Attention WWII aircraft modelers! I'm seeking a F4F Hellcat with retractable landing gear

Do you mean an F4F Wildcat, or an F6F Hellcat? That you refer to a barrel-shaped fuselage makes me think you mean the F4F Wildcat, because it was sometimes referred to that way.

The old Monogram F6F Hellcat in 1/48 had retractable landing gear, or maybe more precisely, moving landing gear.  Assembled according to the instructions, you could rotate the landing gear struts and push them back into the retracted position.  The kit dates back to Monogram's first real models, and moveable features were something that the kids building models back then looked for.

Airfix made-still makes?-an F6F Hellcat in 1/24 scale, but I don't think the landing gear was moveable.

I know of no F4F Wildcat kit with moveable landing gear, in any scale.

Monogram's F3F kit had moveable landing gear, using gears connected to the propeller.  You could rotate the prop and raise or lower the landing gear.  However, to fit the gear in the fuselage, Monogram tooled the kit with the one gear sticking out a little bit on the left side of the forward fuselage.  The F3F, by the way, was sometimes referred to as "the Flying Barrel", beause of its shape.  It was the predecessor to the F4F.

I don't know if that helps you, but that's what I can think of.

Best regards,

Brad

Back in the day (60+? years) Monogram (not pro-modeler or Monogram-Revell) made a 48 scale plastic Wildcat with retracting gear.   They also made a quite nice Avenger with opening bomb doors.  They added all these play features which often lead to breakage

EdGrune

Back in the day (60+? years) Monogram (not pro-modeler or Monogram-Revell) made a 48 scale plastic Wildcat with retracting gear.   They also made a quite nice Avenger with opening bomb doors.  They added all these play features which often lead to breakage

 

Hi, Ed, I apologize but I must offer a correction.  Monogram's F4F Wildcat had fixed landing gear. Monogram's F6F Hellcat had moveable (retractable) landing gear (please see my previous post above

EdGrune

Back in the day (60+? years) Monogram (not pro-modeler or Monogram-Revell) made a 48 scale plastic Wildcat with retracting gear.   They also made a quite nice Avenger with opening bomb doors.  They added all these play features which often lead to breakage

 

Yup, what Baron said. I have one of the old Monogram Wildcats in my stash now. It has folding wings but the landing gear can only be built in either extended or raised configuration, it does not move like the landing gear on their Hellcat or Avenger (or original Helldiver & Dauntless) kits do/did.

Think about building two- one on deck and one in flight.

In the flesh they are pretty, little airplanes.

Bill Comstock

I also believe the 1:18 Hellcat has functional landing gear, but they normally go for well over $150.00

Have you checked Scalemates to see what they show is on the market?

Shawn:

       Hi! Now don't get excited! There was one I believe. But I don't know if it is still around. Like the "Wheeler Cruiser" my good buddies(Justa Phrase) at AURORA made a bunch back in the 70s that did this and I think the F-4-F was one of them.They did a F-111 at the time too.It had "Swing Wings", Droppable Survival Pod"(The Cockpit) and fully articulated Landing Gear and Doors" It was at that time they did an F-4-F or an F-6-F that had Folding wings, Moveable Control surfaces and Retractable Landing Gear!

      Notice! I said I believe. That to my generation, was the same as "I think so"! BUT, Would you be willing to cough up the Bucks? Like the "Wheeler" it was only arond a year or two. This makes it extremely rare, and expensive! If it was like the F-11 it was lacking a lot on detail in order to make it fit in a certain price range. Seriously look and I believe you could use the gear Linkage from a Biplane Model that was around at the same time. Push in, Turn the prop and the Gear retracted and the thing was,,Turn it the other way and the gear came down. That was a Monogram kit!