1/48 Monogram F4F Wildcat

The Most Daring Single Action

 - Butch O'Hare's Wildcat

by Konley Kelley

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This is an old Monogram 1:48 F4F Wildcat. I actually traded a friend a six-pack of beer for this kit!

There is very little detail to this kit. I may build a Tamiya kit one day to replace this one. The other model featured in this image is the 1:700 Fujimi USS Lexington, CV-2.

This project did give me an opportunity to build Butch O'Hare's Wildcat. I picked up the decals from Superscale.

Butch O'Hare was a fighter pilot on the USS Lexington. On February 20, 1942, a force of Japanese "Betty" bombers was spotted en route to the Lexington's task force. The first wave of bombers was destroyed by U.S. Navy fighters and anti-aircraft from the ships. Butch O'Hare and five other pilots confronted the second wave of bombers. In a matter of seconds, O'Hare shot down six bombers. Touted as the one of the most daring single actions in the history combat aviation, O'Hare was awarded the Medal of Honor.

In this digital diorama, O'Hare is returning to the Lex after defending her from the bombers.

In November, 1943, O'Hare was accidentally shot down during a night mission near Tarawa. Chicago O'Hare International Airport is named in his honor.
Konley

Photos and text © by Konley Kelley