer using modern design and manufacturing techniques. The price is very reasonable for a kit brimming with this much quality and detail. Highly recommended.

This kit is available from Arma Hobby priced €16.88. Our thanks to Arma Hobby for this review sample

70065 – Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat® Operation Torch – 1:72

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