F8F-1 Bearcat

[Paul A H]

F8F-1 Bearcat

1:72 Revell

Although it did not enter service in time to see action in World War II, Grumman’s diminutive Bearcat nevertheless earned itself a reputation as one of the ultimate piston-engined fighters. Designed around the same Pratt & Whitney R-2800 18-cylinder engine used in the Hellcat but weighing in around 20 per cent lighter, the Bearcat certainly fulfilled the US Navy’s requirement for a high-performance interceptor. In 1946, a production standard F8F-1 set a time-to-climb record of 10,000ft in just 94 seconds, a record that would stand for ten years.

Despite the introduction of the jet fighter, production of Bearcats continued until 1949, by which time 24 US Navy squadrons and the Blue Angels display team were equipped with the type. Even after it had been replaced in US Navy service by the F9F Panther and F2H Banshee, the French Armee de l’Air continued with the Bearcat and used them in action in Indochina. After retirement from military service, many Bearcats enjoyed a successful second career in air racing, with one such example, the highly modified Rare Bear, setting the ultimate speed record for a piston-engined aircraft of 528mph in 1989.

This Bearcat from Revell is a re-release of the Monogram kit that was first produced in the mid-1970s. As you might expect for a kit that is over thirty years old, there is a little flash here and there, but all things considered the moulds are in good shape.

The kit is produced in blue plastic, with a very smooth, glossy finish. Surface detail is comprised of very fine raised panel lines and fine, restrained rivets. The cockpit detail is comprised of a seat, with harnesses moulded in place, and a control stick. The R-2800 engine is pretty nice, and should look fine once in place. The wings are moulded in just two pieces, so they must be assembled before the fuselage halves are joined together. The canopy is supplied in two halves, so it can be posed open if desired. Two 1000lb bombs and four 5in rockets are supplied by way or armament. A rather groovy retro-style stand is also included should you wish to display the model in flight.

The decal sheet is nicely printed, with bold colours and crisp details. Two options are included; the first is the aircraft depicted on the box artwork, as flown by the Commander of Air Group Nineteen in 1947, Commander H. E. Cook jr. The other option is an aircraft of VFM-321, NAS Anacostia, August 1952, which sports a rather nice Day-Glo orange fuselage stripe.

Conclusion

Although this is by no means a state-of-the-art tooling, this is an interesting release from Revell and it should build up into a nice little model. The decal sheet is a particular highlight, and although it would have been good to have the option of a French aircraft, both US Navy schemes supplied are very nice.

Review sample courtesy of

[Jon Kunac-Tabinor]

Hiya - Just a couple of notes to add to Pauls excellent review.

As its molded the model is really an F8F-1B - with 4 x 20mm cannon, rather than the 4 x .50 machine guns of the dash-1.

The decals for the CAG bird from Air Group-19 are for a -1, so you'd need to sand off the cannon blsters from the top wing, and remove the cannon barrels. The 0.50s were totally enclosed in the wings, so you just need ports drilled in the wing edges for these.

The Anacostia based reserve machine is also a dash-1 so ditto for this too.

If you really want to be totally dash -1'ed up - you will also need to replace the 3 stack exhaust with a 5 stack system ( the -2 used the 3 larger exhausts), and if memory serves - the rear canopy bracing frame wasnt there on dash-1s either.

To make a dash 2 from this model you'll need to make the fin and tail taller, and add the extra cooling vent under the lower cowling, and keep the cannon in the wings.

Just a couple of notes that I hope help the modeller make a Dash -1 from the box - so you can use the very nice looking decals.

Cheers

Jonners

[Tailspin Turtle]

As close as I can measure, the tail is halfway between the -1 and -2 in height, so it has to be shortened for a -1 and lengthened for a -2.

The turnover structure behind the headrest wasn't on early -1s but it was either subsequently introduced in production and/or retrofitted.