TIGER-CAT, Aeronaut # 1349/00

The progenitor of this breed of cat was a prototype of the twin-engine Navy fighter XF5F-1, which was never mass-produced but provided Grumman with valuable experience for further development. The aircraft, taking off from land bases, were intended to protect the US Marine Corps. The Grumman F7F 3 is a twin-engine, single-seat fighter aircraft of all-metal construction with foldable wing outer sections for storage on aircraft carriers and retractable tricycle landing gear. Power was provided by two P&W R 2800 34W engines with an output of 1566kW. The armament consisted of 4 machine guns of 12.7 mm caliber in the nose and 4 cannons of 20 mm caliber in the wings. At sea level, the aircraft achieved a top speed of 681 km/h, and at an altitude of 6675 m, 719 km/h. Today, the last remaining aircraft are used by antique aircraft enthusiasts at various airshows. Some short-range aircraft were equipped with large tanks in the fuselage after being sold by the US Marine Corps and are still used for firefighting.

The Tigercat model is designed for propulsion with actro-n 28-3-1300 brushless electric motors and a 3S LiPo battery. With this equipment, the flight behavior of the Tigercat is realistic and its silhouette is impressive in flight. Take-offs and landings are problem-free. The model can also perform simple aerobatic maneuvers.

The model is of mixed construction. The fuselage and engine nacelles are made of GRP laminate, while the wing and horizontal stabilizer are constructed from balsa wood. The overall construction is supplemented by thermoformed plastic parts: clear canopy, cockpit, engine nacelles, and dummy radial engines. The flight batteries are inserted through the removable canopy. Since the real Tigercats were painted with glossy paints, iron-on film can be used to cover the wings. The model is controlled via ailerons, elevator, and speed controllers.

The model kit contains:

• Detailed building instructions and plans
• GRP fuselage
• GRP engine nacelles
• Roughly assembled wing and horizontal stabilizer in balsa wood construction
• Thermoformed parts, such as clear canopy, engine cowlings, dummy radial engines, cockpit
• Die-cut plywood parts
• Small parts and decal sheet.