1/72 Monogram F8F Bearcat

by Bill Retoff

Photos by Don Rosser and Eric Seman

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       Here's my newest finished model, the old Monogram F8F Bearcat.  It's a build which sprung from the woes of a "modeler-error" accident.

       I'd been putting together a different kit for a model contest, and suffered a "glue-on-the-glass" mishap.  Distraught (or, at least, somewhat ticked), I set that model aside and quickly cast about for something I could assemble in a couple weeks, regardless of my glacial building pace and overtime work schedule.

       Monogram's Bearcat filled the bill!  If you leave off the underwing weaponry, it can be assembled using less than two dozen kit parts.  For its age, it's fairly detailed, excepting the wheel wells.  Fit is wonderful and assembly is filler-free.  It repays improvement, giving the builder a chance to try out some modeling techniques.

       Most of all, it's just plain ol' FUN!

       I attended to one "glaring" inaccuracy of the kit--its fin height.  As molded, the fin's size is somewhere between that of the F8F-1 and F8F-2.  Since my subject was a -2, I trimmed off the tip, added the requisite plastic card based on scale drawings, replaced the tip, sanded, and then performed scribing to retrieve the rudder outline.

       As for the spartan wheel wells, I did some boxing in and let it go at that.

       The cockpit includes an instrument panel decal, a joystick, rudder pedals and a seat with embossed harnesses.  Not bad for a kit from the '60s.  Main "office" color is Interior Green, with appropriate detailng added.  For kicks, I put in a narrow black decal on both sides of the interior, speckling these with "switches, buttons and gauges" to give a vague impression of side consoles.

       Painting the Bearcat was really simple: Sea Blue...exterior, wells, landing gear, even the inside of the cowl (tho I'm not positive this is the correct color there).  The Sea Blue was "cut" about 20% with light gray (FS36495) and a couple drops of Testors Beret Green, which comes in those teeny square bottles that used to cost a dime, way back when Monogram's Bearcat first came out, and which nowadays sell for over a buck!

       Markings represent an F8F-2 from VF-82 in the Summer of 1952.

       The very last things I attached were scratch-built, drilled-out cannon barrels, a scratch-built underwing pitot tube (ooooo!), two stretched-sprue dorsal whip antennas and a nylon-thread aerial.

       The model was barely weathered--a hint of exhaust stains on the fuselage siides, a bit of scuffing in the cockpit.  That's it.  I almost skipped adding a panel line wash.  Who'd notice it on a Sea Blue aircraft?  But add it I did; and surprisingly, it popped out the exterior raised and recessed exterior details nicely indeed.

       Well, I made the contest deadline with one day to spare.  And on Veteran's Day, November 11, 2006, I sallied forth to Darien, Illinois for the annual IPMS "Butch" O'Hare contest.  Had a grand time up there; got to view some superb models and pick up a couple "can't-beat-this" deals at the vending tables.  The donuts at the chow area were dee-lish, too.

       I didn't hang around for the judging.  NO WAY was my simple F8F gonna cop an award (besides, I'm from a small town; the prospect of making the rodeo ride thru suburban Chicago traffic around 5PM--even on a weekend--didn't exactly infuse me with enthusiasm!).

       ...But during the day, I noticed a number of attendees pausing for a closer look at the Bearcat.  It caught the eye of Eric Seman, who was kind enough to share the contest photo you see here.  This pic is one of many images of the event Eric has posted on the Net. 

Bill

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Photos and text © by Bill Retoff, Eric Seman, Don Rosser