Hasegawa 1/48 Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat

HASEGAWA 1:48 F6F-5 HELLCAT

This is the version kit supplied for this review (USS Randolph)

Another F6F-5 boxart for essentially the same kit
My thanks to Marcelo Rabello for supplying both

Reviewer: Stephane Marignac (marignac@worldnet.fr)
Kit Review submitted: January 2000

Aircraft:
The Hellcat was an evolution rather than a revolution. Purposed as a replacement to the Wildcat, it was in the beginning, an enlarged F4F. It was to have a better speed, rate of climb and increased firepower, as well as crew protection. Such improvements led to the adoption of a more powerful engine plant, which in turn bring wingspan enlargement and general aspect modifications. So the evolution led to a new type. The Hellcat was built around the Grumman credo : to be good, a fighter was to be strong, efficient and simple to fly. The original drawings and plans are dating as back as early 1941, well before the Pearl Harbour disaster.

The XF6F-1 made her maiden flight at the turn of 1942, with a Pratt & Whitney 2600. The flight tests showed that the purposes of the evolution, in terms of climb speed and increased performances were far from being reached. A more powerful engine was needed. This engine was existing, it was the P&W 2800-10, originally intended for the F4U and P-47. As these programs were delayed, there was a large quantity of engines at hand. A 2800 was fitted to the prototype and began flight tests. Grumman, betting on the promising results of the early tests, launched the production series (F6F-3) before end of trials. Accordingly, the first squadron reached operational status on the type only 14 months after the prototype maiden flight.

The –5 had the bombing and rocketing capabilities and was engined with a P&W 2800-15. The type saw extensive action, mainly in the Pacific and with Fleet Air Arm.

Post-war, the Hellcat was widely used by the French Air Force and Navy (Aéronavale) during the Indochina conflict. The Air Force replaced the F6F-5 by Bearcats, but the Navy used them up until the Dien Bien Phu siegeeither land-based or carrier-born. A total 12 275 Hellcats were built !

The Kit:
It is an evolution of the earlier F6F-3 offer of the same company. Modifications are clearly exposed on the instructions sheet. Some panel lines are to be filled, and the rear cockpit glazing is to be omitted. Wings must have the rocket pylons holes opened. Panel lines are finely engraved, and the cockpit is accurately detailed, and one can achieve pretty good results, straight from the box. Very little putty was used on the kit, and the transparencies, if somewhat on the thick side, are nicely engraved and translucent.

Instructions and Decals:
These are the usual level of Hasegawa, using clear drawings, step-by-step operations. Painting instructions are given, using the Gunze range references and stating the shades' real names. So far, the US shades are well known and conversion to other companies ranges should not be too challenging.

The decals are the usual standard of Hasegawa, being fine and reacting well to the usual setting solutions, with little excess of carrier film. Having elected to make a French Navy type, I haven’t been using the kit sheet, and therefore can’t say if the white markings are deep enough to keep density over the Sea Blue Gloss.

The kit offers two options for Hellcats based aboard USS Randolph in 1945. Both versions are overall Sea Blue Gloss planes, with white markings.

First one is from VF-12, in May 1945. The plane sports 4 white horizontal stripes on tail, as well as a white drop tank and flaps, both on the upper and under surfaces.

The second offer is less flamboyant, having only a large L on the wings and large “2” under the cockpit, each sides of the fuselage.

Building the Beast:
I know that the main focus of this web site is to build kits straight from the box, but I’m a lazy modeller, so I elected to use some resin cast items to enhance the cockpit and wheels of my model. The cockpit and wheels are from the True Details range, and the rudder came from a previous project and is from the KMC range.

The resin cockpit fits very well in the kit’s fuselage and it was first dealt with. Resin parts are first separated from their cast blocks, and the side consoles, as well floor and instruments panel are blank test fitted. Once their respective position is clearly marked, the kit details are sanded off and the side panels are super-glued in place, the top of it only being glued, thus allowing better placement of the floor. The fuselage halves are then sprayed with Aeromaster Acrylics US Interior Green. Fuse boxes, wiring and so forth are picked out in black, throttle knobs are red and yellow, while some other surface details are white. A gentle dry brush in Dk. Slate Grey is applied, to raise angles and to lighten the whole cockpit.

Instrument panel is sprayed in black, the needles inside instruments being drybrushed in white. A drop of gloss clear is then applied to render glazing. Some details like buttons are painted red and the whole area is then very lightly drybrushed in light grey. The cockpit floor and the seat are next painted Interior green, the seat harness being light beige. The seat is lightly drybrushed with Testors aluminium. The floor receives the same treatment, this being accentuated in the rudder pedals area.

The landing terrains in Indochina were very crude, not to say rough or wild. The only concrete installations were in Saigon and Tan Son Nut, the most favoured having Perforated Steel Planking runway. All other were bulldozed stripes red laterite. In the dry season, planes and crew were all covered with a reddish dust, while during the monsoon season, a truck was often necessary to release planes from their red mud coffin. To render this effect, the cockpit floor and seat were brushed with Sienna oil paint pigment, giving an overall red aspect.

