1:48 Tamiya Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat

Jester75

Gorgeous Wildcat bv!!

I concur!  Wow!  She looks fine, really fine. 

Gary

I appreciate it Bob.  I'll give it a shot.  Now when you attach it, are you glueing it in place with CA?  Then shrinking it tight with the heat?

Thanks guys! =]  I'm still trying to get that pilot to fit in there Gary.  It's his arms that actually make it most difficult to squeeze in believe it or not.

But I certainly enjoy the warm words from y'all.  =D  I've already started on my Mustang.  I'll probably start posting some things about that here once I get a little further with it.

I was peaking at this thread this morning and felt like I could put some things up on the joint for the brass bar.  I carefully drill out a point along the bottom of the fuselage that will be strong enough to carry the weight of the plane.  I'm careful to drill out a hole just big enough to snuggly fit the tube that will receive the rod.  Next, I'll insert a brass tube all the way to the top of the fuselage. CA or hot glue can be used to fix it to the top, but I don't think it's always necessary.  If you do put a drop or two on there, you have to move fast so as not to make a mess of the opening.  The other alternative is to take a thin tube to insert your glue aaaaannnnnnd be able to see what you're doing. =]

This brass tube acts not only as a means for me to better anchor the rod to the plane, but it also provides a visual aid to lift it off the rod itself.  Just that small step off the rod is a subtle way to dress up the base without getting in the way of the plane.  She's the main attraction anyhow.

2013-07-21 14.58.04 by brittvallot, on Flickr

2013-07-21 14.56.02 by brittvallot, on Flickr

2013-07-21 14.55.33 by brittvallot, on Flickr

Again, I apologize for the clutter in the pics.  I was in a bit of a rush to snap these photos and get them on my laptop. =P

bvallot

I appreciate it Bob.  I'll give it a shot.  Now when you attach it, are you glueing it in place with CA?  Then shrinking it tight with the heat?

Yes, I use the CA to glue down one end, and after it sets up I gently stretch it and glue down the other end. I make a half hearted attempt to hold it in place for a few seconds, then it should be ready to shrink into place with the match head. If there are multiple attaching wires going to the main wire I tie those onto the main wire before I ever start the process. You can make the whole thing longer than necessary so that you have something to grip on to, then cut the excess off with the standard xacto #11 blade or whatever else works for you. When I did the SBD I made sure that the wire that runs down from the main wire to the fuselage just outside where the pilot sits was the correct length. Then I attaached it to the fuselage ( after looping it and tying it around the main wire ) , and the next step was to attach the main wire to the forward mast. The final attaching step was to pull slightly and attach it to the top of the rudder. Then the match head trick was used. Hopefully you can follow this sequence. Later...        Bob

I've got a question for any Wildcat enthusiast out there.  I often see an antenna or two on the under side of planes.  UHF or VHF and the like... I realize different units would have had different needs to communicate with which would possibly dictate what any one particular plane would have.  

So if anybody out there knows what kind of set up a Wildcat would have had on Henderson Field please feel free to share. =]