Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat (oz11289)

About this Plan

Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat. Radio control sport scale model Navy fighter. Wingspan 60 in, wing area 630 sq in. For .60 engines.

Discontinued kit from Top Flite. Red Box Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, designed by Hal Parenti in 1979.

Quote: "When the first Grumman Bearcat, Bureau of Aeronautics No.90460 took to the air on 25 June 1944 on it's inaugural flight, the XF8F-1 was a culmination of a distinguished ancestry which included the F4F Wildcat and the F6F Hellcat, which the Bearcat was destined to replace as a first line fighter.

Being the last of the famous Grumman 'CAT' family, the F8F missed out on proving itself in aerial combat of WW II, and although the Bearcats did perform valiantly as a ground support aircraft when the French Expeditionary Force flew the F8Fs in Indo-China during the mid 1950s, the Bearcat would gain it's greatest fame by serving a peace time Navy.

The Grumman Bearcat started being deployed into the Navy VF class squadrons in mid 1945 and became the Navy's first line carrier fighter. When the jet fighters entered operational status during the early 1950s, the F8Fs were turned over to Naval Reserve Squadrons. However, the Navy kept several F8F-2s for drone control and tow target duties. The redesignated F8F-2D aircraft were perhaps the most colorful of the military Bearcats with a glossy Sea Blue color fuselage, Orange Yellow color flying surfaces and insignia Red color rudder and wing band. The crowds at the 1946 National Air Races could hardly believe the amazing rate of climb the F8F possessed. This was later dramatized when Lt Cdr MW Davenport piloted a stock F8F-1 Bearcat to 10,000 feet in 94 seconds from a standing start.

The US Navy's precision flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels, operated F8Fs during 1947-49. Due to the Blue Angels ability to keep the very maneuverable Bearcat within the airshow's crowd view, the F8F Bearcat became on of the favorite aircraft of the Blue Angels fans. The Blue Angels added an all Orange Yellow color F8F, nick named 'Beetle Bomb' and developed a very warlike routine. Beetle Bomb would pounce the other four Blue Angels in their F8F-1s and a dogfight, right over the airport boundaries would transpire. As always, Beetle Bomb would be shot down trailing realistic smoke and the pilot was captured by a detachment of Marines.

Another very popular airshow Bearcat was Gulf hawk 4, which was flown by Major Al Williams in promoting Gulf Oil Products. Unfortunately this beautiful Gulf orange and white, trimmed in insignia blue color schemed Bearcat was destroyed in a landing with Williams miraculously escaping the flaming craft.

The US Navy Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, Bureau of Aeronautics No.122637, from which Top Flite's award winning model was prototyped, dates back to 30 Dec. 1948 when the US Navy accepted this aircraft.

Built under contract No.9241, the F8F-2 was in the last group of 30 Bearcats constructed by Grumman, 122637 (which is the Navy serial number for this aircraft) was assigned to active duty with VF 34 at Quonset Point NAS Rhode Island. Except for a brief duty with VF 74 at Jacksonville, NAS, Florida the glossy sea blue color Bearcat remained with VF 34 until December 1950 when it was transferred to Norfolk NAS, Virginia.

During February 1952, 122637 received orders to report to the Naval Air Reserve Training Unit at Birmingham NAS, Alabama and the powerful Grumman designed fighter found itself making qualification flights during carrier operations aboard the USS Midway in mid July 1852 with the Alabama Naval Reservists. The pilots at the Birmingham NAS enjoyed flying 122637 until February 1953 when the airplane would serve again at Quonset Point NAS, than Chincoteague NAS, Virginia, and Norfolk NAS, Virginia before winging to Corpus Christi NAS, Texas on 24 October 1953. At this southern principle Naval Air Station 122637 met every ultimate demand asked for by the Navy's air arm.

122637 would find a final berth at the giant Naval Air Station at San Diego, California on 11 February 1954. The swift and rugged F8F-2 would be stricken from the US Navy's inventory on 9 January 1957 at San Diego with a total of 752 hours flown.

122637 would escape the fiery melting furnaces where so many ex-military aircraft ended their careers and would enter the civilian aircraft field carrying N-10338 FAA registration number.

