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A bit of info from the chaps at Eduard before I post a few pics. During Operation ‘Hoops’, Lt. Blythe Ritchie of 800 Sqd, gained a kill over an Fw 190 A from JG 5. It was his fifth kill, his first in the cockpit of a Hellcat, and consequently, one of the few kills by the Hellcat over the Luftwaffe. Six days later, during Operation ‘Potluck A’, Ritchie gained another aerial victory flying JV132. He attacked a formation of He 115 floatplanes, and got an individual kill, and one more shared with Lt.Cdr. Stan Ohrr. So I purchased yet another Eduard kit recently and cracked on with the dual combo Mk1 and Mk2 Hellcat (FAA) This is the completed Mk1, and I am happy with how it turned out, much better than my previous FW190. Paints used were Tamiya acrylics followed by Humbrol's gloss cote, decalfix used on the carto decals (Which were very nice i must say) and then finished off with Humbrol's matt cote. The wing nav lights are clear enamel colours as i find that works much better than the tamiya acrylic ones when using clearfix to attach. No wash was placed onto this aircraft but exhaust stains were tamiya's smoke and oils for the rust/dirt stain. Now I'm onto the Mk2 Hellcat! And one of the cockpit before sealing the sides... Feedback welcome as I'd love to hear what people think!

So after a long-ish break from the hobby i finished my first model in A year . This is the Eduard Hellcat MKII from the FAA dual combo set. I built the first one last may and started this one a few weeks later, but it got to the printshop and then stalled. after getting back into the hobby i wanted to do a easy build to ease myself back in, and this was perfect as it was almost finished! i primed it, and did pre shading (my first ever time). i then painted it Humbrol 25 with an airbrush, but sadly when painting the white stripes i got some overspray on the model which made the pre shading less visible and also made some parts a lighter colour than others. i kept having issues with lumps of pigment from the white paint blocking the nozzle so ended up brush painting the stripes. also, during the recalling i knocked over my micro sol onto several decals so some of them broke up and wrinkled . This is the first time i have ever airbrushed a model and overall i am pretty happy with it. On another note, how do you stop micro-sol and micro-set staining the paint? Will

Hey guys, one week ago i have finished this kit (built as a birthday gift), but i did not have time to create the RFI till now For anyone interested, some quick WIP is here http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235002039-f6f-hellcat-148-eduard/(i was rushing to finish the kit in time so i did not take that many shots during the build). The kit is totaly great and amazing, well recommended to everyone interested in building the Hellcat in 1/48! I have added some details here and there, mostly scratched (tank infront of cockpit, reworkded cockpit, opened and reshaped flaps) For painting i have used Mr.Paint brand paints for the very first time and also these are totaly amazing and wonderfull (for airbrush only though), well recommended as well Weathering was done by using various Ammo and AK products (chipping fluid, fresh engine oil, fuel leaks, panel line washes), a bit of oil colours (mainly to tone down the washes a bit) and some pigments of various brands. Here is the result - i know i could add some more weathering and dusting around if i had time, but i was running out of time badly But i m still quite happy with the result So first some scratched details And the final look Thanks a lot for watching and have a great day

Hey guys, after quite long time i m back here with some WIP thread I found out, i have problems with time-limited builds, with my inconsistent time for modelling So it is hard for me to follow the group builds here on BM, as much as i love to be part of these ( But.. the irony of fate strikes again and i want to build something as a bday gift for my soon-brother in law as he is big fan of WW2 airplanes.. which is, obviously, nothing less than time limited build.. again.. I would have enough time (1-2months), but still i wanted to chose some nice kit, so i chosed one of the Eduard´s gems, F6F hellcat Im not sure which camo i m going to make, still chosing.. mostly i m thinking about some of the all around glossy sea blue F6F-5(N). As usualy, i started with cockpit I made new sidewalls (used just the prepainted PE with instruments), thinned the fuselage halves and added some construction details there. Made new radio equipment from scratch, adjusted the pit floor and headrest with some more details added there too. Seat belts are from HGW, the instrument panel is from the kit (prepainted PE). I see i took the shots before adding levers to the side walls I wanted to add something to the kit, but i was not sure i would be able to make complete engine area in time, so i made just the tank and firewall with construction - or well, the part of it what ll be seen when opening the little cover All made from scratch. So far i made also new rivets to the fuselage halves and started on the wings

