Love the pics
The red finish certainly makes the guitar look more friendly (and a lot cleaner) than mine!
I have a little more info, having just seen a listing on Reverb for a Wildcat from a seller in Japan listed as 'Japan vintage Wildcat' - however it's Korean, and a 'Mk 3' by my nomenclature. The pictures are clear enough to show its serial as 7104048 and the neck plate reads 'Aria Pro II - ACCURATE BOLT ON SYSTEM - SERIAL #', so it's an '87 not made in Japan. The head logo reads 'Aria Pro II WILDCAT-series', it has the same control layout as a Mk 2 but the truss rod access is at the head. Interestingly (to me) it is in exactly the same livery as my guitar - gloss black body, matt black pickguard and red logo.
EDIT - after closer inspection of the pics the Mk 3 also has an ACT 2X trem as opposed to an ACT 2, and cheaper V shaped strap buttons instead of chunky T shaped ones. Any ideas what the X means?
Also, I double-checked my tone pot and it
is push-pull - the first couple of times I tried the knob just came off so I assumed it wasn't double-action, but then I tried pulling the post with the knob off and hey-presto! Of course the humbucker I've got either isn't coil-tapped or isn't connected correctly so the push-pull doesn't actually do anything...
Summary of info so far, from this site, this thread and my research so far:Wildcat first produced in Japan in 1983?
Neckplates read 'Aria Pro II - Made in Japan - SERIAL #'.
Colours were black and tobacco brown?
The Mk 1 (my guitar) was made until some time in 1985.
Sometime later but still 1985 - between my serial and ExFender's - the controls were moved further apart and the pickguard slightly changed (one screw by jack) - Mk 2.
Other colours also available - red, white and blue?
Later in 1985 production in Japan stopped / was moved to Korea?
In 1987 (and possibly since the Korea move?) the truss rod access was moved to the head, so the string bar was changed to two round string trees and the pickguard no longer has a notch at the heel. The logo now reads 'WILDCAT-series' instead of 'RS Wildcat'. This is the plyminate 'Mk 3'.
This almost, but not quite aligns with the years given on this site for the Wildcat (83-84), Wildcat II (85) and Wildcat Plus (86) as Jorg originally surmised - if the Wildcat (e.g. my Mk 1) was actually made until, let's say, early 1985, when the Mk 2 / Wildcat II replaced it (also Japanese, further apart controls, same logo), and then the Mk 3 / Wildcat Plus started in 86 until at least 87 in Korea with the logo 'WILDCAT-series' that would seem to make sense?
This site lists the 'The Cat' models as being made in 86-87 (all 8 versions apparently!), which would mean they were contemporaneous with the Mk 3 / Wildcat Plus. Other than one logo reading 'The Cat' and the other 'WILDCAT-series' I couldn't say what the differences were - I may try to have a look at the 'The Cat' if it's still there next time I visit the shop that sold me my Wildcat.
There is also a very similar guitar with the same pickguard as my Mk 1, but with SSS pickups instead of SSH, badged the 'RS Series'. I'm not sure how this fits into the timeline above? It looks very much like the picture on this site of the Bobcat (83-86), only with a trem not fixed bridge - could it be a Straycat (84-86)?
Unless someone posts with details of any other variants I think the above info is correct - it would just be clarifying when the Mk 2 became the Mk 3 - I'd suspect as soon as it was made in Korea, but maybe we'll never know for sure.
Site Corrections:I'd like to submit some more accurate details to this site for any future RS owners - this is what I've got so far.
Re year of manufacture, if my assumptions above are correct and my guitar
is the original Wildcat then my serial shows that model was made until '85, and not 1984.
On the model specifications, the body is alder and the neck maple - I have no reason to think this is wrong, unless someone can say otherwise?
The fingerboard is listed as maple (like the Bobcat) - mine is certainly rosewood, as are all the others I've seen pictures of - any info to the contrary anyone?
The scale length seems right at 650, which is what mine averages allowing for intonation adjustments.
Hardly definitive, but no-one has yet posted with info of a Wildcat with HH pickups and a fixed bridge (a Mk 0?), nor have I seen any pictures of such a beast, so that info on the details page should be changed to two single coil rails and a single humbucker (models?), and an ACT2 trem?
The controls are listed as a volume, push-pull tone and 3-way switch - which would make sense with HH pickups, but as noted above I think every Wildcat actually has SSH pups - so a 5-way switch?
Die-cast machine heads, bone nut and chrome hardware plating are the final details; my tuners could well be die-cast (how would I know?), but I've never seen a black nut like mine made of bone (though I'd like to find it was possible!), and my hardware is all black with no chrome, unlike ExFender's.
Can anyone add anything to these details?
Thanks again for the feedback chaps, the fog is clearing