Monogram 1/72 F7F Tigercat

Monogram’s Tigercat dates back to 1967. When Monogram entered the 1/72 arena that was at that time dominated by Airfix and Revell, they raised the bar, and this kit was one that helped do it (along with the F8F, P-51B, and Bf 110).

The variant represented is the big-tailed F7F-3 (IMHO, one of the prettiest twin-prop airplanes ever built), and the completed model really looks like one in every way. Parts breakdown is very conventional, and parts fit is good. If you use liquid cement and build carefully, you might be able to get away with no putty at all. The framing on the well-shaped, very clear canopy is gorgeous.

Weak points are minor and few. Surface detailing is fine raised lines. There’s not much of a cockpit, and even less in the wheel wells. The propeller blades seem to be a bit fat in thickness, and a bit thin in chord. They look okay, but replace them with better props from a pair of Hellcat or Corsair kits if you want to get nitpicky about it. The engines, such as they are, are molded as part of the cowlings, but they’re nice and deep and hidden in the shadows.

One problem with any Tigercat kit is the type’s tendency to tail-sit. Pack as much weight as you can get in the nose of the Monogram F7F--you’ll need it. I have not one but two 158-grain .357 Magnum bullets (total over 1/2 ounce) in the nose of mine and that’s only barely enough. Stomp through my model display room and my Tigercat will rock back on its tail. You might even need some weight in the nacelles. Normally I advise against this, because it stresses the main gear and the wing joints for a relatively small amount of effect, but the wing joints and the main struts are both sturdy in this kit.  If it’s any consolation, the real Tigercats liked to tail-sit, too, and several pictures of them so parked have been published.

The Monogram Tigercat has been reissued in several boxes, and most recently marketed by Revell of Germany. It doesn’t seem to be in production at this time, but it comes and goes. It can also be found at swap meets and on eBay, but in any case prepare to pay a good deal more than its original late-’60s price of $1.00. Whatever it costs, it’s worth it, as it’s the only game in town. Aoshima of Japan had one years ago; I’ve never seen that kit and can’t comment on it.  (It is a very nice kit and does an early -1 as well. If you can find it and like Tigercats, buy it! Ed.)

The model shown is one I originally built in high school and painted with Pactra Royal Blue in the rattlecan. A few years ago I dug it out of the attic, disassembled it as much as I could, stripped the paint with Easy-Off oven cleaner, reassembled it, and repainted it in Model Master Glossy Sea Blue. I used old MicroScale generic decals to replicate a Marine Tigercat shown in Squadron/Signal’s F7F Tigercat in Action book. (Kit decals for this issue are for an F7F with factory delivery number 462 on the engine cowlings, as seen in a well-known and often-reproduced photograph. I don’t know what decals are in other boxings, sorry. While I’m apologizing, I’m also sorry that the kit box didn’t quite fit into my scanner by about a quarter of an inch.)