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Vader’s Model Desk: F2A Brewster Buffalo
Posted on 10/18/26 at 2:00 pm
Posted on 10/18/26 at 2:00 pm
quote:
The Brewster F2A Buffalo[1] is an American fighter aircraft which saw service early in World War II. Designed and built by the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation, it was one of the first U.S. monoplanes with an arrestor hook and other modifications for aircraft carriers. The Buffalo won a competition against the Grumman F4F Wildcat in 1939 to become the U.S. Navy's first monoplane fighter aircraft. Although superior to the Grumman F3F biplane it replaced, and the early F4Fs,[2] the Buffalo was largely obsolete when the United States entered the war, being unstable and overweight, especially when compared to the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero.
LINK
Tamiya 1/48 scale F2A Brewster Buffalo
2-VLG-V Netherlands East Indies Army Air Corps
Batavia, Java Island
Feb. 1942
Posted on 10/18/26 at 2:14 pm to Darth_Vader
Another great looking build.
Question....based on
but........
Could make one wonder if there was $$$ under table by BAC to make sure they got the contract.
Question....based on
quote:
The Buffalo won a competition against the Grumman F4F Wildcat
but........
quote:
the Buffalo was largely obsolete when the United States entered the war, being unstable and overweight,
Could make one wonder if there was $$$ under table by BAC to make sure they got the contract.
Posted on 10/18/26 at 2:20 pm to duckblind56
quote:
Could make one wonder if there was $$$ under table by BAC to make sure they got the contract.
That’s a good question. While I don’t have any definitive answer, it cannot be ruled out that some palms were greased.
Posted on 10/18/26 at 2:27 pm to Darth_Vader
Great work.
That’s a squatty looking plane.
Going by name alone, I’d take a plane called wildcat over one called buffalo.
That’s a squatty looking plane.
Going by name alone, I’d take a plane called wildcat over one called buffalo.
This post was edited on 10/18/26 at 2:35 pm
Posted on 10/18/26 at 2:34 pm to cypresstiger
quote:
Great work. Going by name alone, I’d take a plane called wildcat over one called buffalo!
Yeah. While I think the Finns had some success flying Buffaloes against the Soviets, I think most of that was due to the Soviets having equally obsolete planes and poorly trained pilots.
When the Buffalo went up against more skilled Japanese pilots flying the nimble Mitsubishi A6M Zero, didn’t matter if the Buffalo was piloted by American, British, New Zealand, Australian, or Dutch pilots, it usually didn’t end well for the Buffalo.
Posted on 10/18/26 at 2:40 pm to Darth_Vader
Cool toy
Posted on 10/18/26 at 2:58 pm to Mingo Was His NameO
Doesn't this belong on the game board?
Posted on 10/18/26 at 3:01 pm to tenderfoot tigah
quote:
Doesn't this belong on the game board?
No. It’s a hobby. A game is a contest where you can win or lose.
Posted on 10/18/26 at 3:08 pm to Darth_Vader
I read that the Finnish air force produced 36 aces with the Buffalo with one guy recording 39 kills. Like you said, the Soviets had to be terrible in the sky.
The USMC pilots didn’t call it the “flying coffin” for nothing.
Great looking work!
The USMC pilots didn’t call it the “flying coffin” for nothing.
Great looking work!
Posted on 10/18/26 at 3:17 pm to sledgehammer
Thanks Sledge. Yeah, I think most of the Finnish victories came against equally obsolete Soviet fighters like the I-16.
(It kinda resembles the F2A)
I wish Tamiya had included Finnish markings as an option in this kit.
(It kinda resembles the F2A)
I wish Tamiya had included Finnish markings as an option in this kit.
Posted on 10/18/26 at 3:19 pm to Darth_Vader
quote:
it cannot be ruled out that some palms were greased.
IF so, that sure got American pilots killed at Midway.
Posted on 10/18/26 at 3:21 pm to Darth_Vader
quote:
Yeah. While I think the Finns had some success flying Buffaloes against the Soviets, I think most of that was due to the Soviets having equally obsolete planes and poorly trained pilots.
When the Buffalo went up against more skilled Japanese pilots flying the nimble Mitsubishi A6M Zero, didn’t matter if the Buffalo was piloted by American, British, New Zealand, Australian, or Dutch pilots, it usually didn’t end well for the Buffalo.
