Wildcat construction stage, major parts were assembled in preparation for painting. 4 gun ports drilled into front wings, gaps within landing gears filled in with superglue since its high viscosity hardens into model crevices.

Rollover : Folding wings glued in flying position, gaps filled in with white modeling putty. Gun ports traced to its shell ejection holes, these holes hollowed out with XACTO knife.

F4F Wildcats were premier US Navy fighters from 1941 to 1943, until introduction of F6F Hellcat fighter. Although rugged, dependable, and able to endure punishing enemy hits due to embedded armor plating, Wildcat's speed - maneuverability - climb rate - turn ratio lagged behind enemy fighters. By 1944, it remained on Atlantic convoy escort, while in Pacific provided both convoy escort and combat ground support to various Allied island invasion operations. Grumman F6F Hellcat - www.acepilots.com/planes/f6f_hellcat.html

Famous Wildcat / Escort Carrier WW2 engagement was October 1944 Battle of Leyte Gulf in Philippines (also called 2nd Battle of the Philippine Sea). Being largest naval battle in history, three near simultaneous battle fronts erupted in northern Cape Engaño, southern Surigao Strait, and central Samar Island. In near fatal strategic error, US 3rd Fleet decoyed away from central front, to engage Japan fleet's Northern Force off northern Cape Engaño. Remaining 7th Fleet engaged Japan fleet's Southern Force in Surigao Strait. However, central front now only guarded by three US escort carrier groups of Task Unit 77.4 (each group assigned call signs Taffy-1, Taffy-2, Taffy-3), whose primary duty was to provide air-ground support for US Gen. Douglas MacArthur and his 200,000-man invasion beachhead on Leyte Island. Battle of Leyte Gulf - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_for_Leyte_Gulf

25 October 1944, Imperial Japan Central Force (4 battleships, 8 cruisers, 11 destroyers) approached American Taffy-3 group (6 escort carriers, 6 destroyers, circa 150 planes) off Samar Island undetected until virtually last minute by aerial recon. US escort carriers and destroyers had no choice but turn and flee, they were no match for top-of-line Imperial Japan battleships. Wildcats from US escort carriers executed repeated bombing and strafing runs against Japanese fleet, they continued attack maneuvers even after expending all ammunition to force enemy vessels into evasive action, thus prevent proper targeting of naval barrage plastering retreating US escort carriers. Taffy 3 mates salute those who didn't return - www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20041026-9999-1m26taffy.html

Inset 1 : combat illustration showing USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) of Taffy-3 task unit launching all Wildcat fighters off Samar Island as enemy naval artillery plummeted task unit. By day end, this escort carrier and 3 US destroyers would fall prey to enemy naval artillery. USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Gambier_Bay

Multiple American ships were hit as Japanese vessels close target range, one veteran remarked when enemy salvos slammed into smaller American ships, it is like "a puppy being hit by a truck". Additional sites describing this battle off Samar Island at :

Battle off Samar - www.combinedfleet.com/btl_sam.htm

"Turkey Trots to Water", Part 5 - Battle off Samar - www.battleship.org/html/Articles/History/Leyte5.htm

Battle off Samar : Order of Battle 25 October 1944 - www.navweaps.com/index_oob/OOB_WWII_Pacific/OOB_WWII_Samar.htm

BATTLE EXPERIENCE : BATTLE FOR LEYTE GULF - www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/rep/Leyte/BatExp/index.html

Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors - www.tincansailorsbook.com/battle.html

For its efforts in saving off pending military disaster off Samar Island and Leyte beachhead, Taffy-3 battle group awarded US Presidential Citation. US RESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION Awarded to Task Unit 77.4.3 (Taffy III) - www.desausa.org/taffy_3_citation.htm

Inset 2 : One famous Imperial Japan Navy battleship deployed in this battle was the Yamato: to-date world largest (circa 73,000 tons with full load) and most powerful battleship ever built (main armaments were 9@18.1-inch guns firing 3,800 pound artillery shell to distance of circa 25 miles).

Although she survived the Battle off Samar, ship would be sunk on 7 April 1945 during so-called suicide run from Japan home islands down to Okinawa to destroy US invasion fleet. Ship name referred to Japan Imperium formed in 6th-century meaning the "Great Unification". Yamato (Battleship, 1941-1945) - www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-fornv/japan/japsh-xz/yamato.htm