Kit: No. 72075
Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: MPM, available from Squadron Mail Order, 1115 Crowley Dr., Carrollton, TX 75011-5010, &972-242-8663
Price: $14.98
Comments: Injection molded, 83 parts (20 photoetched, 1 film instrument panel, 1 resin engine), decals.
Except for the years between 1969 and 1973, Grumman fighters have served with U.S. Navy units from 1933 to today. This incredible string started with the FF-1, known as “Fifi” by its crews. The two-place biplane offered an all-metal fuselage, retractable landing gear, and performance that surpassed biplanes in service at the time.
MPM’s kit offers well-molded parts, recessed panel lines, an injection-molded canopy, photoetched-brass cockpit details, and optional cowl and forward fuselage deck for the export G-23 version. Decals provide markings for one Navy Fifi of VF-5B, a Canadian Goblin, and a G-23 “Delfin” from the Spanish Civil War.
The one-piece canopy limits the view inside the cockpit, and unless you opt to cut it into segments and pose it open, you may want to omit some of the tiny photoetched cockpit details.
All the plastic parts required cleanup of mold-separation lines and edges, typical of low-pressure injection-molded kits. Most struts were too thick for the scale. The cabane (central) struts are shown reversed in the instructions; the pair with the larger top-wing fairings should go aft.
Assembling biplanes is tricky, but this one even more so because of the lack of positive locking devices for struts on the wings and fuselage. I attempted to fit the struts to the lower wing and fuselage, then dry-fit the top wing to check that all were aligned. The cabane struts produced proper clearance between the top wing and canopy, but the interplane “N” struts wouldn’t span the distance between wings. I ended up shortening the cabanes, then inducing extra dihedral to the bottom wings to get all the struts to touch both wings. I replaced the interplane aileron actuator rods and horizontal tail supports with the smallest Contrail strut stock. I pre-drilled holes in the wings and fuselage for nylon monofilament rigging.
The paint scheme is complicated. When the FF-1 was in service, the Navy painted all metal surfaces light gray, while fabric-covered surfaces and struts were coated with aluminum-impregnated dope. The custom of the day was a glossy yellow top wing. In the case of the airframe represented on the decal, the section-leader colors of true blue were applied to the cowl, fuselage band, and wing chevron. The carrier-keyed tail-group color for USS Lexington was also true blue.
I sprayed all but the cowl and top surface of the top wing with SnJ Spray Metal, then masked and sprayed the fuselage light gray. When that was dry, I masked and painted the tail, cowl, and fuselage band blue. At this stage, I added the top wing, threaded and anchored the rigging, then masked around and painted the yellow top surface.
The Propagteam decals were beautifully printed, but troublesome. Once down, they wouldn’t move, and I tangled one of the little “U.S. Navy” legends under the tail. MPM suggests cutting tiny sections of 1.2mm rod or wire for exhaust stubs on the engine. To get the curved shape, it might be easier to use solder, but I haven’t added the stubs to my model.
I spent 27 hours on the little Fifi, much of that fiddling with the struts, rigging, and painting. It scales perfectly with the dimensions in Squadron/Signal’s Grumman Biplane Fighters in Action.
MPM’s FF-1 is not for beginners. Bone up on your strut and rigging skills before you attempt this one.
– Paul Boyer