F9F-3 Panther

The only notable differences that I know of between the Grumman F9F-2 and -3 is that 1) the -2 was powered by a P&W J42 engine and the -3, an Allison J33 and 2) the -3 with the J33 engine was never modified to carry bombs or rockets as the -2 was. The -3 was deployed first, just in time for Korea, operated by VF-51 and VF-52 flying from Valley Forge. LT(jg) Leonard H. Plog, flying  a VF-51 -3 (BuNo 123071, modex 109S), made the first carrier-based jet kill, a North Korean Yak-9. Unlike the -2, the -3 was not modified to carry external stores, at least not while they were powered with the Allison engine. Only 54 F9F-3s were produced; as such (most had the J42s substituted for the lower-thrust J33s), they were used for only that one deployment.

The picture above is a VF-51 pilot qualifying aboard Boxer in an F9F-3.  (A picture of VF-51 F9F-3s deployed aboard Valley Forge is provided below.) Note the lack of "Navy" and "VF-51" on the side of the aft fuselage, the unusually large number on the nose, and the large "104S" under the left wing. The later markings would be smaller and in addition to "Navy"and the squadron identification on the fuselage, there would be "Navy" on the underside of the left wing. The Corogard application (see http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2012/01/corogard.html) on the leading edge of the wing, inlet, tip tank, and empennage is also clearly less wide on these F9F-3s:

Hobbyboss has  recently released a 1/72 kit of the F9F-3. I don't know if they have corrected the errors in their F9F-2 kit (see http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2011/05/172nd-f9f-2-panther.html).  Markings are provided for VF-51. However, VF-51 made a second Korean war deployment, only in -2s aboard Essex, and it appears that the markings in the kit are those of VF-51's F9F-2s, not its F9F-3s. In the photos I've seen so far like the ones above that are definitely VF-51 F9F-3s, neither "Navy" nor "VF-51" is marked on the aft fuselage. In a movie clip, I did note a red area at the top of the fin and on the nose, unlike the above. F9F-3 109S reportedly never got a kill marking, either, as shown in some illustrations.  (See www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1990s/1997/mj97/plog.pdf)

In any event, the stores pylons should not be used; the J33-powered F9F-3 never carried rockets as shown on the box art, or bombs either.