F6F-5N Nightfighter - 1:72 Eduard Weekend Edition

[Julien]

F6F-5N Nightfighter
1:72 Eduard Weekend Edition

With the success of the F6F-3 already in service, the F6F-5 was the natural evolution based on combat experience. Key improvements in the F6F-5 were a more powerful engine utilising a water injection system, revised windscreen that had a single armoured windscreen and spring loaded aileron tabs. The night fighter version came into service in the fall of 1944 was designated the F6F-5N and this was easily identified by the wing mounted AN/APS-6 Radar protruding forwards from the starboard leading edge. The British designated the Night fighter version as the Hellcat NF II. My respect goes out to these pilots. Flying a single engined aircraft over the sea at night must be quite an intimidating experience, let alone the prospect of combat mixed in.

The Kit
The original kit was released by Eduard back in 2011, and has been re-released in different boxes periodically over this time. Now it is in a light grey plastic and the moulds are wearing well with crisp finely moulded parts. The kit featuring fine engraved panel lines. There are three main sprues of the grey plastic, and one clear sprue. Construction starts where else but in the cockpit. The rear bulkhead and right side panels are attached to the cockpit floor. The main instrument panel is made up and then attached to the cockpit floor as well, along with the control column and pilots seat. Seatbelts are provided in this kit as decals. Once the seat is on the left hand side panel can be installed and to finish of the cockpit the rudder pedals are attached. The cockpit assembly can then be inserted in to the fuselage and the main fuselage closed up. Before this is done remember to add the tail wheel part and a panel under the cockpit. The flashed over tab hole for the external tank must also be opened up at this time.

Construction then moves to the wings, these are of conventional upper & lower parts each side. Before they are closed u the holes in the outboard lower wings for rockets must be closed up, and the insert for the main guns must be added in. Once assembled the wings along with the one part tailplanes can be added to the main fuselage. The modeller then moves to the front of the aircraft. The engine cowling is made up as is the 5 part engine. The engine is attached to the front of the main fuselage and the cowling added. The first decal option provides for a slightly different main gun arrangement and these can now be added.

Next up for construction are the wheels. These are of two part construction being the main wheel and separate hub. When complete these are attached to the main leg, and the main gear door is attached to the outside of the leg. The centre line tank is constructed, and then this and the main landing gear can be attached to the main airframe. The night fighter radar unit is then attached to the starboard wing, and the propeller is added to the front.

Lastly the canopy parts are added. These can be posed in either the open, or closed position.

Decals
As usual now for the weekend editions Eduard provide two decal options. Both aircraft are overall Gloss Sea Blue which white markings. The decals are from Eduard and look like they will pose no problems;

• F6F-5N, NuNo,78669. Maj Brue Porter Commanding Officer VMF(N)-542, Yontan Airfield, Okinawa 1945.
• F6F-5N, VMF-511, USS Block Island, 1945.

Conclusion
It is good to see this excellent kit re-released in a weekend edition. Highly recommended.

Review sample courtesy of

[sroubos]

Worth to note that all Eduard's Hellcat kits contain the same plastic, so the nightfighter parts have been available for some time.

It would be good to know if this kit has the sink marks in the trailing edge of the upper wings. I've seen this on the first batch of weekend edition F6Fs,

[Julien]

It would be good to know if this kit has the sink marks in the trailing edge of the upper wings. I've seen this on the first batch of weekend edition F6Fs,

If there were any problems with the moulding of the kit I would have said so. There is nothing wrong with the review copy.

Julien

[sroubos]

Hi Julien, it wasn't intended as a snip; there've been problems of this kind reported about this kit before, one of my own kits has the sink marks. It's good to know they have been solved, and I thought it was useful to highlight that.

It seems to have happened only on the first batch of weekend editions, when they switched from the beige plastic to the grey stuff.

[Julien]

No worries, not taken as a snip. Just wanted to say it is not something I would gloss over. The Grey plastic I think is much better than the beige stuff.