The Pacific, China, Eastern front, Mediterranean, North African, and and Western fronts were all different and had different needs in aircraft. A plane that performed well in one front might be a liability on another. Best examples are P-38 and P-39. The P-38 had numerous problems on the Western front put excelled in the Pacific. The P-39 was no good in Europe or the Pacific but did well for the Russians, flying against the same German aircraft it couldn't match in the west. All those fronts fought the air war at different altitudes and different missions. There is really no such thing as a best fighter, because the answer is it depends on the mission.
Posted on 10/18/26 at 3:23 pm to Darth_Vader
Wow. The Finns liked swastikas.
Maybe the Nazis ruined it for a lot of other organizations that used swastikas.
Maybe the Nazis ruined it for a lot of other organizations that used swastikas.
This post was edited on 10/18/26 at 3:29 pm
Posted on 10/18/26 at 3:47 pm to CharlesUFarley
quote:
The P-39 was no good in Europe or the Pacific but did well for the Russians, flying against the same German aircraft it couldn't match in the west.
I believe the reason for this is the air combat on the Eastern Front tended to take place at much lower altitudes than was common over Western Europe.
The reason for this was that in Western Europe, the fighting was centered around American heavies like the B-17 and B-24 trying to attack Axis targets from very high altitude. The bombers we’re at high altitude, so that’s where the fighters were too.
In the Eastern Front, there was little to no high-altitude strategic bombing taking place. Instead, you had light and medium bombers, plus ground attack aircraft, hitting targets from low-altitude. Thus, most of the fighters likewise stayed at lower altitude as well.
And while the P-39 had very poor high-altitude performance. It actually had really good low-altitude performance.
This post was edited on 10/18/26 at 3:49 pm
Posted on 10/18/26 at 3:54 pm to TheHarahanian
quote:
Wow. The Finns liked swastikas.
Yep. And they were using it before the Nazi party even existed, pretty much right after Finland gained independence from Russia in 1918.
quote:
Maybe the Nazis ruined it for a lot of other organizations that used swastikas.
The swastika is a very old symbol that’s been used by numerous people all around the world for a very long time. It was common in Hindu, Native American, and Norse cultures for example.
I remember the lampposts in downtown Ketchikan, AK still had a row of small swastikas around their base when I lived there in the mid-1980s. Those lampposts dated from the early 20th century.
Posted on 10/18/26 at 4:24 pm to Darth_Vader
quote:
That’s a good question. While I don’t have any definitive answer, it cannot be ruled out that some palms were greased.
Navy did something smart. They continued to developed both fighters. Buffalo airframe won out but once they started to add more armor, guns and stuff, the airframe could not handle. Grumman continued to developed both fighters the Wildcat, with the Navy’s blessing and money, and it got significantly better.
What made it worse was the raciest type views that the Japanese could not build good aircraft nor develop air tactics and pilots. That made the entire Buffalo story much worse.
Posted on 10/18/26 at 4:55 pm to Darth_Vader
Cool Build 
Posted on 10/18/26 at 5:15 pm to Darth_Vader
quote:
That’s a good question. While I don’t have any definitive answer, it cannot be ruled out that some palms were greased.
There were. Brewster the company only made one aircraft at its history. The company founders knew nothing about aircraft coming in. You can read up on an elsewhere, but it was a mess. The US Navy pretty much seized Brewster and ran to the end of the war before they shut it down
Posted on 10/18/26 at 5:32 pm to Alltheway Tigers!
quote:
What made it worse was the raciest type views that the Japanese could not build good aircraft nor develop air tactics and pilots. That made the entire Buffalo story much worse.
Really, it was a difference in philosophy when it comes to carrier fighter aircraft. The Zero sacrificed armor, self-sealing fuel tanks, and firepower for performance and range. The US approach was to balance performance and range without sacrificing these things. Thus, once American pilots learned how to counter the Zero’s performance advantages, the Zero’s had no way to counter the American advantages in armor, self-sealing fuel tanks, and firepower.
Posted on 10/18/26 at 6:27 pm to Darth_Vader
Awesome Sir.... Great build.
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