Thanks Pawel. And yes, posting as I went would have been better.

-J

Johnny, this looks like a miraculous save. You're definitely staying the course quite well. The effort shows. =] It's a lot of fun watching the little things come together. Looking forward to the finish!

Thanks bvallot! That means a lot--your dash 3 conversion is really inspiring.

And here's the finish:

That electrical box. The four victory flags represent his tally. 

Guadalcanal is rainy and hot in November. 

There's a bunch of things nagging, but it's time to move on, so I'm calling this done. (And it only took me a year and three tries.)

Thanks for looking! 

-J

Nice job! That looks great!

-BD-

Nice to see it finished, looks pretty nice.

Thanks guys

A sort of postscript: last night my 6 year old son was practicing bobbling a tennis ball in the living room. Where I thought I might display this model on a shelf—what with it both referencing family history and being the fruit of not inconsiderable labor.

You see where this is going...

That ball zeroed in on that Wildcat like a... uh, like a Zero on Wildcat, I guess. Bam!

I don't have a pic, but the repairs weren't all that bad after all--it detached from the base and the rudder and canopy were knocked off, but luckily the antenna wire didn't break. The posts surely would have had they not been refabricated in brass, so that turned out to be a useful exercise. 

But man, this model is surely cursed! Maybe I'll just put it in a box. 

-J 

I almost started to lose it there for a moment reading your update on what is beginning to sound like a nice little ghost story of sorts for your Wildcat. Talk about bad luck! Good Lord....

Even still, you've got one nice looking Wildcat. She's something to be proud of. =] Canopy looks nice, engine is a definite upgrade, cockpit turned out really nice, elevators, painting/markings, "I's dotted and T's crossed"...I could go on. Thank you for sharing her and your story with us all. I think that's the best part really. Pretty soon the only way we'll hear their stories is through second and third hand information and the truth about what happened will get muddier through time unless we better preserve this part of our history.

Looking forward to your next build. =]

Looks great!

Wonderful payoff for dogged persistance over several obstacles.

Thanks guys. 

I really wish I had had smarter, better informed conversations with my grandfather (all my grandparents, actually). By the time I was old enough, my interests had moved on to other things, and then of course he died before they moved back—he would be 98 now.

There’s many just with this part of his service: what were Joe Foss, Harold Bauer, Marion Carl, etc really like? What were the circumstances of each of your four victories? Was is a disappointment to not get a fifth? (I could see him not caring about being an “ace”.) What was running through your head the first time you scrambled to your plane to greet incoming Betty’s? What was it like to NOT be on the flight list when there was a scramble? What was it like for an American flyer on leave in Sydney during the battle for Guadalcanal (which saved Australia) and so on.

Next up for me is a Corsair from his second tour in 1944 (again with Joe Foss) in VMF-115 at Emirau.

-J

Johnny1000

I really wish I had had smarter, better informed conversations with my grandfather (all my grandparents, actually). By the time I was old enough, my interests had moved on to other things, and then of course he died before they moved back—he would be 98 now.

Johnny, I know what you mean. My father was with the 101st Airborne during WWII. There were lots of stories that I never bothered to get the detail on; now it is too late!

Shipwreck: yes. (That reminds me that I should call my mother...)

One more historical bit...

The VMF-223 war diary from Sept 27, 1942. My grandfather was part of a small advance echelon from VMF-121. The legenary Marion Carl was the only one to bag a kill this day.

Nice job.  I did a hellcat way back with resin wings, gear bay and all the fiddly bits .   Yours looks fantastic.  Nice job on the seams and detail.   Well done!

Thanks keavdog!

-J

FWIW, today (Nov 7) is the 75th anniversary of when my grandfather ditched this Wildcat off of Malaita. (It's also the same day Joe Foss was shot down.)

The story, as relayed to me as a small child, mostly revolved around the fact that there were cannibals on the island, which sounded gruesome. However, as a practical matter, Japanese patrols represented a far greater danger. 

Anyway, thought I'd share. 

Thanks

-J

Your model turned out really nice, and I really, really enjoyed the story behind it.  I look forward to your build log on the Corsiar.  

Scott

Thanks Scott! The Corsair has gotten off to a promising, if pokey, start. 

Lawdog, thanks! That means a lot—I'm a big fan of your builds. I appreciated the backstory with that recent Jug of yours as well. I think you should do up that B17 again (but of course, that's easy for me to say). 

-J

That Wildcat is fantastic.  I will be starting my own Tamiya Wildcat shortly.

Thanks a lot for setting the bar so d high.    Going to look over this thread more than a few times for ideas.  This will be my third plane ever, so this WIP will be a treasure trove considering what a great job you did.

Glad your kit survived the dreaded heat seeking tennis ball, at least mostly.

D

Wow, you're doing a fantastic job! A fine tribute to your grandpa!

ManCityFan

That Wildcat is fantastic.  I will be starting my own Tamiya Wildcat shortly.

Thanks a lot for setting the bar so d high.    Going to look over this thread more than a few times for ideas.  This will be my third plane ever, so this WIP will be a treasure trove considering what a great job you did.

Glad your kit survived the dreaded heat seeking tennis ball, at least mostly.

D

Thanks so much. I'm looking forward to seeing your Wildcat. That was my first plane (or build at all) in a really long time, but it basically took me three tries, so we're about even. 

-J

Thanks Gamera!

-J

I'm so glad to see that you managed to finish you fantasic Wildcat. It truly is a remarkable example of your skills, patience and perseverence. All of your efforts and trials have paid off in spades. I do hope you are very proud of the work you have done because you darn well should be. Your Wildcat is indeed immensely maevelous. Thank You so much for the journey.

Cheers, Joe

That's an amazing wildcat!  Thanks for taking us along for the ride.

Joe, thanks so much, my friend! I really appreciate all the encouragement you gave me along the way. That really helped sustain me through the various misteps and reversals.

And thanks Greatmaker, much appreciated. 

-J

Hey J,

I went through the thread again, and I can't seem to find which resin wheel upgrade you used.  Do you remember which one and where you got it?  There is a good chance I will want to get it.

Thanks much,

D

Good question. I'm pretty sure they're by Vector and probably from Sprue Bros:

http://store.spruebrothers.com/product_p/vecvds48030.htm