Just off the bench and it's not the usual quick OOB build for me:
Hobbyboss 1/48 FM-1 Wildcat built to represent a Wildcat V of the Fleet Air Arm on the HMS Atheling in the Pacific during May 1944.
The trickiest part is the assembly of the landing gear which has delicate parts. It took me some time to get it right. Note that you should also look out for the dihedral of the wing during assembly. You will not have the problem when you are building the Tamiya Wildcat. Then engine crank case also needs some attention during assembly to get the right fit.
Although the kit comes with separate machineguns, they cannot be seen once the wings are closed. You have to cut the panels if you want to model them opened plus you have to scratch build the ammo bays. I decided not to use the machineguns and opted to use No. 20 syringe needles for the barrel.
Again, it's not the "shake and bake" type of model that you usually find in Tamiya kits. This one required some filing and sanding plus making sure that mating halves fit right and are aligned. Surface detail of the kit is very good.
Painting was done using Gunze #333 (Extra Dark Sea Grey) and my own mix of Dark Slate Grey using Mr. Color paints. The undersides were painted with Tamiya XF-21 Sky. The decals I used were from Aeromaster. I had no problems with it and they worked well with Solvaset. Applied a wash and then after removing the excess, I sealed the model with a mist of clear flat.
Overall I enjoyed building this FM-1. I have an F4F-4 and an FM-2 (also from Hobbyboss) and I might just build another one soon.
Cheers,
