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Hi, Classics two Grumman WWII fighters: F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat. Grumman F4F4, model from Academy. The main addition - inside of wheel bay, scratch build. I have not corected canopy - one day I will replace it by a better shaped one (the Academy kit has to sploped windscreen). Decals by ESCI. Markings are from Guadalcanal, 1942, machine flown by US Navy aces J.Swett, M.Carl and J.Smith. I know, that some people claims, that in Guadalcanal there were F4F3. I just followed painting scheme from ESCI. However, the same painting (also as F4F4) is in Techmod decals for US Navy F4F. Here she is:. And the bigger but younger brother, the F6F3 Hellcat. Model by Hasegawa, OOB except painting scheme - the shark (or cat) mouth and eyes are handpainting on decals. It is perhaps funny, but some time after my build Hasegawa issued the same painting scheme in box.... Markings are from VF-27, USS Princeton (CVL 23), Marians, Summer 1944. Here she is: Grumman DUO plus recently posted Avenger. The Grumman classic TRIO of WWII: Comments welcome Regards Jerzy-Wojtek

Mister Song is back! Source: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/forum/25-modern/ After the future F2H-3 Banshee (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234946848-148th-mcdonnell-f2h-3-4-banshee-by-kittyhawk-in-2014/), KittyHawk is obviously working on a 1/48th Grumman F9F Cougar family. Herebelow a F9F-8T test mule. V.P.

Welcome to my latest project: the Academy 1:48 F14A Grumman Tomcat 'Sundowners', limited edition. Now I know that this kit has come into some critisicm regarding the nose, but having researched the other kits available they all have thier own problems, so I went with the kit with one of the most striking schemes out there; and to be honest if it looks like an F14 then thats good enough for me! Like most of my builds I have upgraded the cockpit with the excellent Aires resin tub and photo etch along with thier exhaust cans. Other wise it will be straight out of the box.

