AMT has recently put out it's third variant of the F7F Tigercat, the 3N. Like its counter parts the 2 & 3, the kit is well detailed, finely scribed and fits together very well. I have just finished building the 3 as a fire bomber, and base my review on this kit. As mentioned the three kits should be identical except for changes to the tail and nose.

The instructions are laid out in a couple ways. 2 sheets are provided. The first has an exploded parts view, while the other has the conventional step by step method. I found myself referring to both at various times. I did not deviate from the steps, as there are no small parts that could break during construction / painting. One thing that happened to my kit, was the antenna behind the cockpit, kept getting bent. The soft plastic however did not break, and was easily bent back.

The cockpit and wheel wells have great detail and although aftermarket sets have come along, I wouldn't bother adding them. I left the glass closed, but it still provides a clear view inside. I did add photoetched belts. Before gluing the halve together weight should be added to prevent tail sitting. I didn't and now wish I had. Looking through some older magazines I found some had a pogo stick under the tail. I'm going to use that for mine. The fuselage fit is excellent, as are the wing halves. You will probably have to clean some flash material before joining the parts, but the soft plastic make for quick work. The engines have to be glued to the wings before joining to the fuse, as some minor gaps will require filling and sanding on both sides of the engine and at the rear connection to the top fairing.

I used gap filling super glue to join the wings to the fuselage, because there was going to be some spaces. I found that keeping the bottom surface tight to the fuse, a gap would remain on the topside. I did this because sanding the lower joint would be blocked by the engines. After the fuse, wings and tails are done the smaller parts are left. The nose gear fits straight in place, but the mains will be a little more fussy. The gear strut and scissors / hydraulic arm must be glued together at 90 degrees. The pin on the arm will need to be bent slightly to the hole on the well roof. The plastic bends but I reinforced it with some SuperGlue for strength. The gear doors can be fit in place afterwards. That should just about do it for building. Some lines will require re-scribing after sanding.

I ordered a 1200 gallon water tank from Lone Star Models in Texas. It required some minor sanding and filling of a couple air bubbles. If you plan to do a water bomber, there are several other companies around the world that make the tanks. Research will show you which size and shaped tank you will need. I am modeling aircraft 23 from SIS-Q. It is painted in white and Day-glo orange. Lone Star modeled their tank which has bulged steps on the side. The other conversions did not have these.

The Tigercat is an excellent kit and is attractive in colors other than Gloss Sea Blue.