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

Hi all, You might enjoy this Pathe video. Interesting old and new roundel on a Firefly (that was a Hellcat a second before) as it slides across the deck. bob p.s. Bonus 10 minutes 1945, Seafires folding wing, Firefly, etc.

Hello again. More spring cleaning and a couple more old models. The Hobby Boss Hellcat was a quickbuild in 2006 to try out what was something of a novelty kit from a new manufacturer - an easy to build and well moulded model presented in a box with plastic tray. The wing was in one piece if I remember correctly, there was hardly any detail in the cockpit and it had very shallow wheel bays. They've come a long way! Looked pretty good when painted up though. The I-3 was a very impressive resin kit from Russian company Rest Models. I'd completely forgotten I'd built this! Great looking plane, the sleek lines ruined by the protruding radiator. I'm not sure that aesthetics were top of the design specification at the time. Rest Models still have a website but it was last updated in 2014. I'd love to see their promise of a 1/48 Westland Wapiti materialise. Thanks for looking. Haris

Encore Models has just released a 1/48th Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat kit (plastic from Eduard) - ref. EC48007 Sources: http://www.squadron.com/Encore-Models-1-48-F6F-5-Hellcat-EC48007-p/ec48007.htm http://community.squadron.com/new-arrivals/the-cat-is-out-of-the-bag/?utm_source=bm23&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Map2&utm_content=Introducing+the+Next+Encore+Models+Release+-+The+F6F-5+Hellcat&utm_campaign=April+New+Products V.P.

Hi all! It could be said I have to many builds on, but dam it I want to build aircraft! Let's just hope I finish some. I currently have the hurricane GB to start and finish, the p47 GB to finish, the made in Britain GB to polish off really and possibly extend, and the corsair GB coming up soon Amongst all that I feel there is a bit of yanks with roundels theme on the go, so to continue that and as voted for at the end of my spitfire trio I will be building the Eduard hellcat. The kit is this Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr I was looking st the weekend edition due to cost, but managed to bag this one for £7 to my door... to much to miss really The kit its self is beautiful and one of the best kits I have seen in the box! It's also my first try at etch so should be a giggle for you all. I will be using the below transfer sheet Tech32015c by robert mulvey, on Flickr And will be using the lower scheme. It's actually almost a shame to not be using the one of the many transfer options that come with the kit but never mind....I will just have to buy more kits 😊 So I will be looking into the details of colours etc for these AC's in FAA service, mainly so I get internals like the CP wheel well etc the correct colour, for now and then plan to start work on this next week. Any info you have is always appreciated! Oh and just another big thank you to the kind chap that sent the transfer sheet, Mr P, I hope the lady and baby are well and cheers again Rob

This is my first attempt to do this so hopefully its ok. this is my m18 Hellcat from Academy it's in 1:35 scale and I think its a good looking tank. It fit together very well with some nice details and a few extras in the box such as ammo crates and equipment. It took me 3-4weeks to complete and was the second model I have done with a airbrush, still trying to get to grips using one. I hope you like it any feed back is very welcome. thanks for looking.

Hi folk,s,got a Hellcat in the meager stash and want to do an FAA scheme and was wondering how much action did the Hellcat see over Europe and as it outclassed it,s Japanese opposition how did it fare against German aircraft?