Hellcat F6F-5 Late Eduard 1:48 ProfiPACK Edition The Grumman Hellcat is famed not for it's beauty, but for it's performance. Admittedly, the opposition over the Pacific grew weaker as more inexperienced Japanese pilots were pressed in to service, but a claimed kill ratio of 19:1 is a pretty impressive score. It was pushed into service as a stop gap between the Wildcat and the F4U which was under development at the time, but it's rugged and well armoured airframe mated to a powerful engine was a winning combination. The aircraft was regarded as being quite easy to fly, however of the 2400 Hellcats lost during WWII, only 270 were lost in aerial combat compared 1300 lost during training or ferry flights. For those 270 combat losses Hellcats would account for 5156 enemy planes destroyed. This amounted to over half of all USN/USMC claimed kills. The kit This is another variant release of the reputable Eduard Hellcat. It's regarded as the most detailed and accurate 1:48 Hellcat on the market with plenty of finely moulded detail parts and beautifully restrained recessed panel lines and riveting. A big bonus over the Hasegawa kit is that the canopy can be positioned in the open position from the box and the cowling shape is more accurate. We reviewed the original release HERE back in 2012 with the Hellcat Mk.II that served with the Fleet air Arm, so I'm not going to spend too much time talking through the build, I'll let the pictures do the talking and focus more on the differences provided in this boxing. Firstly, the sprues contained in the pack. These contain two types of engine cowling. The instructions indicate which cowling is used for "LATE", so it's important to choose the correct one. As well as a wealth of plastic the modeller is treated to two photo-etched frets, resin wheels, and a set of canopy/wheel masks. Both the F6F-3 & F6F-5 canopies are on the clear sprue. The parts are beautifully clear and thin so distortion is minimal. There are two canopies included, one is for the open position, the other for the closed location, so take care to use the correct parts depending how you want to model your aircraft. Taking a closer look at the detail on the plastic sprues, you can see the quality of the moulding. Separate control surfaces are provided however, these are located by tabs in a neutral position. If you want to fit them in an off centre position, the tabs will need removing and possibly the mating edges rounding off for correct location. An addition to this boxing over the others is the inclusion of a new sprue containing 5-inch Forward Firing Aircraft Rocket (FFAR), and High Velocity Aircraft (HVAR) Rockets. One of the criticisms of the Weekend Edition boxing is the lack of later wider style wheels on the plastic sprues. This issue is addressed in the profipack edition with the inclusion of the beautiful Brassin resin wheels which have separate hubs. Paint masks are also included on the masking sheet. Two frets of etch are included. One fret is the pre-painted type predominantly for the cockpit interior including panels and seatbelts whilst the other provides bomb fins, plug leads for the engine front and a few other details. Decals A superb set of decals is included with this boxing for late war markings applied to the aircraft. Symbols were used during this time period to help identify the parent carrier. However it was found they were hard to remember and to describe of the radio. These were known as "G" Symbols and were sprayed on using templates, sometimes not very carefully! All of these schemes by this point are all over dark blue. Register of the colours looks excellent and the inks vivid and sharp. Density maybe an issue with the white markings over the blue, but you would hope not. There are enough stencils included without them becoming excessive. Schemes included are: VF-12 or VBF-12, USS Randolph, May, 1945 LCDR T. Hugh Winters, Jr., VF-19, USS Lexington, late October, 1944 VF-29, USS Cabot, January March, 1945 White 115, Death and Destruction, BuNo 72534, ENS Donald McPherson, Bill Kingston, Jr., and Lyttleton Ward, VF-83, USS Essex, May 5th, 1945 Conclusion This is an excellent kit of the late war version of the Hellcat with late war markings. The kit should appeal to experienced builders looking for a good kit, but should not be too daunting for those less experienced wanting a step up to include some resin and PE parts. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Grumman Hellcat F6F-3 Eduard Profipack 1:48 The Grumman Hellcat is famed not for it's beauty, but for it's performance. Admittedly, the opposition over the Pacific grew weaker as more inexperienced Japanese pilots were pressed in to service, but a claimed kill ratio of 19:1 is a pretty impressive score. Even taking in to account inaccuracy of this figure, it is still undeniably good with 75% of aerial victories achieved by the US Navy in the Pacific. It was pushed into service as a stop gap between the Wildcat and the F4U which was under development at the time, but it's rugged and well armoured airframe mated to a powerful engine was a winning combination. The aircraft was regarded as being quite easy to fly, however of the 2400 Hellcats lost during WWII, only 270 were lost in aerial combat compared 1300 lost during training or ferry flights. The kit This is another variant release of the reputable Eduard Hellcat. It's regarded as the most detailed and accurate 1:48 Hellcat on the market with plenty of finely moulded detail parts and beautifully restrained recessed panel lines and riveting. A big bonus over the Hasegawa kit is that the canopy can be positioned in the open position from the box and the