Here is a great sheet for those who want to do some really early US Pacific War aircraft. Yellow Wings has provided a sheet for the Wake defenders of VMF-211. This sheet includes enough markings for the modeler to build six of the 12 aircraft attached to VMF-211 when based on Wake during the early days of the war. It includes the one aircraft left behind in Hawaii.

As you can see on the main sheet, there are registration problems with all the insignia to some extent with the red central dot displaced to the left. It is most obvious on the smaller insignia. This has not occurred on the smaller sheet. I've been assured by Yellow Wings that this is a one-time glitch as he has checked through other sheets and not found any problems.

Not only does the sheet include all the codes, but also the prop warning stripes. The instructions are superlative in that there is a history of the unit's planes (which had the top camouflage applied during the trip over). Camouflage information in terms of the demarcation line is shown on the profile adorning the cover card. There is some discrepancy between the cover profile and the placement guide regarding the presence of an intake atop the cowling and no indication as to whether these planes had the additional frame in the windscreen quarter windows as seen on some F4F-3 aircraft, so a bit more research is needed in this regard. Hopefully, one of you reading this will know and can straighten me out.

It is a great sheet and I'm pleased to be seeing these early war warriors finally getting some recognition.

Mike Koubek sent in this information that you should find of interest.

The Wildcats at Wake were all nearly brand new.  A few had served a short time with VF-3, but most had VMF-211 as their first assignment.  Those were accepted by VMF-211 without guns or gun-sights.  Nearly half the VMF-211 Wildcats that landed on the Enterprise did not have guns and gun-sights installed yet.   The data in my recent 1/48 Hobby-Boss F4F-3 (early) Wildcat will apply to the Wake Wildcats: 

F4F-3 that were present at Wake with VMF-211

·        Were part of last batch of F4F-3s (BuNos 3970 to 4057) prior to production switching to folding wing F4F-4.

·        Built in 1941

·        Used the Pratt & Whitney R-1830-86 14 cylinder air cooled radial engine.  This engine did have magnetos on the crankcase.  Same engine used on F4F-4 and FM-1

·        Cowling had internal scoop, had eight small flaps (dash-4 had same flaps), and intercooler scoops at 4 and 8 o’clock positions.

·        Equipped with bullet resistant windshield.

·        Windshield side panels did have extra brace when delivered.

·        Single beacon light on fuselage spine.

·        Early style holdback at base of tail.

 The drawing on the decal placement sheet is for the earliest F4F-3s initially assigned to VF-41, VF-42, VF-71 and VF-72.

 The Hobby-Boss 1/48 F4F-3 (late) kit which just came out is correct for a Wake Island Wildcat.  Only the holdback would have to be corrected.  The windshield brace is present, but Hobby-Boss placed it incorrectly.

February 2008

Thanks to Yellow Wings for the review samples.

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and fairly quickly, please contact the editor or see other details in the Note to Contributors.