Sorry to unearth this old chestnut. Over in the "FAA Pacific Theatre Corsair Paint Question" thread ClaudioN linked to a very interesting Canadian biography of Don Sheppard, a Corsair pilot: http://www.vintagewi...Bitter-End.aspx Buried in the text is a mention of 1844 Sq (Hellcats) using rocket projectiles for the first time on 31 March 1945. I don't think this was new to me: I believe I have seen references to BPF RP expenditures in posts by Iang. It seems to me there are 2 options: either these were Hellcats fitted with British 60lb RPs complete with rails and massive blast plates (I have seen photos of these both in rear areas (eg S Africa, Australia) and with the East Indies Fleet, but never with the BPF) or these are late model Hellcats fitted with stubs for HVARs (introduced from BuNo 42185 so from somewhere about JV190-221 in the UK serial allocation). The former seems more likely to me. Quite apart from the received wisdom eg from David Hobbs that the BPF only used UK munitions, the pilots complain (as reported in the Sheppard article) about the reduced speed and rate of climb, which didn't improve even after the weapons had been expended: I don't imagine that HVAR stubs would have had that much effect on the aircraft's performance. On the other hand the UK RP installation was too bulky to overlook so I'm surprised it hasn't turned up in photographic evidence before now. So: has anyone any photographic evidence of rocket-firing Hellcats in the BPF?

OK here goes. I will be doing the Eduard 1/72 Hellcat in Armée de l'Air colours from the Indochina War. I haven't even cracked open the Eduard box yet, such restraint is almost unheard of, but I'm going to wait till the start day and then bust it open. The kit is pretty complete, I may be adding some ordnance from the spares box, depending what the bombs are like. Decals from Berna, pity they don't do a French navy option as I like the anchors on the cockade but there isn't much difference in terms of colour schemes, we have it gloss sea blue or gloss sea blue! I'll be weathering it a fair bit too. And I have disc with the Ailes de Gloire about the Hellcat, I'd rather have it as a book but it only seems available as a disc. The disc is awfully formatted and incredibly annoying, they have somehow made the book nearly 500MB in size and it's painfully slow to load. Other than that it has some lovely pictures! Cheers Segan

Here's my latest completed build Its the Hobbyboss Hellcat F6F-5 built as a Fleet Air Arm Gannet Mk.II of 804 NAS aboard HMS Ameer in December 1944 The kit is straight OOB with decals from Xtradecal Enjoy ScottC

Hey guys, i would like to show you my last finished kit - this time it was just OOB quick build of the Eduard´s overtrees version of F6F Hellcat. The decals are from spare box. I did not make propper WIP here on BM as it was quite fast build, but for those interested in few shots of the painting progress, here it is http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234984891-f6f-3-hellcat-just-the-paintingweathering-stage/ As i said, the hellcat was built mostly OOB, i only made new exhausts and gun barrels from needles and new position lights from clear plastic. And here are few shots of the result - not exactly the best what i could do, but it is only my third finished kit this year, so i m happy for it All the shots are a bit too blue (the camera keeps autoadjusting the colours on macro mode.. ), but this one is the closest to the reality if we talk about colours Thanks for watching

Hey guys, after ages i have finaly some time for modeling At this moment i just needed to build something quick, so i chosed the Eduard´s 1/72 F6F Hellcat. It is great kit, goes together like a charm! Building this OOB. Well.. mostly.. so far i made new position lights and landing light on wings, cut off the exhausts and ll replace these (and gun barrels) by needle tubes later. I did not take shots during the building phase, so here is where i m now Here are the painting steps: 1. aluminium overall 2. chipping fluid 3. zinc chromate yellow 4. scratch down the yellow paint on most used areas 5. chipping fluid 6. some sort of preshading done by sponge and dilluted acrylic paint 7. airbrushed patches of dark shade of base paint 8. airbrushed patches of light shade of base paint 9. mascol applied by sponge 10. airbrushed patches of very light shade of base paint 11. applied salt in random pattern 12. airbrushed coat of medium shade of base paint 13. removed salt and mascol 14. airbushed very light (much much thinned) coat of the base paint 15. using water to dissolve the chipping fluid (applied at step 5) make some scratches around Right now the Hellcat got coat of gloss varnish and is geting ready for decals I had one big trouble though with white paint - some failure batch probably, it does not want to mix properly, it does not adhere well and keeps peeling off... had to remove the bottom side paint twice already up to bare plastic, still it is not perfect but i m not going to remove it for third time..

