This is my F8F-1B Bearcat in French Air Force markings during the Indochina war, based at Bach Maï in 1954. The aircraft depicted here belongs to EROM 80 (Escadron de Reconnaissance Outre-Mer 80 = Outer-sea reconnaissance squadron 80).

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The kit is the old Monogram kit, which builds well. I improved it with some aftermarket goodies such as Airwaves photoetched parts, HiTech resin parts, Squadron canopy... The decals and the recce pod are from Model Art.

The ANA607 color was painted using a mix of Humbrol paints. The only modification I made was to cut a part of the tail to have it looking like a F8F-1 one, the Monogram tail size seems to be somewhere between a -1 and a -2 one. I did some scratchbuilding as well, like the tail wheel, improving some details...

Hope you like that “exotic” Bearcat, the best prop fighter that saw war action in the fifties.

Pierrig

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