National Insignia on VC-13 F4F-4 Late in Eduard 1/48 Weekend Edition Kit

[rdelaney]

I have the Eduard 1/48 F4F-4 Wildcat late Weekend Edition kit (item #84204). One of the four markings options is for a Wildcat of VC-13 on USS Core (CVE-13) in August 1943. This aircraft has the ASWN I scheme (dark grey, light gray, white) for the Atlantic.

The decals include US national insignia with the red border, with the option for the blue border. According to the color scheme and decal placement notes on the instruction sheet (pg. 13), the upper wing insignia is blue and red with NO white for the star and side bars; this insignia is directly on the dark gray upper wing surface. (The same insignia is used on the lower wing surface which is white.

Is this really correct? I am quite sure the US national insignia of the time had the white stars and bars on all placements 9upper left wing, lower right wing, fuselage sides). The fuselage insignias are red, white, and blue, but the wing insignias are red and blue only. My scan of this instruction sheet page is attached.

Can anyone prove or disprove these markings? I have had no luck so far in trying to confirm or deny this via references I have checked to date.

Thank you in advance for whatever help you can give me in this matter.

Bob

[VMF211]

If I remember right....and that's big IF, VC-13 had FM-2s.

[rdelaney]

7 hours ago, VMF211 said:

If I remember right....and that's big IF, VC-13 had FM-2s.

They did--in 1944. The markings in question were in 1943, when VC-13 still flew F4Fs.

VC-13

[ghodges]

As you hear from them government types: I cannot confirm or deny that report either..... after checking several of my books......

I guess it may boil down to how much do you trust the researchers at Eduard? The last thing they'd want is to put decals in a kit that they could be gigged on by the modeling community. If you trust them, you can use them and always fall back on the "fault" lying with the manufacturer IF and when someone questions the insignia.

The red surround star/bar was not in use for a long time, and generally added around existing stars, so the lack of white in the star portion of the insignia implies this was a totally fresh painting and not an addition to an existing insignia. BUT, the gray/white Atlantic scheme was also relatively new then too, so a repaint of the entire plane and then also of all of its insignia isn't all that odd sounding. Operations may have dictated the plane getting flown before painting the white in that last insignia was finished, but then it would've been nice for Eduard to specifically mention that to allay suspicions like yours.

Unless someone here can provide a better answer, my only suggestion is to email Eduard and ask them what specific reference they based their kit markings on. Best of luck!

 

Gil 

Edited 1 hour ago by ghodges