Best Wildcat in 1/72?

Gimmicky folding wing inaccurate toy from the sixties.

The Academy kit is servicable but it should be recognized this is essentially a copy of the Frog kit. Both are reasonably accurate but not all that detailed.

The best kit is the Hasegawa. Their -3 version requires you to fill panel lines and shave a few bumps-minor conversion work.

The DML kit is the Hasegawa kit with a deck and folding wing conversion.

The Revell kit is ok if you like sanding rivets.

The Airfix kit has a few inaccuracies but is actually an FM-2 (the Eastern Motors built tall tail version.) Lots cheaper than the Sword or MPM kits of same. The MPM kit is the Academy kit with a conversion fuselage.

I think that's it?

The Keeper (of too much crap!)

The Hasegawa F4F-4 is the best 1:72 Wildcat put there. Put an Aires interior in it and you've got about the best F4F-4 in this scale you can get beyond scratchbuilding a bunch of stuff.

A tip: don't forget to put the lower windows in before joining the fuselage halves. I didn't and caused myself no end of headaches!

--Chris Bucholtz

Hasegawa also did an FM-1 kit, which is probably virtually identical to the F4F, if you're having trouble finding the F4F.

Mark Schynert

I have built the Academy kit. The kit is rumored to be a copy of the FROG kit but has beautiful recessed panel lines. There is no cockpit detail. All you get is a hole. I also did not think something looked right with the wheels and used the wheels from the Revell kit.

Cheers, Max Bryant

Have you tried Micro Krystal Kleer? hth

The Keeper (of too much crap!)

I built that,and even without a Frog to compare I thought as much.It even has a perfect copy of the Frog stand.

Hawk had one in their 29¢ series. No landing gear, no cockpit, no engine detail, also an FM-2 with rivets.

Bill Banaszak, MFE