Hasegawa 1/32 F6F-5

[prem895]

I have chosen this big bird for my next build. I have read some rather unsavory reviews of this kit,from the lack of cockpit detail and weapons bays to the fact that it is only a fixed landing gear. I on the other hand have found it to be quite a nice build so far,having completed the cockpit and weapons stores.(pics tonight) I agree that the cockpit is lacking fine detail,but I did the best I could for a place you will not see because I always use a pilot and I hang them up anyway. As far as the weapons bay goes it was a little tricky to paint the brass shell casings with my 00000 brush,so I used a toothpick witch seemed to work just fine. The one thing I am having trouble with is the wheel well colour. Some sources say yellow zinc chromate and others say green zinc chromate or interior green. I am at the paint stage for this. What is the correct colour for this???

 

[Wurger]

The standard was the Glossy Sea Blue. Just the same paint that was used on a F6F-5 overall.

 

[prem895]

FS15042 it is. This will be easy to paint then

 

[prem895]

I hear that the windscreen is a big problem...Is there an aftermarket one available?

 

[Wurger]

I don't think there is a big problem with the windscreen for F-5 variant. It might need to be fitted at the bottom to the fuselage curvature. But I didn't hear there was somethinbg bad with it. What kind of the problem have you heard about?

 

[prem895]

The only things I have read are that the windscreen does not fit that well. Thats all they say,not where and why. We will see soon enough I figure

 

[Wurger]

I see. I think the problem you had heard , is just the fitting of the windscreen at the bottom to the fuselage.

 

[prem895]

Are you sure the wheel wells are FS15042? I have read that most were yellow zinc chromate with the odd green-yellow zc

 

[prem895]

Grumman F6F Hellcat

By the time Hellcat entered mass production, Grumman had made the decision to adopt Interior Green in place of Bronze Green for cockpits, and possibly also to adopt Zinc Chromate primer in place of its own Grumman Grey. However, older paints were to be used as long as their stocks were available.

Thus the first hundred or so F6F-3 airframes produced almost certainly had their cockpits finished with the remaining stock of Bronze Green. Subsequent aircraft had their cockpits finished in Interior Green. Starting with F6F-5, cockpit area above and including the side consoles was finished in flat black with the remaining surfaces in Interior Green.



An enlarged portion of a well-known photo of newly produced F6F-3s on Grumman publicity flight. The factory-applied red surrounds to the national insignia should indicate a June - September 1943 time frame. What is interesting is the colour of the headrest inside the cockpit, which looks markedly unlike Interior Green. The actual colour could have been Bronze Green, but this statement is non-conclusive.

The inside of the engine cowling varied throughout the Hellcat production, being Grumman Grey, Interior Green or Zinc Chromate Yellow. Later F6F-5 and had flat black cowling interiors. Other enclosed areas of the fuselage were either Grumman Grey (on early production machines) or Zinc Chromate Yellow.

In common with the general Navy practice the wheel bays and undercarriage legs were finished in the lower surface colour. However, the area ahead of the main spar in the wheel well was left in Interior Green. Also, some photos of operational Hellcats show wheel hubs and legs in Aluminium finish, possibly applied during overhauls at field maintenance depots.



Late-war production F6F-5 show the overall Glossy Sea Blue colour being carried over to undercarriage legs, boths sides of covers and wheel hubs. The wheel well interiors were also painted this way. The photo has been taken aboard USS Bennington, ca. May 1945.

 

[Wurger]

All my references indicated the Sea Blue colours. The YZC and IG colour was used for F-3 variant and all ealier Hellcats wearing two-tone or three-tone camo scheme. These F-5 were introduced on assembling lines later than all factories switched ( according to an order ) to the new camo scheme for the US Navy planes. So if you don't have any pictures of the particular Hellcat you should follow the standard way for painting of weel bays. You might have more troubles with colours used for legs, wheel hubs . Legs could be of silver, grey or sometimes white. These wheel hubs could be of silver, white or sometimes grey.

 

[prem895]

I am glad that is cleared up

 

[Wurger]

 

[dneid]

If this is the same kit I built years ago, it was a nice build. However, that was so long ago, I cannot remember if there was a fit problem with the wind screen. If it was horrible, I would have remembered. I was so used to basic filling from all my Matchbox, Monogram, and other kits, that basic filling is not remembered.
Dale

 

[N4521U]

Yah got the cullers all sorted Pilgrim.......
Now where's the picktures?

 

[Crimea_River]

Legs and wheels could be the dark blue as well"

 

[prem895]

Sorry,forgot to post these. I am going to paint her all FS15042. I can see and feel improvement. Feels awesome.

 

[Crimea_River]

Looking pretty good.

 

[prem895]

I ordered these decals for her. The kit ones have some kind of stuff on them,and I need those white ones.#71 me thinks

 

[Wayne Little]

Doin' good...!

 

[Wurger]

Yep...