Scale Aviation Modeller International — November 2017

Grumman F7F-3P Tigercat

First Look at HpH 1/32 Grumman F7F-3P Tigercat

E

ver since this kit was first

announced, I have been

avidly following its progress

on Facebook, and on my visits to

the Czech Republic. And finally,

at E-Day 2017, HpH had the kit

ready for sale. I must say that

the wait was well worthwhile,

because it is exquisite.

There can be no doubt that

the Tigercat was the peak of

piston engine development, but

unfortunately, it arrived too late

for use in World War Two; a few,

however, did see service with the

United State Marines in Korea. It

was also a stunningly attractive

aircraft, with its thin shark-like

fuselage and two large engine

nacelles housing Pratt and Whiney

Twin Wasps, which pushed it

to a top speed of 460 MPH.

HpH have a reputation for

producing some super-detailed

models; their Catalina is probably

one of the most comprehensive

kits ever released. Fortunately, the

Tigercat is not as complicated as

the Catalina, but do not be deceived.

This kit has a level of detail that

easily surpasses what is possible

with injection-moulded plastic.

I will start by mentioning the

instructions. Unusually, these

are printed as a small booklet,

which is a very different approach

from the CD-ROMs that HpH have

used previously. You are guided

through the construction process

through its 36 pages, and I really

like the way they have done this.

As you start each section, you

have a photograph of the parts

you will need in that section,

along with the part numbers. The

actual construction is illustrated

using clear photographs of the kit

parts, again with part numbers

clearly displayed. Colours are

keyed to the MRP paint range;

the colour notes are further

supported by 18 photographs of

the real aircraft, which cover all

the areas that modellers are most

interested in (such as the cockpit,

engine, and undercarriage bays).

Most of the kit is moulded in

resin, with further details supplied

in etched metal and turned brass.

There is also a set of seatbelts by

HGW, produced with a mixture

of fabric and etched steel.

Preparation will be minimal;

in most cases, removing the

casting blocks can be done with

a craft knife or scalpel blade and

a sanding stick. A test fit of the

fuselage out of the box reveals

that it is almost perfect, and that

is even before I added the small

keying pieces that HpH supplies

to produce plug and sockets (just

like a conventional plastic kit).

The surface detail equals the

quality of the cast pieces, featuring

very subtle engraving as good as

anything achieved by Tamiya.

Just like the real aircraft, any

model of a Tigercat is going to

want to try to tail-sit, due to its

large tail fin. HpH have included

two shaped weights to fit into

the nose to prevent this from

happening. Of course, this will put

a lot of strain on the undercarriage,

so it is just as well that this is

produced using a metal core for

strength, with resin details. Metal

is also used for the cannon barrels

and the 4-inch rockets to fit to

the under-wing rocket stubs.

The clear parts are supplied

in a small bag that, to help

protect them, is fitted inside

one of the engine nacelles. Also

supplied are pre-coloured clear

parts for the navigation lights.

The etched brass sheet is very

large, with well over 100 individual

parts, including the 4-inch rocket

fins; there are also numerous

details for the cockpit, including a

complete instrument panel made

up from no less than fifteen parts.

Markings are supplied for

two options (both of which have

been seen in previous Tigercat

kits), and are in the basic

gloss dark sea blue scheme.

• F7F-3P, VDM-254, Oakland,
  Ca, 1946. This option has white/
  green/white bands around the
  fuselage, wings, and engine
  nacelles, and the yellow codes NI.


• F7F-3P, MAG-33, Phoang, Korea,
  1953. This aircraft has the code
  number 19 and tail code WM.
  Normally these would be white

but on this aircraft they are

actually grey, as represented

on the decals. One small area of

confusion is the stripes on the

propeller hubs and lower rear

fuselage. On the instructions,

these are described as blue

and white, but on the box art

and in my references, they

are shown as red and white.

CONCLUSION

If this builds as good as it

looks, it will be one of the best

multimedia kits ever produced;

it just screams “Build me!”

There is only one downside

and that is price. At €315, it is not

a cheap model, by any means,

but adding the detail that this kit

supplies to a Japanese-produced

model, using aftermarket parts,

would come to a similar price.

So if you want what will probably

be the ultimate model of a Tigercat in

any scale, then this is the kit for you.

If you are interested in this kit

or have never seen the diverse

range of subjects that HpH have

produced, in all the major scales,

visit http://www.hphmodels.cz.

A full build of this kit will

feature in SAMi during 2018.

Inside the engine cowlings are hidden the clear

parts

Etched brass, fabric seat belts and masks all

included

Basic moulded detail to which you will add

another 12 parts

Nicely detailed cowlings

Two marking options and decal details for the

cockpit

Fuselage halves will only need minimal clean up

Beautiful engraving on the wings

The Instructions include useful photographs of

the real thing

Metal nose weights and wing spar

WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • NOVEMBER 2017 • 55

FIRST LOOK!

052-57-FirstLooks-1117.indd 55 16/10/2017 15:32