Classic Airframes 1/48 J4F Widgeon By Gerry Nilles

History

The J4F-1, -2, the military designations for the G-44 Widgeon, is the smallest of the four twin-engine amphibians developed and produced by Grumman Aircraft. Designed and built in the late 1930s the Widgeon made its first flight in June of 1940. Grumman saw it as a companion to its larger sibling the G-21 (JRF) Goose that had gone into production a few years earlier. Although the primary markets for the G-44, and the earlier G-21, were commercial and civil, the potential for military applications of these aircraft, such as a light transport, marine & anti-submarine patrol, and air/sea rescue were certainly not lost on Grumman especially considering the ongoing conflicts in both Europe and Asia. As a side note for those interested in the commercial application of the Widgeon, Pan American Airlines had a small fleet of G-44s it operated as instrument trainers.

As stated above just about the time the Widgeon started production, the United States entry into WW-II was becoming more probable. Obviously, after December 7 1941, any commercial or civil sales activities immediately ceased and the Widgeon went to war. At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US Coast Guard already had received, as well as placed into service, part of its order of 25, newly designated the J4F-1s. The US Navy followed the Coast Guards lead and ordered another 131 of the J4F-2s in 1942. Counting the pilot, the Widgeon’s interior configuration had a seating capacity of six, however during wartime patrols, air/sea rescue missions etc. the aircraft flew with a crew of two with most of the rear seating removed. As far as offensive weapons capability the aircraft could carry ordnance consisting of either a 200lb or 325lb depth charge. Powered by twin 200hp in-line, air-cooled Ranger 6-440-5 engines the Widgeon had a maximum speed of around 150 mph.

Today, a number of these sleek little amphibs are still flying. Many of these Widgeons have upgraded performance with newer and more powerful engines, three bladed props, and in some cases retractable floats.

The Kit

Typical of Classic Airframes, the kit is a combination of good quality injection molded assemblies, clear parts and nicely cast resin details. Overall, the panel lines and other surface detail is good, although some clean up, normally associated with any limited run kit, will be required. In addition, I did find a few minor sink marks here and there on some of the thicker parts as well as the need to remove ejector pin protrusions in some of the more obvious spots inside the fuselage.

Accuracy wise, when compared to a set of Paul Matt drawings, the kit looks very close assuming the drawings are accurate. Although, in all fairness, I did find one small nit in that the stated wing span, from several references, is precisely 40 feet, which in 1/48 scale should measure out to exactly 10 inches and not 10-1/8 as is the kit wing. Now as far as I am concerned this nit is very negligible in that this extra length is at the tips and does not detract from the kit in any way. Personally, I would not bother with correcting it. However, for those so inclined a fix would involve the careful removal of the wing tips, at the panel lines, the deletion of 1/16 of an inch off the end of each wing, and then the reattachment of the tips along with any needed filling and contouring.

Moving on, the resin parts are high quality as are the injected molded clear pieces. The assembly instructions, which consist of six small size pages, are straightforward and easy to follow once you put them in the correct sequence. Step 1, which should be on page two, is on the bottom right corned of the insert that also contains the parts tree maps, and steps 10 thru 13 which should be on page 4 are on the backside of the same insert. In addition, note that the shape of alternate parts B-24 is incorrect as drawn on the instruction sheet; however, the parts themselves are accurate. These are in fact small storage lockers and/or electronic racks that go above the interior wheel well bulges. I also have it on good authority that attachment of the landing gear to the wheel wells goes easier if parts B-24 are used.

Finally, you will notice that part A- 26 is crossed out. This is an alternate lower bow piece for a postwar G-44A and if used, a couple other modifications must be made to the kit including leaving off part A-17 and the addition of several square holes (step vents) just aft of the main step. Additional reference data is a definite recommendation if this particular variant is attempted.

Markings and Paint Schemes

Markings offered with this kit give the modeler a choice of four very different schemes. The first, also the subject of the box art, is for a US Coast Guard J4F-1 circa 1941that is the standard pre-war blue gray and light gray with a red and white striped rudder. The second scheme is for a stock US Navy J4F-2 circa 1943 that had the standard three-color scheme of dark blue, intermediate blue and white. The third is for a Royal Navy J4F-2 circa 1944 that has a standard camouflaged scheme of dark slate gray and extra dark sea gray and sky. The last is again for a USCG J4F-1 circa 1945 that is painted overall aluminum. Decals quality looks excellent, with Cartograf of Italy printing them.

Conclusion

This nicely done 1/48 scale limited run kit has a broad appeal, including pre-war civil, commercial, and military, multi service WWII, as well as post-war military, civil and commercial up to today. Although there appears to a few minor but easily fixable nits the kit looks like it will go together well. Detail-wise, the kit looks very good, as do the decals. Of course, and as always, this is a First Look, not a build review.