Finally finished Grumman F7F-3 Junglecat

[johnsjunk]

Here is the finally finished F7F-3 Junglecat I posted a while back with a little more info on the build.
It's a 1/48 scale AMT/ERTL F7F-3 Tigercat mostly out of the box,and parts from a Monogram A1-E Skyraider, F-84-F Thunderstreak, AH-1 Cobra, and A4-M Skyhawk.I don't have an airbrush so all my work is with a Rattle Can and Blue Masking Tape. It took me three tries to get the camouflage pattern I liked. I added Snakeye bombs from Hasagawa and rocket pod an mini gun from Monogram. I also used True Detail wheels and Micro scale decals and Squadron crystal clear canopy.
I had to use 2oz. of lead in the nose and 1oz. behind each engine. I also cut and shortened the nose oleo strut to bring the CG forward so it would sit on its landing gear and not fall back on it's tail.
I also cut the prop hubs off and flipped the props over to get the right pitch on the props and going in the right direction.
I used Testors model master flat enamel and Tamiya semi gloss clear.









Thanks for looking... John

[RussC]

Wow! The model is spectacular and that diorama base is beyond. The pavement color and weathering is just right. We have lots of abandoned airfields here in Zona' and I have had a chance to really study aged concrete among other explorations.

[TallEng]

nice Junglecat
and the Taxi/runway really sets it off 

Regards
Keith

[PR19_Kit]

Cor, quite apart from the overall wonderfullness of the idea and the model itself, the sharkmouth is to BOGGLE at!   

[Stargazer]

This looks so right and is so perfectly done that it simply makes you wonder why it wasn't done for real... 

[RussC]

Maybe it was done for real, SG2006. Air America had a lot of unseen activities and black-bag operations. The markings might have been a different kind or omitted. Here in the SW desert, lots of strange planes come and go by day and night. I'm sure a few are carrying "medicinals" but probably not all of them. I live next door to an old WW2 drome called Goodyear memorial field. Its a strange place, no fences, even post 9-11, you can get lost on the local back roads and suddenly find the street widen out to 300 feet wide, with yellow stripes and the X marks of the closed airport required. There are piles of old engineless R4D's and C-54's, Neptunes and C-130's mid field, yet there are freshly discarded RATO bottles everywhere, and at least twice a week, something lands or does a touch and go there at 2 am. Whatever it is, it rattles everything in the house including my dental fillings, really high power usage- reminds me of some of the fire tankers that fly here.
 Maybe its the Men-in-Black, maybe its the Navajo Nation trying a new airborne casino prototype, maybe homeland security, maybe Santa Claus....
 
 

[Pablo1965]

I like all the survivors of WWII in the modern era. And your Tigercat is the most I like, perhaps could make air operations with my Vietnam "Thud".

[James]

Looks soooo right! If you were a US solider in a fire fight and saw one of those heading your way, I imagine you'd have been a happy man.

[NARSES2]

 

[kitnut617]

hmm! very, very nice ---- 

I've always liked the Tigercat but this is exceptional --

[kitbasher]

Probably the most convincing whif so far this year.  Excellent.

[Weaver]

That's a lovely job: got that indefinable "something" about it that makes it hard work to disbelieve it... Very well done! 

[van883]

Nice!