Drew Hatch posted this quick build of Hobbyboss’ late model F4F-3 Wildcat/Martlet III. Drew also provided some interesting history on this variant.
Finished! Well, I can complete something in a weekend (or long one). Not a contest quality build by any means, but finished. If I were to build this kit again, I would first add the upper wings to the fuselage concentrating on fit and dihedral. The complex landing gear was a bit problematic, but no worse than Tamiya’s offering. All in all, nothing a knife and basic thinking skills can’t handle.
It’s finished with Extra acrylix 602 gray and an old floquil Br middlestone. I’m not too convinced that the middlestone is the right shade -fair bit too light (compared to my color chart) and references, but no big deal really.
The Martlet 3 is really an obscurity. It was never meant to be in US nor Brit service. They were ordered by Greece, but due to the Germans they never took delivery. There is a controversy as to what equipment was in them. It wasn’t standard US and not made to Brit specs. The Brits gave it the Mk III name as they already had the Mk II, and had another variant, the Mk IV, already coming in service with the FAA. In Africa, the RAF didn’t want them, so they went by default to the RN. The RN didn’t really want them, but had several pilots trained in Mk II’s that were without an operational unit. They became 805 RN Western Desert fighter Sqn. If you noticed, the plane still carries it’s US factory BU#.