cowling shape is more accurate. We reviewed the original release HERE back in 2012 with the Hellcat Mk.II that served with the Fleet air Arm, so I'm not going to spend too much time talking through the build, I'll let the pictures do the talking and focus more on the differences provided in this boxing. Firstly, the sprues contained in the pack. These contain three types of engine cowling. The instructions indicate which cowling is used on which of the 5 decal variants included, so it's important to decide which route you want to take before assembling these. The F6F-3 had a different windscreen than the previously released F6F-5, however both types are contained on the clear sprue. The parts are beautifully clear and thin so distortion is minimal. There are two canopies included, one is for the open position, the other for the closed location, so take care to use the correct part depending how you want to model your aircraft. A sheet of paint masks is provided for the clear parts too. Taking a closer look at the detail on the plastic sprues, you can see the quality of the moulding. Separate control surfaces are provided however, these are located by tabs in a neutral position. If you want to fit them in an off centre position, the tabs will need removing and possibly the mating edges rounding off for correct location. One of the criticisms of the Weekend Edition boxing is the lack of later wider style wheels on the plastic sprues. This issue is addressed in the profipack edition with the inclusion of the beautiful Brassin resin wheels which have separate hubs. Paint masks are also included on the masking sheet. Two frets of etch are included. One fret is the pre-painted type predominantly for the cockpit interior including panels and seatbelts whilst the other provides bomb fins, plug leads for the engine front and a few other details. The decals The Profipack boxes usually provide several schemes and this one won't let you down. 5 schemes are included covering 3 years of service, all with the 3 colour camouflage scheme. Register of the colours looks excellent and the inks vivid and sharp. There are enough stencils included without them becoming excessive. Schemes included are: BuNo 66016 (probably), VF-16, USS Lexington, Hawaii, Sept 1943 BuNo 25813, Lt. C.K. 'Ken' HilderBrandt, VF-33, Ondonga, Dec 1943 - early variant, achieved all his 5 kills in this aircraft BuNo 40090, VF-1, Lt. William C Moseley, USS Yorktown, June 1944 - shot down, MIA July 4th 1944 in this aircraft BuNo 40467, Lt. Alexander Vraciu, VF-6, USS Intrepid, Feb 1944 - achieved 3 betty kills in one mission Jan 44, finished was with 19 victories Lt. Richard E Stambrook, VF-27, USS Princeton, Oct 1944 - shark teeth scheme (BuNo unknown but greater than 40235), he achieved 11 kills Conclusion I've nothing of criticism to report on this kit. The quality is superb, cost for these kits is competitive and the 'extras' included really make it a desirable option. If one wanted to be challenging, perhaps the control surfaces could be designed to allow off centre positioning. Construction is pretty standard, so even though there are some small and intricate parts, it isn't for the exclusive construction of experienced builders. Review sample courtesy of

F-14D 159600 "Christine". Pics taken at the Fort Worth Aviation Museum, Texas. Pics thanks to Nigel Heath.

Afternoon all, Just wrapped up my build of The Fighter Collection's Hellcat. Have to say, a combination of the thin decals and questionable exhaust staining have resulted in this being a 'view from a few feet' kind of model, but from said distance, it doesn't look too bad I suppose, and it's pleasing to have a model of one of my favourite warbirds in the cabinet. Please ignore the odd dust post visible in the pictures, I only noticed after uploading and really can't be bothered to re edit and upload... Thanks for looking, comments welcomed Cheers, Shaun

Evening all, Whilst I've been waiting for various bits for my Battle of Brtain project to arrive, I've made a start on another model I;ve wanted to build for a while. One of the highlights of my year was seeing The Fighter Collections Hellcat return to the air for the first time in seven years or so. As someone who travels to many shows, I like to build where possible particular aircraft that I've seen and photographed, and this is one them. It really is a stunning machine DX_2014_100 by Shaun Schofield, on Flickr DX_2014_036 by Shaun Schofield, on Flickr This particular aircraft is a marking option in Eduard's F6F-3 kit, but I'm actually using their F6F-5 kit, which I happened to have in the stash, as it has all the necessary parts to backdate it. I've acquired a set of aftermarket decals for the markings, although there is a problem, as the code number (19) on the undercarriage doors are in white, not black- the paint guide would have you paint the undersides in FS36440 for some reason... I've had a look around t'interweb for some generic code decals, with no luck, so will have to think about a way around that.... Having built a Fleet Air Arm example a couple of years ago, I'm pretty familiar with this superb kit. I've finished off the interior with as much of the Photo Etch that I could manage- throttle levers and such like are just too small in this scale!- and am letting the matt varnish cure before sealing up the fuselage tomorrow. Apologies for the funny white balance in the photo, my camera doesn't seem to like the green, which isn't quite so yellow in the flesh. I'd fix it, but the pub is calling! In the interests of completeness, here's one I made earlier... Time for a pint or two! Cheers, Shaun

Pics thanks to Mark Mills.

