September 2011 65
AS AN AMERICAN carrier-based fighter aircraft for the United
States Navy and British Royal Navy, the Grumman F4F Wildcat was
the only effective fighter in the Pacific Theater during the early
years of World War II.
Jim Ryan chose this rugged warbird to build as electric-powered
RC Sport Scale not only to round out his collection—which included
models of an F6F Hellcat, F8F Bearcat, and an F4U Corsair—but
also because US Navy fighters are among his favorites.
Jim stuck to his tried-and-true construction formula, scaling the
airframe to 170 square inches for the wing area and keeping the
empty weight at 7 ounces, with flying
weight at approximately 18 ounces.
The airframe is designed in AutoCAD
with the fuselage using former,
stringer, and balsa-sheet construction.
The 30.6-inch wing is foam sheeted
with balsa and the aileron torque rods are fabricated with music wire
and brass tubing.
Built over a crutch, the fuselage also has partial cutouts in the
“crutch grips” of F-4 and F-5. Once the fuselage panels are in place,
the construction crutch is removed; grips are removed after the
fuselage is complete and assembly is glued and stiff.
The cowl block is carved to shape from end-grain balsa, the
empennage is assembled and fit to the fuselage, as is the wing, then
the belly-pan formers are installed on the bottom of the wing. Final
details such as installing servo mounts, cutting battery mounting
plates, and mortising control horns into the surfaces for strength are
then completed.
Jim finished the Wildcat with fiberglass cloth and painted it with
enamel paints, but the model is suitable for film covering as well. He
stated that it was really a joy to fly, with the model doing huge
loops, Cuban 8s, and solid inverted flights.
The Grumman F-4F Wildcat was featured in an April 2004 MA
construction article. The Plans Service listing is 956. Consisting of
two sheets, it is available for $14 plus shipping and handling. See
page 163 or go to www.modelaircraft.org/plans.aspx for ordering
information. MA
AMA PLANS SERVICE SHOWCASE
Wildcat
Grumman F-4F
Grumman’s
feisty fighter
has character
09sig3.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 7/22/11 10:22 AM Page 65
Edition: Model Aviation - 2011/09
Page Numbers: 65
