Hobby Master Archive

Hobby Master 1/48 Air Power Series HA7301 Grumman F3F-1, “Flying Barrel”, USN VF-3 USS Saratoga (CV-3) October 1940 - special wire rigging LIMITED EDITION

1/48 scale pre-finished Die-cast metal with a minimum of plastic. Professionally painted. All markings pad applied for superb results. Cockpit slides open. Comes with a pilot that can be removed. Comes with display stand. Can be displayed with landing gear up or down.

Produced in the mid to late 1930s the F3F-1 as well as the 2 and 3 variants belonged to what probably was the most colorful era in US military aviation history. Grumman took all the lessons learned from the F2F and incorporated them into the F3F. The Flying Barrel, as it was commonly called, had a wide fuselage to accommodate the large radial engine spinning a three-bladed Hamilton Standard propeller. The plane also had improved retractable landing gear, longer fuselage that improved stability. The last F3F was retired by the USN in November 1943.

The US Navy took possession of the first of fifty-four F3F-1 aircraft in January 1936. They were dispersed between the fighter squadrons aboard the USS Saratoga (CV-3) and the USS Ranger (CV-4). One of the Saratoga squadrons was VF-3 whose XO was the famous Jimmy Thach and well-known pilot Butch O’Hare who the Chicago Airport is named after. By late 1936 the more powerful F3F-2 was making its appearance and a year later the F3F-3 arrived. As the newer variants arrived the F3F-1 was assigned training duty.

Specifications Grumman F3F-1 Basic role: fighter - USN and USMC Crew: 1 X pilot Dimensions Length: 23’ 3" (7.0 m) Height: 10’ 6" (3.2 m) Wingspan: 32’ 0" (9.7 m)

Gross weight: 4,170 lbs (1,891 kg)

Powerplant: Pratt & Whitney R-1535-84 - 650 hp Performance Maximum speed: 231 mph (371 km/h) (200 kt) Ceiling: 28,400 ft (8,655 m) Range: 998 miles (1,606 km)

Armament 1 x 0.50 in. Machine gun 1 x 0.30 in. Machine gun 2 x 52.6 kg bombs

THESE ARE PRE-PRODUCTION PICTURES NOT THE FINISHED MODEL