The Hellcat belongs to the kind of aircraft, where, when the cockpit is complete, the final assembly is a matter of an evening's work. The rudder is next separated to make room for the resin replacement. Fuselages halves are glued together and required nothing more than a careful sanding and a good polishing. A little filler was needed at the front, where the cowling is to be affixed. The wings were installed next, here again, not requiring any filler, except at the leading edge. Don’t forget to fill the panel lines on the undersides (these corresponding to the F6F-3) and to drill the holes for the rocket pylons.

Next came the engine. The two cylinders rows were painted Testors polished steel, varnished semi-gloss, and given a very diluted black “juice”. The ignition wires were added from etched sprue, painted olive drab. The prop’ reducer was painted light grey and the inside of the engine cowling is Interior Green. This can also be Zinc Chromate yellow. The wings are attached to the fuselage, and this time, a little putty was required at the leading edge/ fuselage joint. Note: it is normal that a gap appears at the junction between the wing upper surfaces and fuselage.

The engine and cowling were then added, again with a little filler at the upper joint. The tail surfaces are then added, the rudder being left aside to be completed and installed when decaling. The windshield is then masked and glued in place. The fit is not very good and needed some Kristal Kleer to achieve a good result. The engine and cockpit are protected, then on to the paint shop.

Painting the Bird:
As stated above, this one is to be French. The planes were far from being mint condition when delivered, and the heavy operational use didn’t enhance that state. The plane is given a coat of Testor’s Aluminium and allowed to dry for half an hour, before polishing. This allows one to check for joint cleanliness and further scratching of the Sea Blue coat to render weathering. After polishing, the plane is given a light coat of gloss varnish to help the Sea Blue adhesion.

After an overnight drying, the plane is given two light coats of Sea Blue (Aeromaster Acrylics), at 3 hours interval.

Then come the weathering : it is achieved by spraying the same hue lightened with white in the centre of panels around the cockpit and wing leading edge and at the wing root. Fabric covered flaps are sprayed with that hue, even lighter. The other panel center is sprayed with previous shade, this time with 3 or four drops of black. After that, some panels are brushed in brown, using Sienna oil paint pigments. A coat of Gloss varnish is given and allowed to dry overnight for decal setting.

Photo credit: Stephane Marignac

Decaling:
The decals are from the Model Art range, and it was my first time with those. I have to say that I’m not over enthusiastic with it. These are quite thick, with a lot of carrier film, and the manufacturer advises that the use of setting solutions is the user's responsibility. I therefore use moderate splashes of it on the larger items only. I have too say that no adverse reactions occurred, but I might have been lucky ! Despite their thickness, the white is not dense enough and the blue shows through the roundels centre. Stencilling is quite complete, and for those, I didn’t used the Micro Set or Sol, and had to trim most of them to achieve a correct result. Next came the tricky part, adding the rudder flag. While most of the manufacturers are giving a complete flag, Model Art elected to provide a stripe of red and a stripe of blue, that are to be cut to match rudder shape. Wise, one would say, this avoids registration troubles ! These stripes are to be 4.5 mm wide. Well, I had some difficulties to find the half millimetre and my stripes are a bit too narrow. The setting of these on the rudder were really challenging to my nerves, and I had to put a lot of Micro Set to have them correctly set. After 2 days of drying, a coat of gloss varnish was given to all the decals and next came a fine coat of flat clear.

Conclusion:
The French Hellcats had very heavy exhaust stains, extending up to after the fuselage roundels. These were completed after the final matt varnishing. First, a light coat of Dark Earth is given; this drybrushed in black, when the Dark Earth is still moist. When this is dry, a veil of Aeromaster Olive Drab faded is sprayed over.

The landing gear is next detailed, adding brake wires: there are 2 of them, of dissimilar diameter, crossing in the middle of the landing gear leg rear face. The one with lesser diameter (actually, fuse wire), is painted red, while the other (made out with fabric covered elastic thread), is Olive Drab. The ring bracing the landing leg with landing well door are added, two for each leg, out of fuse wire.

Photo credit: Stephane Marignac

The aerial is made out of etched sprue, as well as a whip antenna, just after the aerial mast. The navigation light on the spine is painted Chrome silver, and a drop of Kristal Kleer is added, which is painted Tamiya clear blue. The formation light under the rear fuselage are drilled, painted red, blue and amber and filled with Kleer. And that’s it!

Well, here is a nice and easy to build model, where there is room for improvement for Mister “Detailomaniac”, it still builds nicely straight from the box. There are a lot of after market offerings allowing a wide variety of schemes. A must for any WWII collection.

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Italeri 1/72 F6F-3 & Revell 1/72 F6F-5 Grumman Hellcats

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