Airfix A55214 Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat Plastic Model Medium Starter Gift Set (1:72 Scale)

Fair model to build, some parts were warped and hard to manipulate in to proper position. Had to use filler puddy to make right. Not enough paint in some pots to finish model proper.

I put this together as per the instructions and it still won’t fly.

It is what it is. Simple and for a beginner. Nothing more, nothing less, so if you're looking for something detailed, move up in difficulty rating.

Xmas gift

it is a piece of junk.

For experienced, i.e. adult builders, this is an outstanding kit. If you are looking to encourage a young modeler, consider simpler, and possibly larger kits. The best 1/72 (i.e. six inch wingspan) Wildcat for beginning builders is any of the Hobby Boss $10 "Easy Build" versions. You'll need to add the glue and paint, but they produce an excellent model in minimum time, with modest skills.That said- this is a beautiful model kit, with interesting World War Two Atlantic convoy escort gray & white markings.This crisp, newly-tooled kit simply is THE best "out of the box" Grumman Wildcat kit in this scale.The 2015 Airfix F4F-4 Wildcat outshines all the little Wildcat kits that have been released since the 1960s.The outline is excellent. The rivet detail is subtle. The panel lines are engraved. The parts fit very well.Great care went into making sure this kit corrected the shortcomings of the many Wildcat kits of the past.It has many, many features that appeal to experienced modelers.Bottom line - Beautiful Starter Kit - but not a toy for younger builders. It has jewel-like parts that need a patient, light, touch.

For the cost and the scale this is (to me) a reasonably accurate version of a F4 Wildcat, can be made with wings open or closed.Build wise it's a relatively easy kit to put together if you are a beginner it may pay to build it with the undercarriage up as this is the trickiest part to assemble and with the wings open and there are 4 holes that need to be drilled out if you are adding the drop tanks.The included paints do work but you need to use multiple thinned coats. White is always a tricky colour to paint and I only just had enough white to complete it, but I didn't use the included grey (number 27) as it is very dark and I wanted to build a lighter coloured plane so mine my not be historically accurate, it did mean my over top effort at weathering did show up though.If you don't need the paints go for the non starter Airfix Wildcat as you save money.I've added a few pictures of my efforts.PS it comes with a well moulded pilot (which I didn't use) and I made my own seat belt as one isn't included.

This is a very nice little kit, excellent for beginners to model making or those, like me, returning to the hobby in retirement, after a gap of many years. Easy to assemble, with clear instructions. You have the option to have the wings open or folded, therefore giving you an interesting choice for the finished kit. All the paints, a brush and glue are included, making it good value for money.

I purchased this kit after reading the book "Retribution" by Max Hastings (excellent book) which inspired me to build a model of one of the US Navy fighter-bombers. The Grumman Wildcat is not one of the more elegant aircraft from WW2 but I have to admit, even in that context, the end result was not worth the effort. Out of every one of the several dozen stages in its construction only one (glueing two wing halves together - Section 27) was able to be completed without substantial modification of the parts. This model simply does not fit together. Holes are too small, recesses offset, parts too short and sections misaligned. I appreciate that many enjoy this type of challenge but for a starter kit this is a bit much. I have never had to carve, drill, file and sand so much off a plastic model kit simply to get it to sit together properly. Even after this I had to use a substantial amount of filler to create solid seams. Even the decals could not be applied without additional help.I would recommend this model only to those with a good set of modelling tools.

This kit is at the quality you would expect from a new kit. The tooling is crisp and well detailed! A perfect kit in its scale and price bracket. Well worth a buy!

Good quality starter set, some experience required