GRUMMAN F4F WILDCAT CYLINDER HEAD TEMPERATURE GAUGE

The F4F Wildcat was originally ordered for the British Royal Navy who had been unable to secure a marinised version of the Supermarine Spitfire due to the RAF’s desperate need to have them all defending the British industrial areas against the Luftwaffe's Blitz.

Known as the Marlet, the aircraft had an immediate impact when it scored the first air combat victory of a US built aircraft in Europe, shooting down a Ju 88 bomber over the British naval base, Scarpa Flow.

Another six Marlets were placed aboard the converted carrier HMS Audacity for Atlantic Convoy escort duty and by late 1941 had claimed a number of FW 200 Condor bombers.

In 1943, the USN’s Pacific Fleet finally took delivery of the now renamed, Grumman F4F Wildcat which replaced their ageing Brewster Buffalos, becoming the only effective carrier-launched fighter in use during the opening years of the war.

Although it soon become obvious that the Wildcat was hopelessly outclassed by the faster and more manoeuvrable Japanese A6M Zero, it could absorb a lot more punishment and still remain airborne, which together with a change of fighter tactics enabled it to claim an amazing kill-loss ratio of nearly 9-1 by the end of the war.

The Weston Electric Corp BU Aero US Navy 88-1-12650 Weston Electric Cylinder Head Temperature Gauge was installed at t4h bottom far left of F4F Wildcat’s instrument panel, tucked under the canopy sill.

This WWII instrument is in remarkable condition for a 77 year of veteran of the war in the Pacific and still bears its USN stamp on the rear of its casing.

With a highly detailed 1/72 or larger super detailed1/48 scale model of the F4F Wildcat perched atop its hand-crafted, mango wood stand, this would make a fantastic gift for any aviation enthusiast.

This Grumman F4F Instrument comes complete with detailed Scale Model, Mango Wood Stand & Plaque plus Printed Fact Sheet featuring photo of instrument in aircraft cockpit.

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