This
is my F8F-1B Bearcat in French Air Force markings during the Indochina war,
based at Bach Maï in 1954. The aircraft depicted here belongs to EROM 80 (Escadron
de Reconnaissance Outre-Mer 80 = Outer-sea reconnaissance squadron 80).
This
is a reconnaissance aircraft which, anyway, has nothing to see with F8F-2P,
truly dedicated photo version. In the case of these French Bearcats, the
reconnaissance missions were done using fuel tanks converted to reconnaissance
pods by the French mechanics.
Click on
images below to see larger images
The
kit is the old Monogram kit, which builds well. I improved it with some aftermarket
goodies such as Airwaves photoetched parts, HiTech resin parts, Squadron
canopy... The decals and the recce pod are from Model
Art.
The
ANA607 color was painted using a mix of Humbrol paints. The only modification I
made was to cut a part of the tail to have it looking like a F8F-1 one, the
Monogram tail size seems to be somewhere between a -1 and a -2 one. I did some
scratchbuilding as well, like the tail wheel, improving some details...
Hope
you like that “exotic” Bearcat, the best prop fighter that saw war action in
the fifties.
PS
Click on
images below to see larger images
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