Turned Hellcat Machine Gun Barrels 1:48/1:32 Master As if it wasn’t enough producing new sets for barrels in 1:350 and pitot probes in 1:48 Master Models have also released a raft of barrel sets for the Grumman Hellcats in both 1:48 and 1:32 scales. The sets are marked F6F Early, so I presume a -3, F6F Late, presumably a -5 and F6F Night Fighter. It’s quite interesting seeing the different styles of barrels used for each of these marks. As is the norm, the kit barrels will need to be cut off and a small hole drilled into the wing to accept the new brass barrels. All have a drilled out muzzle, which is quite amazing, particularly in the 1:48 sets. [AM-48-107] 1:48 F6F Early [AM-48-108] 1:48 F6F Late [AM-48-109] 1:48 F6F Night Fighter [AM-32-078] 1:32 F6F Early [AM-32-079] 1:32 F6F Late [AM-32-080] 1:32 F6F Night Fighter Conclusion With so many sets being delivered in such a short time it does get rather difficult to say something different for each review. But if you have a Hellcat in either of the scales provided for here then they really are a must have. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of Piotr at

next PE kit from Jasmine Model source: https://www.facebook.com/jasminemodel.tw/ https://www.facebook.com/bingo1117

Hello all Below are some pics from my recent build of Eduard's F6F-5 Hellcat (early). In line with the review of this kit posted here, I found that the kit went together beautifully, don't think it required any filler at all. The profipack extras allowed some nice additional detail, although I only used the resin wheels and the pre-painted photo etch cockpit parts, due to my ongoing love-hate relationship with photo etch. The kit was airbrushed with Mr Hobby acrylics, which I think are fantastic. This was my first attempt at diffusion seeing as the scheme was largely one colour, but I think a mix of the nozzle width of my Revell Standard airbrush and that I didn't lighten the paint enough meant that the intended effect doesn't show through sufficiently. I used a mish mash of decals from the 4 options provided in the kit, so it isn't an attempt to depict an any particular individual aircraft. Weathering was done with some oils, dark panel wash (with hindsight I think a light wash might have worked better with the dark blue scheme) and Tamiya weathering sticks. Apologies for the limited quality of the pics, the light wasn't great and my simple point and click camera is several years behind the times now. Thanks for looking Adam

