[papermate]

Waddy, this one is for you. Been to the FG site, browsed around and simply attracted by it and so bought this duck. What I didn't know is that I've got a Texaco version to come along with the purchase. Built the navy version first and did better with the Texaco one. Never thought it was easy to do the hull fairing but was amazed by its being able to fit very well even after reduction of scale to 1/200. Props spin on both planes and riggings are by means of UHU glue stretching from one point to another. Had to try many times. You may also notice that the arrestor hook on the Texaco Duck is missing. Yeah, I'll fix it later.

FG has done, as always, researches on all models and also on the origin of this plane and so I think I should quote the text on the instruction sheet to let other viewers have some understanding of the duck. It says,

"The Grumman F2F Duck was the first amphibian aircraft from the still very young Grumman Aircraft Engineering Co. The aircraft was the design of Leary Grumman and Bill Schwendler and was a direct descendent of the Leoning amphibians of the 1920s.

In late 1939/early 1940, as war loomed closer to America's borders, new military outposts were established. F2F Ducks were needed to support extended patrol areas, mandated by this added vigilance. The Duck was ideal for operations from these improvised outposts, which were usually shallow inlet facilities or single ramp docking facilities. In September 1939, production of 32 J2F-4 Ducks began at Grumman.

A number of F2F-5s and 6s went to the US civl register after the ear. The best known J2F-6 was N67790 which starred in the 1974 movie "Murphy's War". A Duck was also used in the television series "Baa Baa Blacksheep". Ducks were also used by the Dawn Patrol Seaplane Base to ferry businessmen from Long Island to Wall Street. Still other Ducks have been used a firefighters. Most surviving Ducks are now in civilian/military museums."

Of course now it is on this forum!

Papermate