Grumman HU-16A Albatross Trumpeter 1:48 History The Grumman HU-16 Albatross is a large twin-radial engine amphibious flying boat that was used by the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard, primarily as a search and rescue and combat search and rescue aircraft. Inspired by the performance of the Grumman Goose during WWII, the U.S. Navy solicited Grumman to design a significantly larger amphibian with longer range. In 1944, Grumman submitted and won approval of its design G-64, to be named "Albatross," with accommodation for a crew of four, and a cabin capacity of 10 passengers, stretchers, or 5,000 pounds of cargo, as circumstances dictated. In addition, there were pylons under the wing and outboard of the engines which made it possible to carry weapons or drop tanks for increased range. In addition, fuel could be carried in the fixed underwing floats. Originally designated as the SA-16 for the USAF and the JR2F-1 and UF-1 for the USN and USCG, it was redesignated as the HU-16 in 1962. The majority of Albatrosses were used by the U.S. Air Force, primarily by the former Air Rescue Service, and initially designated as SA-16. The USAF used the SA-16 extensively in Korea for combat rescue, where it gained a reputation as a rugged and seaworthy craft. Later, the redesignated HU-16B (long-wing variant) Albatross was used by the U.S. Air Force's Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service and saw extensive combat service during the Vietnam War. In addition a small number of Air National Guard air commando groups were equipped with HU-16s for covert infiltration and extraction of Special Forces from 1956 to 1971. Other examples of the HU-16 made their way into Air Force Reserve air rescue units prior to its retirement from USAF service. The Model Trumpeters somewhat congested release schedule has produced some real corkers as well as some rather underwhelming kits. The subject matter can sometimes be something modellers have been waiting a long time to see, and the Grumman Albatross in 1:48 is just such a subject. Inside the quite large box with some colourful artwork of an aircraft in USAF rescue colours overflying a foundering ship, (which has been the subject of some debate), there are seventeen sprues of medium grey styrene, one sprue of clear styrene, a sheet of etched brass, rubber tyres and optional metal undercarriage parts. All the parts appear to be very well moulded, with no sign of flash and only a moderate number of moulding pips. Detail seems pretty good throughout, including a nice cabin interior. Although there is still plenty that the modeller could add should they so wish. Small items such as cabling and pipework in the gear bays can be added and bigger jobs such as the frames, stringers and wing box sections within the cabin. If you are going to detail the cabin then it should be pointed out that there are quite a few ejector pin marks that will need to be filled first. External details such as the panel lines and rivets are nicely restrained and the styrene seems to be slightly matt with a fine, but definite texture to it. The clear parts are nice and thin but there seems to be some inconsistency in that some of the side windows are very clear and flat whilst others do have some distortion from the edges to the centre. This is also true of the main cockpit canopy, where the outer windscreen panels have slight distortion when viewed at certain angles. Maybe, when dipped in Aqua Gloss or Klear it won’t be so noticeable. The most obvious aspect of the construction is the separate nose section of the fuselage, which may be a clue to further versions being released. Construction begins with the assembly of the nose undercarriage and bay. The nose wheels are made up of two hub parts sandwiching the rubber tyre. The wheels are then mounted onto the metal axle part which is then fitted to the main oleo, (either the styrene or metal parts), with the scissor link attached to the rear, joining the oleo and axle together. The retraction actuator jack is then attached and the undercarriage fitted between the bay sidewalls, which have had additional detail parts added beforehand. The front and rear bulkheads are then attached followed by the bay roof, with a strengthening beam attached. Moving on to the interior, work begins with attaching the various black boxes, (radios and radar etc), to the cockpit/cabin bulkhead. This is followed by the assembly of the instrument panel. The Cockpit is made up of two separate floors onto which the pilot and co-pilots seats are fitted. Each seat consists of two outer frames, seat squab and back rest, two armrests, and the headrest. There is a third seat fitted behind the co-pilots position, this one is made up from front and rear frames, seat squab and back rest, crossed under seat bracing and the rotating base. Behind the pilots seat there are a couple of other black boxes attached. The two steering yokes are assembled to their respective control columns and fitted to the pilot and co-pilots positions. The next assemblies are the main wheel bays. Each main part is fitted out with the top box, into which the separate pipes and cables are attached. At the bottom of each bay four triangular ribs are glues into place, followed by the single sidewall and internal access hatch. With the starboard bay fitted with additional radio gear where it intrudes into the main cabin the two bays are attached to the centre bulkhead which is then slotted into position on the cabin floor. With the bays in position then the cockpit, cockpit/cabin bulkhead, radar operators chair, attendants chair can all be fitted to their respective positions on the cabin floor. The three bunks on the starboard side are made up of the two end frames and the bunk frames, onto which the etched parts that make up the “canvas” are folded around. The nosewheel bay is glued into position, as is the cockpit front bulkhead and instrument panel. With all the internal sub assemblies in place the cabin roof can be fitted. With the internals now complete it’s time to fit the clear windows into both halves of the fuselage. It is at this point that any further detailing, such as adding the frames and stringers can be carried out. The internal assembly is then fitted to slots in both the rear fuselage and also the separate nose section which has further attachment points around the main gear bays, giving the required strength. The fuselage/nose can now be closed up, having had an indicated 50g of nose weight installed. When the fuselage has been glued securely then the radome can be added and the canopy assembly, which has had the upper console fitted internally and the escape hatches, aerial and DF aerial fitted externally, can also be fitted. To the rear the horizontal tailplanes, elevators and rudder are all assembled and attached to the tail. Details such as the rudder trim tab, tail lights, aerials and intake scoops are also fitted. The main cabin door is fitted with its handle and can be posed open or closed. Several more sub-assemblies are then constructed, including the main undercarriage bays for the wing, the two engines, which are nicely detailed out of the box with the two part cylinder bank attached to the bulkhead and onto which the push rods, crank case and magnetos are attached. The engines are then inserted into the cowlings and the propellers assembled and fitted to the prop shafts. Two drop tanks are then assembled, complete with pylons, sway braces and fuel pipe, after which the two wing floats are also constructed out of a three part main float, two end pieces and a two piece pylon. The centre wing is assembled out of a single piece upper part and two lower parts. Both the upper and lower parts are fitted with the engine nacelle sections, whilst the upper section has two upper hatches fitted and once the gear bays are fitted to the lower sections they can be attached to the upper part. The outer wing panels are also made up of top and bottom parts which, when joined are fitted out with the two part flaps and ailerons. The two landing lights, one per wing, can be posed extended or retracted and outside of these two pitot probes are fitted per wing. The wing floats and drop tanks can also be attached at this point and the whole assembly attached to the fuselage. The completed engine sub-assemblies are then attached to their respective nacelles with the addition of the two lower cowl flaps. Lastly the complex main undercarriage is assembled, again with styrene or metal main oleos, numerous struts, actuators, and bay doors along with the three piece wheels, made in the same way as the nose wheel. The main bay door and the two nose wheel bay doors are the last to be fitted. Etch The small etched sheet provides the three bunk beds, components for the nose and main undercarriage bays, brackets for beneath the starboard side hatch and, most importantly lap and shoulder straps for the pilots and co-pilots seats. The brass is of a decent thickness, but quite pliable and should be fairly easy to bend to shape, even without the need to anneal first. Decals There are two decal sheets include in the kit. One for each option, which are:- • US Air Force HU-16A, 0-10022, as per box art. • Taiwanese Air Force, HU-16A, 1032 The decals are very nicely printed, in good register and of good opacity. They are quite glossy and there appears to be very little carrier film so should settle down well with the use of your favourite setting/softening solutions. A full set of stencils is provided, along with propeller warning stripes and crash crew cut outs. The instrument panels are also provided as decals. The Stars and Bars on the sides of the USAF version already have cut outs to allow them to sit over projections on the main cabin door and starboard side hatch. There has been some comments made on the forums about the lack of walkway decals for the USAF version, but this shouldn’t be too much of a problem masking off and painting at the same time as painting the wingtips and fuselage band. It’ll probably look better anyway. Conclusion This is a superb looking kit and will be quite impressive when built, so keep some space saved for it. Apart from the additional detail that really is needed inside the fuselage, and should have been moulded, the details and moulding all look very nicely done. Having the alternative metal oleos is a nice touch as I imagine this model will be quite heavy, especially with all the nose weight that is required, and the styrene parts may not cope for too long. There have been comments about the nose chine, but having checked pictures and plans it doesn’t appear too far out and certainly not as bad as it looked in the initial CAD drawings that were released. Highly recommended, and I’m looking forward to the later models that should surely be coming. Review sample courtesy of

