1/48 Eduard F6F Hellcat

[History Man]

Purchased this kit earlier in the year and finished putting last touches on it last week, overall a really enjoyable build. Have never built an Eduard kit and it did not disappoint, great quality and very detailed. I used the PE cockpit tools and it came out great, then followed procedure for the rest of the kit. I used a tri-color scheme and modified decals for a Hellcat with VF-6 in 1943....color scheme was Deep Sea Blue/Intermediate Blue/Light Grey mixed with Flat White. Detail work was done to the exterior and panel wash applied, then lights and other fixtures were added. Only thing that gave me trouble were the two antennas, which keep coming loose.

Philip

 

[History Man]

Cockpit

 

[History Man]

Underside details

 

[fubar57]

Looking good Philip. If you don't mind my asking, what do you mask the clear parts with? It looks like some bleed under, something I am just learning to deal with. Finally purchased some Tamiya tape and it's help quite a bit.

Geo

 

[Wurger]

Looking very good.

 

[History Man]

Well, I used the kit masks for this kit but for the most part I use Tamiya masking tape cut to the contours of the canopy. Now, for some reason....I have not been very successful in preventing bleeding in some places, for this kit it was minor and mainly a little on the upper portion of the sliding canopy. I will take a better photo of the canopy for reference. There are some other issues with masks that I have had with masks and will probably start another thread on that.

Philip

 

[Gnomey]

Good work!

 

[Fearsome-13]

Nice work there bud!

Hellcat's always look awesome!

With regard to your Tam tape bleed thru... use a toothpick and make sure to rub down the edges of the tape properly against the frames of the canopy. Also.. remember to use a fresh scalpel or exacto blade and gently follow the canopy frames. You dont need to apply a lot of pressure to cut the tape.

 

[Wayne Little]

Cool!

 

[JKim]

Very nice! I am interested in the Eduard Hellcat for a future build so it is good to hear your positive experience. I've had some issues with canopy masks lifting after application. These were Montex masks and I think I just handled the adhesive side too much trying to get the fit right. Now I am very careful handling masks... using an xacto to lift the mask gently off the backing and keeping the mask on the tip of the knife and not letting the adhesive side touch my fingers.

 

[javlin]

Nice one !!