1/48 Accurate Miniatures F3F-2

by Matt Robeson

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This is my 1/48 scale F3F-2 from Accurate Miniatures.  I visit this site daily and am just amazed at the quality of the kits that are on here, and I hope that this one is up to that level.  This kit was relatively easy to build, with no putty needed on it.  This is my first attempt at a bi- plane, so that is why there are no rigging wires on it, because I could not get the photo-etch to work right.  I liked building this kit, with the paint job on it; it just jumps out at you.

As this was the last American bi- plane in service, I felt like I should build this colorful little kit to help remember the pilots by.  This was a pretty amazing plane for its time.  With its huge Wright Cyclone engine, in 1942, stripped of armament, this little plane could out- dash a P-51 Mustang.  This was a plane that was used to train many of our pilots, and they said that it was a dream to fly.  Even though this plane was being retired, there were reports of these planes on the ground at Ewa Field on the morning of December 7, 1941.  With the retirement of these planes, the Navy ended a very colorful era of its history.

I painted this model using Model Master Non- Buffing Aluminum Metallizer for the fuselage, Buffing Aluminum for the lower wing and the bottom half of the top wing, Model Master Chrome Yellow for the top of the top wing, and Model Master Guards Red Enamel for the wing chevron, cowling band, and the belly band.  This model represents the No. 1 squadron leader of VMF-1, Bureau Number 1009.  You can choose whichever artwork you want on the tail, and I chose the eagle because it looked cool.  The bombs were made by mixing the Chrome Yellow and Olive Drab together to make the “Mustard” color.  This is my first submission, and I hope it will not be my last. 

Matt

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Photos and text © by Matt Robeson