Academy Grumman F4F-4/General Motors FM1 Wildcat
FM-1 operating from USS Block Island, 1944

Basic holiday project. This aircraft is a GM FM-1 Wildcat in blue-grey and white Sea Search colours, operating off USS Block Island in 1944. USS Block Island was an escort or "Jeep" carrier operating in the Atlantic, where it was sunk in 1944.

Returning to this build 9 months later and at home, where I had access to my references, I took the opportunity to correct some mistakes and add detail. In particular, having established that the Academy-supplied decals were for a General Motors Eastern Division-built Wildcat FM-1 rather than the F4-F, I deleted the outboard wing guns (which involved filling in and painting-over the ports), thus putting it into the correct 4-gun configuration. I also took the opportunity of painting-on navigation and upper fuselage lights, and adding shading to the underwing air intakes and the arrester hook housing.