[dboulais]

I just received Dragon's F4F VF-10 Enterprise Wildcat. This model is a nice example of a mid-war US Navy paint finish. I like the big national insignia. The canopy looks great, it will look even better if I can fit a HM pilot in the cockpit. There's no weathering, but the tone of the colors is so muted, that it looks like it's sitting on a real carrier deck. All the body sections fit GREAT! I love the fine surface detail, better than HM's in this scale. The pad printed fine marking are few but nicely done. This model will look great next to the gaggle of it's mates on the display shelf.

[mil0]

dboulais made the right choice. I've got the Yorktown Wildcat - its the same paint scheme. It's great - and there is only one gear down piece and one gear up piece. Whoever doesn't have the dragon F4F needs to get one. (my first camera pics on the TMH attached!! sorry I know its a huge picture) It went pretty well with my HM dauntless.

[Cruver Collecter]

I need to get one of the Dragon Wildcats, they make for good looking model.

[ZS-VAN]

I only have one, incidently the same one in the pic, white 23.

[ZS-VAN]

Eerrr, isn't White 23 from VF3 USS Yorktown though?

[mil0]

Originally Posted by ZS-VAN

Eerrr, isn't White 23 from VF3 USS Yorktown though?

Yes - my White 23 is the Yorktown - and dboulais is a different model but same scheme.

[1250ships]

Here are a few images of my Enterprise F4F. I really like the Dragon Wildcats. At least the F4F versions, not the inaccurate FM-2s they put out. I have the Enterprise, Yorktown, and Ranger Wildcats. They look good paired with the approriate Corgi or Hobby Master SBDs.

[MigAlley]

I have that Enterprise Wildcat as well, and I really like it - and that flight deck diorama makes it even nicer. I do think it's a bit of a shame that Dragon keeps cranking out new versions that are quite similar to this - the Yorktown, Enterprise and Guadalcanal ones are almost identical. Love the dark look of their FM2s, but unfortunately the model's a long way from being accurate for a FM2.

For me one of the unexpected stars of this line is the USS Ranger Wildcat - I tend to associate this type almost exclusively with the Pacific war, so to have one that saw action during Operation Torch is a real neat surprise. The yellow on the roundels also make it stick out that bit more. It is a shame, though, that Dragon haven't done a camouflaged or tan version as well - Wildcats were used in the ground attack role in the desert as well, for example by the British. A scheme like that would appeal a lot more to me than another light blue version - although the first Guadalcanal version with the red cowling might be worth checking out after all.

All in all, it's a surprise that we've seen fairly little Wildcats so far - for a type as important as this it's inexplicable that people have taken so long to model it. In this sense Dragon's version is a real godsend, and it does look very nice next to a truckload of Hellcats, Dauntlesses and PBJs!