Hello everyone. This is my first post here and I would like to share my F6F-3. Please click on the link to see the article: http://metodimetodiev.blogspot.com/2014/12/grumman-f6f-3-hellcat-eduard-172-kit_19.html I will be happy to comment here with you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Metodi

This F-5E was modified by NASA for use in the Shaped Sonic Boom Experiment see:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaped_Sonic_Boom_Demonstration Pics thanks to bootneck

Grumman Hellcat MkII 1:48 The Royal Navy received 252 F6F-3s as Hellcat I under Lend-Lease. Production continued until November 1945 by which time 7870 F6F-5s had been built, of which some 930 had been supplied to the Royal Navy as Hellcat II and 1434 of the total had been completed as F6F-5N night-fighters. Ultimately, the Hellcat equipped 14 FAA front-line squadrons. The first Hellcat Mark Is started to be delivered to the Fleet Air Arm on 13 March 1943, FN321 and FN323 arriving three months later, in June 1943 to the A and C Flights of A&AEE, Boscombe Down for service trials by RN pilots, and in July 1943 FN330 was tested by 778 squadron at Crail. Very soon afterwards the Hellcat was distributed to operational squadrons, 800 Squadron received its first Hellcats in batches in July, August and October 1943, and 1839 squadron from December 1943. Not long after this, on 31 August, 1943 the first combat sorties were being flown by the USN VF9 and VF-5 squadrons aboard USS Yorktown against Japanese targets on Marcus Island (Minami-tori Island) some 700 miles southeast of Japan. The first and second batches of 188 F6F-5 Hellcat Mark IIs started to be delivered to the Royal Navy from May 1944, primarily to 1840 squadron. By this time many Hellcats were being shipped to overseas FAA squadrons directly from Norfolk, Virginia, USA to HMS Thane 14 August 1944 and on to RNARY Wingfield, then onto 804 Squadron in September 1944. The subsequent batch of 295 Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat Mk F.II was also shipped directly to RNARY Wingfield in HMS Ranee in September 1944, and on to RNARY Coimbatore. Many of these Hellcats were still in service in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) after the end of the war and into1946. However, quite a number were surplus to requirement after VJ-Day and dumped in the sea off Australia by HMS Colossus in 1945. The final 293 Hellcat II to be delivered to the Fleet Air Arm arrived between January and May 1945, the very last aircraft, being delivered on 11 May 1945. The Hellcat served post war and some of the earlier batches managed to remain in RN service, in 709 squadron. After this aircraft was paid off it went to Fairey Aviation at Hayes in 1946. Whilst Grumman F.II KE209 remained as the personal aircraft of the Lossiemouth Station Flight Commanding Officer Caspar John until 1952, and the Aircraft Holding Unit in 1954, (this aircraft is now on display in the Fleet Air arm Museum at Yeovilton, Somerset). The Model With a Hellcat in RN colours on the front of the standard Weekend Edition yellow/white and blue box. Upon opening the kit is well wrapped in a poly bag with the decals and instructions loose. The model is produced on five sprues of greeny beige styrene. Being a weekend edition, there are no resin or etched parts. All the parts are nicely moulded with no visible imperfections but quite a few moulding pips. The details are well presented including the prominent rivets on the rear fuselage. The panel lines are finely done and seem to represent the aircraft structure well. Construction starts with the cockpit tub which is made up of the floor, rear bulkhead, seat, joystick, rudder pedals, instrument panel and side consoles. Detailed painting and the provided decals will pay dividends on the instrument panel and consoles. The cockpit assembly is then fitted to one side of the fuselage. With the addition of the tailwheel, and under cockpit panel the fuselage can be closed up. Note that if the centreline external fuel tank is to be fitted then a slot in the fuselage needs to be removed. The engine assembly comes next with the two banks of cylinders, crankcase and magnetos along with the prop shaft. The whole assembly is then fitted to the fuselage followed by the two halves of the engine cowling sides and front. Now, there are two sets of cowling, but there is no reference to why inthe instructions. To the rear of the fuselage the horizontal tailplanes with their respective elevators and the rudder can be fitted. The wings consist of upper and lower halves, clear landing and navigations lights, machine gun barrels, undercarriage bays, plus separate ailerons and flaps. Firstly the machine gun barrels and undercarriage bays are fitted to the lower wing sections before the upper sections are attached. Although separate the ailerons and flaps don’t appear to be posable without some modification and scratch building. Once the wing halves and flying controls are fitted then the clear navigation and landing lights are fitted. When all complete, the wings can be attached to the fuselage. At this point the instructions call for the cockpit canopy and aerials to be fitted, but these may be left off till near the end of the build, unless of course the canopy is to be posed closed, then the two parts can be fitted at this point. Turning over the completed assembly there are couple of small parts to be added to each wheelwells along with three identification lights on the centreline of the lower fuselage. The hook can also be fitted, either in the retracted or extended position. The undercarriage is built up of the main leg, retraction jack, scissor links, main undercarriage doors and four piece wheels, made up of the separate tyre halves, inner and outer wheels. Now, while this will help with the painting of the wheel, but it will need some careful cleaning up of the tyres join. The completed undercarriage can then be added to the main assembly. The final parts to be added are the built up long range fuel tank and its support, propeller, front undercarriage doors, and the optional rockets, 6 of which are provided, and finally the pitot probe. Decals The only decal option provided is that for an aircraft flown by Sub-Lieutenant W.M.C. Foster, of No1844 Sqn when onboard HMS Indomitable, Okinawa, April 1945. Along with the main insignia, decals are also provided for the propeller, cockpit side consoles and instrument panels, for use if painting them is not for the modeller. The decals are well printed to the standard we are coming to expect from Eduard, in good register and nicely opaque. Conclusion This is another very nice kit from Eduard. It looks like it will build into a very nice model and I don’t think the missing resin and etch of this weekend edition makes it any real difference, unless you are a real superdetailing modeller. It would certainly make for a good, quick mojo booster. Recommended.

