F2A-2
Buffalo

About This Build

The Subject

The Brewster F2A Buffalo holds the distinction of being the first US Navy monoplane fighter to enter service, in 1939. By the time of Pearl Harbor it was already being phased out in favour of the Wildcat, but it served in the hands of the Marines at Midway Atoll, where VMF-221 flew it against overwhelming odds. Rugged and nimble at lower speeds, it was simply outclassed by the Zero at the altitudes and speeds of 1942 Pacific combat.

The Kit

This is the Tamiya F2A-2, a vintage kit dating from the early 1970s and re-issued in the early 1990s with decals for two yellow-wing US Navy schemes for USS Lexington and USS Saratoga. I started the kit about eight years ago, then put it aside — and when I rediscovered it, I decided to finish it in the overall Non-Specular Light Gull Gray scheme of a VF-3 aircraft aboard USS Saratoga. The cockpit canopy was sawed into three pieces; the middle section was replaced with a Squadron vacform part for a cleaner open-canopy display.

Colours & Markings

The instrument panel and seatbelts are from Eduard. Decals came from Techmod and Yellow Wings, providing accurate stencilling and national markings. AK Real Colors Light Gull Gray covers the airframe, with Alclad Chrome Silver on the metal panels. As always, figures from Tamiya and Tori Factory complete the carrier deck scene.