Ultracast

1/48 F4F Wildcat Seats [without harnesses] F4F Wildcat/Martlet Seat [with Sutton Harness] For the Tamiya or Hobby Boss Kits

Stock Number: 48211 & 48212

Reviewed By  Rob Folden, IPMS# 45545

MSRP: [CND]$5.95 ($5.49 US) Website: www.ultracast.ca New from Ultracast, these two 1/48 scale wildcat seats are beautifully sculpted. Continuing their line of finely crafted Wildcat seats, the first set includes two standard F4F-4 Wildcat seats. The seats include details such as bolt heads and the lightening holes that were stamped into the bottom. Also included are the harness attachments on the sides of the seat. The second set is a single seat for a British Martlet [mkI-mkIV]. The seat is essentially the same as the previous set, with the addition of the Sutton Harness that was used by the British. The harness is masterfully sculpted including buckles, clasps, attachment points, and the metal belt loops.

I found the detail on both seats to be far superior to anything out of the box. I compared it to both the Tamiya and Hobby Boss kit seats, neither of which includes harnesses. The resin was strong and free of defects. For the purposes of this review, I proceeded to paint and finish the seats. I prepped the pieces by lightly washing them with warm water and a little dish soap. The seats were then airbrushed with Tamiya J.A. Green, which I've found to be a close match to the Grumman interior color [for Testors use Bronze Green]. Once dry, I did some weathering using a soft chisel make-up brush and black chalk pastels. This was applied to the crevices and bottom edges of the back of the seat. Paint scrapes on the back, bottom, and edges were done with graphite pencil. The harness for the Martlet set was painted with Tamiya Deck Tan, and dry brushed with a light brown pastel. The buckles and attachment clasps for all seats were colors with a silver Prismacolor pencil. Being a Wildcat fan, I was extremely pleased with these two sets. Having used resin seats in the past, I was quite impressed with the quality of these castings. They fit the proportions of the kit seats, so little to no modification of the kit mounts would be necessary. I would whole heartedly recommend these to anyone wishing to upgrade the kit seats in their Wildcat or Martlet. My thanks to Ultracast for providing the review sample and IPMS/USA for allowing me the opportunity to review it.