Grumman TF-9J Cougar 1:48 Kitty Hawk History Initially, the Navy envisaged no requirement for the Grumman Design 105, believing that the Lockheed T2V-1 SeaStar would fill all its requirements for a carrier-capable two-seat trainer. Nevertheless, Grumman was authorized to complete an F9F-8 airframe (BuNo 141667) as a two seater under the designation YF9F-8T. To provide space for the second cockpit, the forward fuselage was extended by 34 inches. The two crew members (student in front, instructor in rear) sat in tandem under a large rearward-sliding canopy. An auxiliary windshield was provided internally ahead of the instructor's seat, which enabled the aircraft to be flown with a partially-open canopy. To save weight, two of the four cannon were removed and the ammunition capacity was reduced. The first flight of the YF9F-8T took place on April 4, 1956. In the meantime, the T2V-1 Sea Star had run into lots of problems with its boundary-layer control system, a feature which was in the mid-1950s still a relatively new innovation. In addition, the T2V-1 was unarmed and could not be used as a weapons delivery trainer. This led the Navy to take a fresh look at the two-seat Cougar, and they eventually acquired 399 production F9F-8Ts between July 1956 and February 1960. The production F9F-8Ts featured some structural strengthening, and most were fitted with a in-flight refuelling probe in the nose, which increased overall length from 44 feet 4 1/4 inches to 48 feet 8 3/4 inches. Late production F9F-8Ts were equipped at the factory with the capability of carrying two Sidewinder missiles under each wing, but this capability was seldom retained in service. The type entered service with the Naval Air Training Command in 1957. They equipped five squadrons. The F9F-8T played an important role in training most of the pilots who were later to fly combat missions in Vietnam. The F9F-8T was also used for the first demonstration of the Martin-Baker ground level ejector seat when Flight Lt Sydney Hughes of the RAF ejected on August 28, 1957 from the aft cockpit of an F9F-8T while flying at ground level at 120 mph. Later, F9F-8Ts were operated by the Naval Parachute Facility at NAS El Centro, California for ejector seat tests. For these tests, they were operated with the rear section of their canopies removed. A radar-equipped night fighter version of the F9F-8T was proposed by Grumman in 1955. It was to have carried an AN/APQ-50 radar and was to have been equipped with an all-missile armament. However, the performance was considered insufficient to warrant production. In 1961, Grumman proposed a modernized version of the F9F-8T with updated systems and a Pratt & Whitney J52 turbojet in place of the J48. However, the Navy selected the Douglas TA-4F instead, and the updated two-seat Cougar project was abandoned. In 1962, the F9F-8T was redesignated TF-9J in accordance with the new Defence Department Tri-Service designation scheme. In 1966-67, four TF-9Js of H&MS-13 were used in the airborne command role to direct airstrikes against enemy positions in South Vietnam. This marked the only use of the Cougar in combat. The two-seat TF-9J continued to serve with the Navy long after its single-seat relatives had been retired to the boneyards. The last squadron to use the TF-9J was VT-4, which finally relinquished its last TF-9J in February 1974. Two F9F-8T trainers were acquired by the Argentine Navy in 1962, and served until 1971. The Cougar was the first jet to break the sound barrier in Argentina. One aircraft (serial 3-A-151) is on display at the Naval Aviation Museum (MUAN) at Bahía Blanca, while the other was sold to an owner in United States The Model This all new kit from Kitty Hawk has already caused something of a stir within the modelling forums, probably more due to the fact that the single seater/s will also be released than the twin seater was first. There of course have been some concerns expressed about some area, particularly the shape of the windscreen and the canopy, but from what I can see in my hand it looks pretty accurate and not like the pre-production test shots. Although, having said that the main canopy could have done with more of a bulge and undercut on the sides as, while it is there in the kit part it’s not really bulging enough. The rest of the kit is beautifully moulded with no sign of flash, as we expect from new kits these days. There are a few flow lines on the wing surfaces, but they don’t impinge on the surface detail. The ejection pin marks are mostly in non-visible areas with only the ones on the cockpit side consoles that may cause concern. Although these will be covered up by the console decals it might be an idea to fill and sand them down to ensure they are not visible under the decals. There are no sink marks visible on the review sample, but the sprue gates are quite large and will need some care in removing the parts. In fact this and the rather soft styrene makes the kit feels a little like a short run injection moulding. There are six sprues of medium grey styrene, one of clear, a small etched brass sheet, the decals and a ball bearing to be used as nose weight. The well printed instruction booklet is beautifully printed and the drawings are nicely done although some care will be need as there are areas that aren’t all that clear as to parts location. Construction begins with the assembly of the ejection seats. Now, the kit comes with both types of seat fitted to the Cougar, the early aircraft were fitted with a Grumman designed seat, whilst later aircraft were fitted with Martin Baker seats which had a better ejection envelope and quickly replaced the earlier seats. The Grumman seats are each made up of six styrene parts and a photo etched harness, whilst the Martin Baker seats are made up of four styrene parts plus the etched harness. With the seats assembled it’s onto the rest of the cockpit. The cockpit tub is fitted with the rudder pedals and joysticks for each pilot, followed the instrument panels and there supports. Decals are provided for the side consoles and panels, Alternatively the modeller can use the instrument panels and side consoles found on the etched brass sheet and carefully paint them to suit. The front, rear and mid bulkheads are now attached along with a few detail parts, plus the coamings for front and rear cockpits. The two side panels are then fitted, producing a solid cockpit tub. Before the cockpit can be fitted to the front fuselage section, the nose undercarriage bay is constructed, which also contains the airbrake bay. This is made up of the bay roof to which the four bulkheads that make up the nosewheel bay are attached as is the rear bulkhead of the airbrake bay. The nose wheel consists of the main oleo, lower leg/yoke and a two piece nose wheel/tyre. There are two nose vents that need to be fitted from the inside of each half of the nose fuselage before the cockpit tub and nosewheel bay, complete with nose wheel are sandwiched into position between the two, not forgetting the ball bearing which I presume needs to be glued intot eh extreme nose as it's not actually mentioned. The instructions now call for the various eternal vents and aerials to be fitted to the nose section, along with the nosewheel bay doors, airbrakes, their respective retraction jacks, refuelling probe, clear blast screen, gunsights and intake splitter plates. It might be an idea to leave some of the more fragile items off until later to prevent breakages/loss. The assembly of the midships section of the fuselage begins with the construction of the three part inner main wheel wells which are then attached in their respective positions on the under fuselage panel. These are followed by the tail hook, (which can only be posed retracted), and the inner bulkheads of the wing fold joint complete with separate hinges. The inner wing upper sections are now attached, and if building an earlier version of the aircraft you will need to fit four small plates to the inner walls of the air intakes. Each main undercarriage is then assembled from a single piece oleo, complete with the scissor link, (which looks really fragile and will require careful removal from the sprue gate), and the single piece main wheel, which, when fitted into position has the retraction jack fitted. The colour callout for the jacks moving part is red, which leads me to assume a ground lock is fitted, thus not suitable for a landing display. The red section will need to be thinned down a bit then painted silver for anything other than a parked display with the undercarriage extended. Continuing the construction the tail bumper is added to the rear of the centre section whilst the lower anti-collision light is fitted to the front. The central beam between the main undercarriage bays is attached followed by two aerials to the rear, one on either side of the tail hook bay. The main undercarriage doors are then attached. As per the nose section, a lot of the above parts should be left off until after the build is complete to prevent breakages and loss. The tail section is now assembled with the construction of the tail pipe which is made up of two halves and the rear engine face. This is than sandwiched between the two halves of the tail section which includes the fin and upper rear fuselage. To this the upper and lower rudders are fitted along with the single piece horizontal tailplanes. The completed tail is now attached to the centre fuselage section. The outer wing panels are made up of upper and lower sections and the wing fold panel. To the wings separate two part ailerons are attached as are the navigation and landing lights. The completed wings are then attached to the inner wing panels at the wing fold joint. If the wings are to be posed folded then a couple of the tabs will need to be removed first and these are clearly indicated in the instructions. Before the nose section is attached the centre spine panel is attached to the top front of the centre section, as are the upper anti-collision light, the photo etched spoiler panels and photo etched wing fences. With the nose section attached it’s just a matter of attaching the six pylons, (three per side) the windscreen, with added photo etched rear view mirrors, and canopy. Weapon loads provided in the kit include two drop tanks, four AIM-9B Sidewinders, and four 2.75” rockets. The drop tanks are made up of upper and lower halves, the Sidewinders as single fuselage including two front and rear fins, with a separate pair of front and rear fins added. The rocket pods are again in upper and lower halves closed off with front and rear panels. The Sidewinders and rocket pods also come provided with pylon adaptors Decals The decal sheets, printed by Kittyhawk themselves are very well printed in register, with good colour density and opacity. There is minimal carrier film and the decals are slightly glossy. The largest of the two sheets contains the majority of the markings complete with a full set of stencils, with the smaller sheet containing the instrument panels and Argentine insignia. The four options are:- TF-9J Cougar of H&MS-13 as used in Vietnam TF-9J Cougar of the Blue Angels TF-9J Cougar of Training Squadron 10 (VT-10) TF-9J Cougar of the Argentine Navy Conclusion This has the hallmarks of a great looking kit straight out of the box, although the cockpit really could do with extra detail and I’m not really sure about the fuselage breakdown, but surmise that this is due to the other versions projected to be released. The choice of markings is very nice too, particularly the Argentine machine. All in all a very nice package, but one which I feel will require some care and plenty of trial fits to get right. Highly recommended with the above caveats. Review sample courtesy of and available soon from major hobby shops.

