I cant get over how narrow the fuselage is, even taking into account how big those wasps are 
Test pilots described the Tigercat as "two Bearcats strapped together."
They did see service in WWII. At least the night fighter version did. Two Marine F7F-2Ns flew a single night time patrol from Okinawa the day before the surrender, but did not encounter any Japanese aircraft.
The Navy's chief test pilot called the F7F, "the best fighter I ever flew", and he flew them all. He wasn't thrilled with the poor rearward vision, and the rudder was too small to fly it on one engine without extreme leg fatigue. That said, it's combination of speed, climb, range and firepower were unequaled in a carrier fighter. Published climb data is for MIL power, not WEP. Around 4,500 fpm in MIL power, jumping to nearly 6,000 fpm in WEP with 375 gallons of fuel at takeoff. About 380 mph at sea level for the F7F-1 using WEP. It was, and still is, a monster.
