Grumman F6F Hellcat run, 1:72

[A4K]

G'day guys (and gals!)

A few people are getting into the Hellcat theme at the moment - me too! Not for the upcoming GB, just a private one-off run.

3 kits on the block: 1 Hasegawa F6F-3/5, and 2 previously made Novo (Frog) F6F-3's given to me by a mate.

None are too accurate 'as are', but not going to go overboard with the corrections. Want this to be a fairly quick and easy 'fun build'.
(Basically just going to add some cockpit details, and maybe a few exterior trimmings as I go along)

First progress:

-Novo kits autopsied
-visible interior frame work scratched using evergreen strips (0.5 x 0.5, and 0.5 x 0.25 mm)
-cockpit floors cut from plastic strip.

-And first question (there will be more no doubt) :

Can anyone tell me if the fueslage visible through the small side windows of the F6F-3 and some -5s is the same colour as the cockpit? How extensively was the Zinc Chromate primer carrried throughout the airframe?

Cheers,
Evan

 

[Matt308]

Wow. Coming along nicely I must say!

 

[Wurger]

Looking forward to the farher progress.

To answer your question... I think it was the YZC colour there initially. But I have found info that later these wheel bays, the cockpit interior, the fuselage interior and interior of the enging cowling were painted with ANA 611 Non Specular Interior Green - FS34151, introduced on the 22nd December 1942.

 

[Airframes]

Good stuff Evan, looks like a Hungarian subsidiary of the Grumman factory!

 

[A4K]

Cheers Matt, Wojtek and Terry!
From now on, these will be officially redesignated F6B (Grumman Budapest subsidiary) aircraft

Wojtku, does that NSIG apply to aircraft in any scheme? My plan is to make one F6F-5 in the Glossy Sea Blue scheme and a -3 in the 3-tone scheme. 3rd scheme TBD by my mate who I got them from. He loves Hellcats, so I want to return one to him in souped up form.

(Btw, Wojtek, can you correct the thread title for me? It should read F6F not F-6F. Dzieki!)

 

[Wurger]

According to my refereces all Hellcats assembled after the end of the 1942 had the interior colour applied there. So if yours cats from the Hell were made after that date you can use the NSIG paint else the YZC one methinks.

And the thread correction done.

 

[A4K]

Dziekuje my friend, for the info and the thread fix!

Stupid me went and looked for pics on the net, and the framework is twice as thick as it should be (damn!). Not going to change it now though, not worth it in light of the inaccuracies of the exteriors, especially in the case of the Novo/ Frog moulds.
If I ever do a 'correct' Hellcat, I'll grab an Eduard or Italeri kit (latter now reboxed as Tamiya and Revell).

 

[Wurger]

Yep.. sometimes it is not worth to correct anything if the entire rest has to be as it is. Here is my Frog/Novo Hellcat..... I made a new cockpit conopy but it got yellowish tonality after many years. Just a wrong clear material used for that.

 

[A4K]

Thanks for that my friend, and yep, saw your build on the other Hellcat thread - it helped inspire me to get my @ss into gear and get them done! (thanks!)
Did you sand down the raised panel lines on the fueslage, or are they just difficult to see under the Matt finish? Was thinking of just leaving them for these 'quick' builds.

Also, I know you mentioned there are inaccuracies in the scheme, but it looks good to me anyway, and you did a great job on the canopy!
(The kits I got given are both sans glasswork, so they'll either get modified Hasegawa items, or one a Hasy and one a Falcon vacform job.)

 

[Wurger]

Taking that it is the Frog/Novo kit into consideration these raised panel lines are very thin. I let them be and you need to get as close up look as it is possible to notice them. The main correction has been done to the front engine cowling. The bottom air intake was drilled through and got new shape with new walls. The cockpit interior was expanded with a new pilot's panel , a gunsight and cockpit side walls. Also I made new antenna set and struts of the external fuel tank. More "sins" I don't remeber...

THX for thse kind words Pal.

 

[A4K]

Thanks, great stuff my friend!

I don't plan to do too much to the cowls here, but we'll see at the time. First up the interiors... (do you have any pics of yours btw?)

 

[Wurger]

... (do you have any pics of yours btw?)

Unfortunately I don't. I made the model may years ago when taking pictures of such details wasn't popular yet. And now I wouldn't be possible rather to see anything because of the yellowish cockpit conopy.

 

[A4K]

That's a shame my friend -maybe in person some day!

 

[Wurger]

You are always welcome here my friend.

 

[A4K]

And vice-versa my friend!

 

[Wurger]

 

[A4K]

Slow progress at the Grumman Budapest Division, but cockpit floors underway, plus various other cockpit fittings.

With only 2.5 sets of undercarriage, one will be 'gear up' with a pilot in the cockpit. This bird will get the modified Hasegawa floor as the pilot will block most of the view in.

Ivett photocopied the Hasegawa decal sheet for me too, so I'll simply cut out the cockpit panels and placards and glue them in place


Note centre consoles are still 'in progress', and pilot figure shown is Frog/Novo issue and will not be fitted. (Note too the difference in profile between the Hasegawa and Frog kits)
The red thing in pic 2 is the prototype fire extinguisher, a bit too big I think.

 

[Airframes]

Looking good Evan. I guess the Grumman Budapest Division means they'll have Bu numbers .......

 

[A4K]

...and pilot luggage stamped BUDBUD Cheers Terry!

 

[A4K]

'Ein bisl und ein bisl...' ('A little and a little...')

Centre consoles formed, and basic rudder pedals scratched for the 'flyer'. Both to be cleaned up yet, and consoles further detailed.

The rudder pedals of the landed birds will be slightly more detailed, as they will be completely visible.