Grumman Martlet AL246, pics thanks to Merlin 101. AL246 was subject to restoration at the Fleet Air Arm museum. This involved removing the finish it was painted in the 1960's to reveal the original WWII paint. This has revealed the upper surfaces are two-tone green and the lower surface of the aircraft duck egg blue.

Grumman S-2 Tracker (this is actually a US-2B), pics by Bootneck Mike.

Pics taken by Darwin at the Combat Air Museum in Kansas.

Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat BuNo 5093, Lt. Cdr. John S. Thatch, Officer Commanding VF-3, USS Yorktown, Midway, 1942-06-04 Kit: 1/72 Hasegawa F4F-4 Wildcat Afermarket parts: True Details #72455 resin cockpit and wheel well detail set Squadron #9105 vacu canopy Decals: Aeromaster #72-093C F4F-4 Wildcat Aces Pt.1 The following improvements made to this kit were: Inner surfaces of wing halves and rear fuselage halves (rudder) were thinned down to obtain sharp trailing edges. Some panel lines were filled and some added according to reference photos. In addition, the overlapping panels (for example, on the rudder) were represented using thin metal foil. The cockpit was replaced by the True Details resin parts. The canopy was replaced by the Squadron vacu formed item. Since the Squadron canopy is designed to fit the Academy kit, some adjustment work was required for mounting it on the model. The canopy replacement forced widening the fairing above the control panel in the cockpit, which have originally had rather wide margins for placing the thicker kit canopy. This fairing was also thinned down for correct scale representation. The most serious flaw with this kit is just an empty space where the landing gear bay should be. This problem is partially solved by inserting the True Details tub, however some extra work was still required. For instance, the recesses to accommodate the main wheel are just repeated in full size on the resin tub and, since it is designed to fit the kit fuselage having rather thick plastic, these recesses turned out to be much deeper than they should be. Some filling and re-scribing was required to fix this problem. Some additional detail was also added to the rear bulkhead and to the engine compartment interior partially visible in front of the wheel bay. In addition, the fuselage walls around the front of the wheel bay were partially thinned down for the correct skin representation. The air intakes in the forward engine cowling ring were deepened and thinned down to scale. Some detail was added to the rather basic kit parts for the reasonable representation of the Wildcat’s complicated landing gear. The aileron, elevator and rudder hinges molded as solid pieces were improved by cutting out their inner areas. The missing central elements were also added to the fairings covering the hinges of the landing flaps. Too shallow kit exhaust stacks were replaced by scratch built parts and the fuselage panel around them was also somewhat refined by making extra steps, holes etc. A new rounded propeller hub and the visible part of the arrester hook were made from scratch. A larger pneumatic tail wheel provided with the kit was replaced by the solid smaller one which is correct for this particular a/c. The replacement wheel was the part left unused after building the F2A-2 kit as a Dutch Brewster Model 339C. Some further minor improvements made on the model can clearly be seen on the photos.

