ANovaScotian

Here you go gentleman... Perhaps not the most accurate Hellcat ever constructed but it looks good to me (I stress that last as the pictures aren't the best) The kit went together very well, no serious fit issues even around the wing fold. The only filler was used on the holes for the HVARs The gun barrels were made from styrene rod with the ends drilled out as the kit is not moulded with them (the one glaring inaccuracy in my opinion) Tamiya Paints were used primarily with ModelMaster grey enamel primer for, you guessed it, a primer! 50/50 (ish) mix of Green and Yellow for interior areas 50/50 mix of Sky and White for the underside Dark Grey and Olive Drab for the upper camouflage (kinda dark, but could be worse). I've since read that Tamiya's "RLM Grey" with a drop or two of black is a good match for "Dark Slate Grey" and "Dark Grey" is pretty much spot on for "Extra Dark Sea Grey" and works in a pinch for RLM 66. Roundels and fin flash are the from some very nice Xtradecals sheets, code letters were masked and painted with the use of Tamiya tape and AutoCAD, all other markings are from the kit. Weathering was done with Smoke for the exhaust and guns with a light wash done with ModelMaster black enamel I will post with some better pictures at some point in the future

Just finished a Hellcat in FAA camouflage. Used Tamiya acrylics: 1:1 mix of Sky and White for the underside, with Dark Grey and Olive Drab on top, seems a bit dark but hopefully a flat coat will dull it down a bit. Gonna try your Dark Grey/RLM Grey mix on my 1/32 Revell Martlet V. It's always a pain trying to match Tamiya colors to actual camouflage colours... all you luftwaffe modellers know what I mean

I'm going to have to consider getting the "Special Markings" set when they come out in 1/72 scale. I used to live in Nova Scotia and every time we went to my grandmother's we would pass the Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum. They have a Voodoo that is visible from the highway and it is painted up in "Lynx Squadron" markings. http://atlanticcanadaaviationmuseum.com/museum-collections/cf-101-voodoo/

Was the Hawk 81 plumbed for a drop tank?

I thought is saw a teeny weeny undercarriage warning light in the cockpit

Thanks for all the input guys... HOWEVER, this Hellcat will be done with the Left Hand option as upon closer inspection of my decal sheet (I had not yet received the kit at the time of my posting) I found a big blue "blob" over top of the outer white circle on one of the white/blue roundels. After seeing this I naturally gravitated over to the other marking option... HOWEVER upon even closer inspection, the red center of the C1 fuselage roundels was off center. GAH!!!! Luckily enough for me, the big box from Squadron also contained three sheets of XtraDecals Type B, C and C1 RAF roundels (1 sheet of each) for the Revell 1/48 Ventura that I'm doing in RCAF markings (Yes, I'm a Canuck... my paternal grandfather was British and served his adopted country for 25 years in the RCN, 1930-55... which qualifies me for the "Brit" part in Britmodeller ) In regards to the inaccuracies of the HobbyBoss kit, I am well aware, however I am going by the notion that if it looks like a dog, and sounds like a dog, it's a dog, or perhaps cat would be more appropriate in this case. My primary reason for getting the HobbyBoss kit is that I've been wanting a Hellcat on the shelf for a while and at $11.99 on sale at Squadron, I wasn't going to argue. Just for the record, I will NOT be using the ordnance (500 pdrs and HVARs) as the issue of FAA aircraft using US ordnance is as hotly contested and shrouded in mystery as to what color Hitler's mustache comb was. I will be sure to post pictures of the completed model either on this thread or the Ready for Inspection section of the forum.

It was my understanding that the new kit was 1) a new tool kit and 2) that one of the in-box options was for an RCAF plane...

I had an old Monogram F-101 Voodoo kit that had very similar markings

I'm assuming that the camo scheme is 74/75/76? Did you use the Tamiya colors straight from the jar or did you custom mix them?

Wouldn't mind seeing one if Coastal Command Temperate Sea Scheme

My LHS has this kit for a pretty good price... been considering getting it, however, I've heard there are some fit issues (among other things). What would you suggest to look out for?

I use Model Master Grey Primer without much trouble. Just make sure to "polish" the paint once dry to get rid of any particles on the surface that can ruin your final finish... ordinary paper towels work well for this

Build up the Future in a couple of light misty coats then give it a relatively heavy "wet coat" and you should get a much glossier surface. In a recent Finescale Modeller they give the same advice for getting a good gloss finish out of gloss paints.

I recently got the Dogfight Doubles (Spitfire V and Bf 109F) kit which comes with Humbrol acrylics. I thinned them with Future and they sprayed on great leaving me with a nice, smooth semi-gloss finish.

Hey all So I recently ordered the HobbyBoss 1/48 Hellcat MkII kit and having done some research, have decided on which marking option to proceed with... Something about the option on the RIGHT just spoke to me, so I knew that was the one to do. HOWEVER upon researching FAA Hellcats, I've found some discrepancies between the internet and HobbyBoss' marking sheet. I have found Hellcats with the small blue and white roundels shown, however, I have been unable to determine if the same markings were ever even used on the upper wing surfaces. Every example I have found of FAA Hellcats have much larger blue and white roundels like this one below, or don't show the upper wing surfaces Any help would be appreciated.

Did all Venturas with the temperate sea scheme have the upper camouflage dip down to the wing? The attached picture leads me to believe otherwise. By the way does anyone know of any East coast squadrons that used temperate sea scheme, even for a brief period?

Great looking Focke Wulf! You mentioned earlier that you use Humbrol enamel primer... how would you rate it compared to Model Master primer?

I've read other reviews about the HobbyBoss Hellcats saying that the fuselage is too wide... Is that just for the earlier USN Hellcat releases, or are all of the Hellcats plagued with this problem?

Has anyone come upon a definitive shade for RAF "Dark Earth?" I've seen it range from a sandy tan colour to a chocolate brown

Looking forward to when my local hobby shop gets these in stock. According to my research the No. 439 Squadron markings in the kit are for a Royal Canadian Air Force machine, not an RAF one... http://www.canadianwings.com/Aircraft/aircraftDetail.php?TYPHOON-31