Academy US Navy F3F-2 Biplane Fighter 1/48 Model Kit
The Academy F3F-2 (12326) is a 1/48 scale plastic model kit depicting the US Navy biplane fighter associated with the final period of American naval biplane operations. The kit includes photo-etched parts and markings for three aircraft, covering two carrier-based fighter squadrons in 1939 and a fighter-trainer from 1942.
With its biplane configuration and pre-war naval aviation subject, the F3F-2 offers a different modelling project from the monoplane fighters more commonly associated with the Second World War.
The US Navy F3F-2 Fighter
The F3F-2 belonged to the last generation of biplane fighters used by the United States Navy around the beginning of the Second World War. Its place in naval aviation history makes it a particularly interesting subject for collections covering the transition from interwar aircraft to wartime fighters.
Academy’s kit represents the F3F-2 with a choice of aircraft identities from this period. Two options depict fighters associated with US Navy aircraft carriers in 1939, while the third represents an aircraft serving as a fighter-trainer in 1942.
Three Aircraft Marking Options
The kit provides markings for three different US Navy F3F-2 aircraft, allowing the modeller to choose between two pre-war carrier-based fighters and a later training aircraft.
- USS Enterprise – VF-6 ‘Fighting Six’, 1939: An F3F-2 representing the Fighting Six fighter squadron aboard USS Enterprise.
- USS Wasp – VF-7 ‘The Blue Burglars’, 1939: A second carrier-based aircraft representing VF-7 aboard USS Wasp.
- US Navy Institute fighter-trainer – BuNo0995, 1942: A fighter-trainer aircraft representing the F3F-2 during the Second World War.
These three choices provide different squadron and service identities for the same aircraft type, covering both the interwar period and the early years of the Second World War.
Photo-Etched Detail Parts
Photo-etched parts are included with the plastic model kit, providing additional components for detailing the aircraft during construction.
The 1/48 scale format makes the F3F-2 suitable for display alongside other American naval aircraft from the same period. Its biplane arrangement also provides a distinctive contrast with later single-wing fighter designs.
Kit Details and Finishing
- Manufacturer: Academy
- Aircraft: US Navy F3F-2 biplane fighter
- Scale: 1/48
- Three aircraft marking options
- 1939 VF-6 and VF-7 carrier-based aircraft
- 1942 fighter-trainer BuNo0995
- Photo-etched parts included
- Manufacturer reference: 12326
Paint and glue are required for assembly and finishing. The three marking options allow the completed F3F-2 to represent either a 1939 US Navy carrier fighter or the 1942 fighter-trainer, making the aircraft’s specific service identity an important part of the finished model.