Grumman F9F Cougar Detail and Scale Digital Publications I very much doubt that there is a modeller on here that does not own at least one Detail and Scale book. They have been providing us modellers with 114 different books between 1978 & 2004. Although they have stopped with traditional print books it seems they have fully embraced the digital era. This is now Detail and Scale's second book in their new digital range (The first was the F3H Demon). Despite some views on the web, the sky has not fallen in; neither has the the traditional print publication industry been pronounced dead! The new book is packed full of the usual facts and figures, with a good narrative we all expect from D&S. There is the addition of a lot more photographs, including colour ones which were to expensive to include in the traditional paper copy. One good feature is that you are able to enlarge the photographs on the page to show as much detail as they will allow. Another new addition is new artwork created by Rock Roszak. Features of Detail & Scales second digital publication, F9F Cougar in Detail & Scale include: A complete developmental history of the Cougar, including how it grew out of the Grumman F9F Panther straight-wing fighter when the United States was confronted with the swept-wing MiG-15 in the skies over Korea. A chapter on Cougar variants that covers the XF9F-6 prototypes and every production version of the Cougar that followed, explaining the differences in configuration for each, including two photo-recon versions and the two-seat F9F-8T. A chapter called Flying the Cougar that features pilot reports from five Cougar pilots who flew every variant of the aircraft, including the drone configuration. A Cougar Details chapter with over 190 detail photographs of every aspect of the Cougar, including the cockpit, windscreen and canopy, internal armament, fuselage, wings, pylons & external armament, landing gear, tail, and engine. An entire chapter dedicated to documenting the various paint schemes seen on the Cougar, including the Gloss Sea Blue, Non-Specular Light Gull Gray over Gloss Insignia White, various training paint schemes, and the colors featured on F9F drone and drone controller aircraft. A chapter on Cougar Squadrons, featuring over 175 photographs and pieces of artwork showcasing which units flew the Cougar and how the aircraft were coded and marked. Units covered include Navy fighter, attack, photo-recon, training and fleet air service squadrons, plus Marine, Reserve, miscellaneous, test and evaluation squadrons, and the Blue Angels. Detail & Scales usual Modelers Section that discusses, reviews, and illustrates the scale models of the Cougar, ranging from those over 30 years old to those being released today. Other features of the book include line drawings of every Cougar variant, two dozen illustrations of ejection seats, internal gun configurations, photo nose cutaways and more, and 34 full color aircraft profiles plus unit logos which adorned various F9F aircraftall created as original art and specifically for this publication. The following are some views from the new book (they have been cropped); The new digital publications do offer a lot of improvements over the print publications. The books are available from the iStore and through Amazon. You do not need a tablet/digital book reader to view them, the Amazon kindle app is available for computers to use, although I have found this does not have as much functionality as my iPad (other tablets are available!) when viewing the book. The books are $9.99 from the US Kindle store, and £5.99 from the UK one. Conclusion Detail and Scale seem to have taken up all the new age of digital publications have to offer, and seem to have actually improved what they can offer to the modeller via this new medium. My only worry is that of my wallet if they continue in this vein! Highly recommended. Information and screen shots thanks to Detail and Scale, though my wallet is responsible for my copy of the book. For further information visit

F-14 Tomcat 161134 Valiant Air Command Museum, Titusville, Pics thanks to Bootneck Mike

Grumman TBF Avenger, pics thanks to Allan.

Grumman Albatross correction set AlleyCat 1:48 The release of the 1:48 Grumman Albatross by Trumpeter was a very welcome and pleasant surprise and whilst the majority of the kit was nicely done the nose section and the distinctive chines wasn’t quite correct shape wise. To remedy this, AlleyCat have released this correction set, which consists of a completely new nose section, canopy and overhead console. Packaged in a plain sturdy cardboard box the dark grey resin parts are pretty well protected with poly chips and the clear resin canopy is in a separate zip-lock bag to prevent scratches etc. The written instructions are on one side of the A5 sheet. Because of the way Trumpeter produced the kit with a separate nose section the two resin halves will be easy to fit, with no cutting required at all, just some cleaning up and the opening up of the side windows. Inside of each nose section there is a representation of the soft insulation on the hull floor and around the nose, which is nicely done and with careful painting should look good, if it can be seen once the halves have been closed up. There is quite a bit of flash around the parts and some moulding blocks in quite awkward places on the join line of the fuselage halves, although with a bit of care these shouldn’t prove too much of a problem to the more experienced modeller. The overhead panel just needs the casting block removed from the rear before being fitted to the inside of the canopy. The clear resin canopy is well moulded, but again with a fair bit of flash and a large moulding block at the rear. The removal of which has been helped by the join line being thinned out so that a sharp scalpel blade is all you need. The resin itself isn’t the clearest around, but with some gentle polishing and some Aqua Gloss it should come up well. A nice touch is the inclusion of a sheet of paint masks for the canopy, side windows and port holes. Conclusion The release of this set is great news for those who were disappointed with the kits nose section. The ease at which this conversion can be used is also a great help thanks mainly to the design of the host kit. I can recommend this set to all modellers conversant with the use of resin and the different adhesives required. Review sample courtesy of

Grumman OV-1 Mohawk, pics thanks to Bootneck Mike.

Grumman F9 Cougar, pics thanks to Bootneck Mike.

Grumman A-6 Intruder Pics thanks to Bootneck Mike.