1/72 Hasegawa Brewster

Model 339C Buffalo

by Igor Svetlov (IS)

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Brewster Model 339C
 
B-3110, 2-VLG-V, ML-KNIL, Singapore, January 1942, flown by Kapt. J.P. Van Helsdingen

Kit: 

  • 1/72 Hasegawa F2A-2 Buffalo "U.S. Navy"
Afermarket sets : 
  • Eduard #72-233 photo-etched detail set
  • Hobby Plus navigation lights, wire

Decals: 

  • Aeromaster # 72- 146 "Buffalo Collection Part II"

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Construction


The model is based on the Hasegawa kit AP45 F2A-2 Buffalo 'U.S. Navy'.
Following modifications were needed to convert it to the Dutch B-339C:

  • the tail fuselage cone with arresting hook was replaced with the longer and more pointed one (without a hook ) featured on land-based a/c;
  • a fixed tailwheel mounting with a larger wheel was installed instead of the retractable one with a small wheel;
  • cuffs were removed from the Curtiss Electric propeller blades (although the kit does provide the uncuffed blades as well, but these are Hamilton Standard referred to be used with a B-239 and therefore don’t fit to the Dutch version, being first of all just too short); 
  • the area behind the cockpit under the canopy was simplified as the navy equipment (liferaft, RDF loop etc.) used on F2A-2 wasn’t installed on B-339 the straight pitot tube on the starboard wing was replaced by an ‘L’ shaped pitot tube 

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Further, although the kit is basically rather correct, some minor inaccuracies were fixed and some extra details were added as well:

  • wing panel lines were not very accurate and were so filled in with Superglue and then rescribed according to the available photos; 

  • only one landing light (on the port wing undersurface) is required on this version of Buffalo, so the second one provided in the kit was just mounted in place, the seam was filled and then everything was sanded and polished to be later just painted off; wing, rudder and elevator trailing edges were thinned the wheel wells were corrected and extra detailed as they should look like on the real a/c; 

  • the fuselage interior seen through the wheel wells was almost totally empty in the kit, so a lot of details were added there; 

  • air intakes at the top and bottom of the engine cowling were represented as just holes und had therefore to be deepened by cementing plastic pieces behind that holes followed by drilling them and scribing the correct tunnels.

  • navigation&formation lights were replaced with transparent ones. 

  • the machine gun barrels were made of hypodermic needles. 

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For the cockpit, engine, bomb racks, external gunsight etc. the Eduard photo-etched set was used. I find it’s a shame, that the canopy is closed despite of the cockpit detailing, but the Squadron vacuformed canopy is designed for the Matchbox kit and has serious accuracy problems. The kit part is too thick to be exposed in the open position and, while building this model (it was some years ago), I still didn’t dare to make custom canopies.

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Camouflage and Markings

The model was finished with Model Master enamel paints: U.S. Olive Drab 41 and Medium Green 42 for upper surfaces and Aliminium (representing painted Silver) for lower surfaces. The Aeromaster decal sheet # 72- 146 was used for markings. The white fuselage band was airbrushed firstly instead of being applied as a decal.

This particular airplane is quite well documented (In Action, p. 36), so I used photos instead of the decal instruction, since the camouflage pattern is really inaccurately represented there. The markings are fortunately quite accurate though.

A mechanical lead pencil was used for the panel lines highlightening as well as for shading the undersurfaces, and the upper surfaces were weathered with pastel chalks. Further, severe exhaust stains were applied on the bottom of the fuselage and behind the underwing empty shell ejection port as it can be seen on the photo. The border between the upper and the lower surfaces of the rear fuselage is very irregular
featuring rubbed off upper camouflage. So, it was represented as well.

A coat of Micro Gloss (since I wasn’t yet aware of Future at that time) was applied (just brushed) before the decalling and one more of Miro Flat after that.

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Conclusion

Despite its shortcomings, this kit is certainly among the better ones from Hasegawa and no doubt (together with the B-239) he best and the only one 1/72 Buffalo to be currently considered by serious modelers. It has nearly no shape inaccuracies and the conversion from the F2A-2 into the B-339C is really easy (however, I still find it somewhat strange that Hasegawa never – at least for such a long time since 1996, when this kit was issued for the first time - released such important version of this fighter operated by quite a few nations ). Anyway, it required not much effort. The main problem was probably an empty fuselage/wheel bay area interior needed to be extra detailed. Otherwise only minor improvements are needed to turn this nice kit into a very accurate model. 

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References
1. Squadron/Signal # 1081 F2A Buffalo in Action
2. AJ-Press Brewster Buffalo Monografie Lotnicze #10
3. Scale Aviation Modeler International Vol.3 Issue 1 (1996)

Igor

Photos and text © by Igor Svetlov (IS)