COBI F4F Wildcat - Northrop Grumman Set 5731

COBI's F4F Wildcat is a 1:32 model built from 375 blocks, 27.5 cm long with a 35.5 cm wingspan, produced under licence from Northrop Grumman. The propeller and ailerons move, the wheels rotate on rubber tires, and the cockpit opens for the pilot figure. A display stand and a nameplate are included. No stickers.

Butch O'Hare

The markings — the Felix the Cat emblem of squadron VF-3 and the victory marks beside the cockpit — belong to Lieutenant Edward "Butch" O'Hare.

On 20 February 1942, flying alone after his section became separated, he intercepted a formation of Japanese bombers heading for the carrier Lexington and attacked them repeatedly until his ammunition was gone. He was credited at the time with five, and he became the US Navy's first flying ace of the war and the first naval aviator to receive the Medal of Honor. He was killed in action in November 1943.

Chicago's airport is named after him. Most people passing through O'Hare have no idea it is a man's name.

Beating a better aeroplane

The Wildcat was slower than a Zero, climbed worse and could not turn with it. What it had was armour, self-sealing tanks and six heavy machine guns — it could take punishment and deal it out.

The answer was tactical. John Thach worked out a manoeuvre for two pairs of Wildcats weaving across each other's tails, so that any Zero latching onto one aircraft flew straight into the guns of another. It required no performance the Wildcat did not have, only discipline, and it worked. The Thach Weave is still taught.

In the COBI range

Set 5729 is the Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero at the same 1:32 scale — the opponent this aircraft was designed against.

Specifications

Pieces: 375 · Figures: 1 pilot · Scale: 1:32 · Licensed by Northrop Grumman · No stickers
Model dimensions: 27.5 × 35.5 × 10.5 cm (10.8 × 14.0 × 4.1 in)