Hobby Master Archive

Early in the Pacific War in WWII the Grumman F4F Wildcat was the best fighter aircraft the U.S. had but was out performed by the Japanese Zero. The Wildcat’s folding wings allowed for a greater number of aircraft that could be carried but added extra weight and reduced the aircraft performance. New features such as self-sealing fuel tanks, heavy armor made up for the Wildcat’s lesser performance. By the end of WWII the F4F had flown approximately 15,500 sorties with a kill ratio of 6.9 victories to 1.

John Thach devised a maneuver, the Thach Weave, so Wildcats could compensate for the Zero' s high speed and turn rate. Using half power aircraft would weave back and forth across each others path to protect each other. On June 4th at the Battle of Midway John Thach led six VF-3 F4F’s from the USS Yorktown to escort Douglas Devastators to attack the Japanese carrier fleet. They were met by twenty Japanese fighters and using the Thach Weave they down four Zeros with Thach claiming three of them. Thach retired as an Admiral with six air victories.

Specifications For The Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat British Name - Martlet Number Of All Wildcat Variants Produced - 7,860 Role - American Carrier-based Fighter Crew - 1 Dimensions Length - 28 ft 9 in (8.8 m) Wingspan - 38 ft (11.6 m) Height - 9 ft 2.5 in (2.8 m)

Weight Empty - 5,895 lb (2,674 kg) Loaded - 7,975 lb (3,617 kg) Maximum Takeoff - 8,762 lb (3,974 kg)

Performance Powerplant - 1 X Pratt & Whitney R-1830-86 Double-Row Radial Engine, 1,200 hp (900 kW) Maximum Speed - 320 mph (290 kn / 515 km/h) Rate Of Climb - 2,200 ft/min (11.17 m/s) Normal Power Service Ceiling - 34,000 ft (10,363 m) Range - 830 miles (721 nmi / 1,337 km)

Armament Guns - 6 X .050 in (12.7 mm) AN/M2 Browning Machine Guns

1/48 scale pre-finished. All markings pad applied for superb results. Canopy slides open. Comes with a pilot that can be removed. Comes with display stand. Landing gear is fully retractable and can be displayed up or down. Extremely sought after by collectors.

Hobby Master 1/48 Air Power Series HA8902 Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat “Battle of Midway” White 23, Lt. Cdr John Thach, VF-3, USS Yorktown, 4-6 June 1942