Produced by Carousel 1, this model depicts a US Navy F-4 flown by aviator Charlie Shields. The US Navy Fighter Squadron "Red Rippers" was formed as VF-5 in 1927 and has subsequently been designated as VF-4, VF-41, and currently VF-11. The F4F-3 first entered service in December 1940 with VF-4 (re-designated VF-41 in January 1941) on the USS Ranger, and Lt. Charles "Windy" Shields participated in this deployment. During the winter months of 1939-40 and 1940-41, the Atlantic fleet was based in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. On 8 November 1942 Shields shot down four French aircraft: a Dewoitine D.520, two American-made Curtiss Hawk 75's, and an American-made Douglas DB-7 bomber, before Shields was attacked by four more Hawks, which shot down his F4F-4. The model has full cockpit details with a removable pilot figure. The landing gear can be displayed as extended or retracted. No screws are exposed on this model. The display base and box are each uniquely decorated. Only 1,200 of this limited edition model were ever built.
The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter that began service with both the United States Navy and the Fleet Air Arm in 1940. Although first used in combat by the British in Europe, the Wildcat would become the primary carrier fighter for the first year and a half of the United States Navy's involvement in World War II in the Pacific Theater. The FM Wildcat, an improved version built by General Motors, remained in service throughout the remainder of the war on escort carriers, where larger and heavier fighters could not be used.
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