Mr John Church of Monterey, California bought the F8F-2 from Sherman Cooper in September 1971 and changed the FAA registration number to N-198F. Church restored the F8F-2 back to the Glossy Sea Blue color scheme it had while serving in the US Navy. Church also made the Bearcat competitive for closed course air racing. The 'load lightened' N-198F Bearcat raced in the 1971 California 1000 Km Air Race at Mojave, California and the 1972 Unlimited races at the National Championship Air Races, Reno, Nevada under the tutorage of John Church. St Louisian John B Gury purchased N-198F from Church in 1973 and meticulously maintained the F8F-2 Bearcat.

N-198F is one of the few Bearcats that exist today and it is in this configuration that Top Flite Models proudly presents the Bearcat model..."

Quote: "Here you go Steve, found this Bearcat plan on the Aerofred site. In a bad way and needing a proper clean up. Have removed all the noise and crease marks off this one now. Put a stamp on this one for me - it took me a good few hours working on it..."

Note see supplement file for hand traced formers, thanks to timlilje.

Addenda file comprises patterns for wing saddle cutout, plus a drawing showing reinforcement of the horizontal stab mount.

Update 06/04/2020: Added kit review from RCM July 1981, thanks to RFJ.

Update 9/3/2023: Added kit review from MAN, January 1982, thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "Review: Top Flite F-8F Bearcat, by Richard A Uravitch. Another member of Top Flite's famed sport scale air force; smooth, agile - a visual thrill for all when it makes that first low pass.

THOSE OF YOU who have built Top Flite Sport Scale kits before will recognize the design similarities between the Bearcat and the F-4U Corsair kits. Having built the Corsair and finding it a bit overcomplicated in some areas, and extremely difficult in others, I was a bit skeptical when I received the Bearcat kit and reviewed the plans and construction manual. Well, it builds pretty much the same way, but since there's no inverted gull wing to tackle it's easier. There are some discrepancies in wood sizes (or call-outs on the plans) but nothing insurmountable, just work! This is not meant to single out Top Flite, as their kits are generally above average, it's meant for kits in general.

Fuselage: The fuselage construction is different from the conventional slab-sided sport scale kit in that it is constructed over the top view of the plan, forming the upper portion of the fuselage. A word of caution here: Some of the fuselage bulkheads each consist of three or four parts which must be preassembled to form a complete bulkhead. A full-size drawing of each would be helpful but, unfortunately, is not included. I guessed and got lucky as they all fit properly.

After the preformed sheeting has been added, the upper half assembly is removed from the building board and the wing saddle parts are added. This can get a little tricky and you'll find yourself questioning whether or not it will work...fear not, it does! The Bearcat uses the same type fuselage sheeting system as its predecessors, the P-47 and F-4U, preformed in four sections. Although they do require some trimming for proper fit, they are far and away better than tedious strip planking. WING. Construction is quite straightforward and should present no real problems; some minor wood size difficulties, but that's about all. The sheeting in my kit was excellent.

When building the wing, I'd suggest you add an additional inch of dihedral. The real Bearcat has considerably more than the model will if you build it according to plan. The extra dihedral won't degrade performance at all, and may save you an outline point or two.

The retract system used in the Bearcat consists of standard Rhom main units redrilled for 3/16 wire struts and a Robart tail-wheel unit actuated by a Sonic cylinder. Robart 'P-51 Style' strut covers are also used to provide a more scale-looking gear.

Incidentally, if you use the kit-supplied fixed gear, they are the correct length; the plans show them two inches shorter.

I made the main landing gear doors from fiberglass. These will take a little bit of time to do, but it's the only way to get a gear door to match the lower wing contour. It sure looks a lot better than a flat piece of wood. On the Bearcat it's especially effective on the inner gear door, which has unusual contours created by the wheel well extending into the fuselage center-section. In order to accomplish this task, proceed as follows:

1. Install retracts and completely sheet wing. Mark position of axle on lower wing skin.
2. Mark outline of wheel well on lower wing skin.
3. Iron on clear (paintable) MonoKote, extending at least three inches beyond the wheel well outline.
4. Cut three layers of 6-oz glass cloth approximately one inch smaller than MonoKoted area.
5. Saturate cloth with polyester resin and apply over wheel area, carefully pressing out air bubbles.
6. Apply a layer of plastic wrap over glass cloth and squeegee out until surface is smooth.
7. Allow resin to cure and remove plastic wrap.
8. Mark wheel well outline on fiberglass; it will be visible through translucent resin.
9. Lift fiberglass layup from wing... "

Supplementary file notes

Manual, 8 pages.
Formers, hand traced (inc ribs), 13 pages.
Addenda, 5 pages.
Reviews.

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