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

For some time now I've been thinking of doing this rather mad project - combining my love for flight simulators with kit building. My first sim was Hellcats over the Pacific, which I played on my dad's Apple Mac LCIII. It was released in the early 90s and at the time it was one of the most advanced and realistic sims available. Today, it definitely looks like a 90s game, but it still plays brilliantly. The game modelled just a single plane which was, unsurprisingly, the F6F Hellcat. It had a limited set of missions all set in 1943 in the Solomons. A year later, an expansion set was released called Missions at Leyte Gulf, which added more missions, weapons and enemies and was set during the Phillipines campaign. So what's the big idea here? I simply want to build every plane in the game, in 1/72. I have built quite a few of them already, but the twist is that this time I want to build the planes with paint jobs appropriate to the Guadalcanal or Leyte settings of the game. I though it would be quite easy to find the right decal sets and versions, but this turns out to be slightly more difficult than I thought in some cases! I've managed to put the following list together with planes I want to build, the kit I'm going to build and the decal set I can use. Where it's marked up in red is where I'd love some help - choosing a kit or a decal set, or finding out which version of the plane was used in these campaigns. This will be a project that will last some years - in return for your help I promise to keep the topic going for as long as it takes and to post my progress! Hellcats over the Pacific - Plane list Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat Kit: Eduard Version: I believe only the F6F-3 was used in the Solomons campaign. In the game, the plane is armed with 500lb bombs, I’m not sure if this was actually the case. Decals: I have a couple of boxings of Eduard’s Hellcat, including the F6F-3. It has decals for a plane based on Ondonga which I believe is in the Solomons, as well as some carrier-based aircraft which have in all likelihood seen service in the campaign as well in 1943 (VF-16, VF-33). I know there are a couple of Superscale sheets that do -3s and also -3s and -5s, which might be a good deal too. Vought F4U-1 Corsair Version: In the game, the Corsair takes off from a carrier (it’s the Intrepid I believe, which may or may not be historically accurate), which limits the choice to pretty much only VF-17 I think? No idea what stores these plane carried, if any. Kit: Tamiya’s F4U-1A Decals: This set looks perfectly appropriate. http://modelingmadness.com/scott/decals/super/ss72740.htm Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Version: My limited research shows some B-17Es were active in the Solomons campaign. The plane has an olive drab over grey paint scheme. Kit: I have Revell’s B-17G, which probably isn’t suitable. I believe Academy did an –E years ago. Decals: I haven’t been able to find a decal set appropriate for the Solomons. Mitsubishi A6M Zero Version: The game’s Zeroes are always in the traditional 'ame-iro' schemes with black cowlings. Timing-wise, I suppose it could have been either an A6M2 or an A6M3. Kit: Tamiya A6M3 Decals: Tamiya’s kit includes decals for an ame-iro plane that took part in the Solomons campaign. I also have a DP Casper set that has some decals for 2s and 2s but these are not ame-iro. Mitsubishi G4M Betty Version: I think the G4M1 was the prevailing version used in 1943. Kit: Hasegawa old mould Betty is a G4M1. Ironically, I have the newer mould G4M2 which wasn’t used in the Solomons – or am I wrong? In any case, I need the G4M2 for the Leyte campaign. Decals: The DP Casper set includes decals for a G4M1. Missions at Leyte Gulf - Plane list Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat Version: For the Leyte Gulf missions I want to build an F6F-5. In the game, it can be armed with rockets and either 500lb bombs or torpedoes! I think the latter is not very historically correct, so I will build this one with both rockets and bombs. Kit: Eduard Decals: See above, there are plenty of options available and I think Eduard do a weekend edition as well with Phillipines decals. Lockheed P-38 Lightning Version: This is a difficult one. I know there were P-38Ls active in the Phillipines, but since I only have a P-38J kit available, I’d prefer to use that. The game’s Lightning is in Olive drab over grey. Kit: Academy if I can use the P-38J variant, otherwise it will have to be an L, any suggestions for this? Decals: I’ve found P-38L decals that can be used, but I would love to know if there are P-38J in Olive drab decals available somewhere. I know Academy do a Pacific boxing of this kit but not if that is applicable to Leyte. Nakajima Ki-84 Frank Version: I have both the early Ki-84 boxing from Sword as well as the older kit but later model Hasegawa variants. Kit: Sword or Hasegawa Decals: I believe both kits have suitable decals. Mitsubishi A6M Zero Version: The game still uses ame-iro camouflaged Zeroes in the Leyte Gulf campaign, which I’m sure is not historically accurate, but I’d love to stand corrected. By this time I think most Zeroes would have been A6M5s? Kit: Tamiya / Hasegawa A6M5 Decals: I haven’t checked the kit options, but is anybody aware of a Leyte Gulf Zero decal set? Mitsubishi G4M Betty Version: For Leyte Gulf I will be building the G4M2. Kit: Hasegawa Decals: I don’t have any decals for Phillipines Betties and I’m not aware of any third party set, would love to hear suggestions. That's the list! Quite a lot of building ahead of me, especially at my speed of completing kids. I may add some vehicles to the mix as well but I haven't quite made my mind up there.

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

Hi all, New to this site, I thought I'd post some pics from a recent build. As you can see, taking pics is not one of my better skills, but here you go.