Eduard Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat Profipack

[Shar2]

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat
Eduard 1:48 Profipack

This is another re-release of their Grumman Hellcat kit. This time though in a Profipack format. The styrene is the same as that found in the weekend edition I reviewed late last year, which you can read here, Hellcat Weekend Edition. Whilst the kit is the same, Eduard have added some extra details, including a new engine cowling in styrene, etched parts, and resin wheels. Once again, apart from the additional parts, the build is exactly same as that found in the above review, so I’ll not repeat myself here.

Photo-Etch
There are two etched sheets included in the kit, both quite small but with sufficient parts to add a fair amount of zing to the completed model. The first sheet is pre-painted and is designed entirely for the cockpit. Some of the kit details will need to be removed before adding the etched parts, particularly the raised detail on the instrument panel and the left console throttle quadrant. The etched instrument panel comes in left, right, centre and lower parts. To these several bezels, switches and levers are added. The left console receives a new throttle quadrant with associated levers, main panel, a smaller inclined panel and several more levers. The right panel is fitted with a new top part and two circuit breaker panels on the side. The most complicated parts are those that build up into the very realistic seatbelts. On either side of the fuselage, more etched parts are added including the hood winder. The second sheet also has some parts for the interior such as the rear stays behind the seat panel, but is mostly for external details. These include a new ignition harness for the front of the engine, crank case insignia, lower cowling mesh grille, bomb fins, and arming vanes for both sizes of bombs. The bomb crutch, (sway brace), pads also have the tensioning nuts added, whilst the drop tank, if used, has four steadying straps.

Resin
The kits wheels and tyres are replaced with a set of main wheels in resin, each with separate outside hub covers. The wheels are held on a small moulding gate, which will only require minimal clean up before use. The resin is so much better than the styrene parts in the kit.

Masks
The set of masks included in this package are for use on each of the canopy and windscreen clear parts, including the side windows aft of the cockpit, with options for open or closed canopy, although I can’t really see any difference in the separate mask sets. The rest of the masks on the sheet are for the tyres and wheel hubs.

Decals
There are two sheets of decals, which are well printed, in good register, slightly glossy and apart from the Stars and Bars, they have very little carrier film. The main sheet contains the national insignia and identity marks for the following:

• BuNo. 42158 flown by Lt.Jg Ray Hawkins, VF-31, USS Cabot Sept 1944
• BuNo. 70143 Mimsi III, Cdr David McCampbell, USS Essex, Oct 1944
• White 7, Paper Doll, Lt Carl A Brown, VF-27, USS Princeton, Oct 1944
• BuNo. 76384, VF-7, USS Hancock, 1945.

The second sheet contains a full set of stencils for one aircraft.

Conclusion
As with the Hellcat II reviewed earlier, this looks to be a very nice kit, and with the additional parts will be really quite detailed. It is also good that Eduard have included a revised/correct cowling for this mark to be built. Recommended.

Review sample courtesy of

[Viking]

Nice review Dave, interesting to see the new cowl parts and resin wheels. I've got the dual combo issue of this from a few years back. It's right here by the sofa because I keep ogling the sprues and am so tempted to start building them. So little time...

Cheers

John

[Mozzy19]

Nice review Dave, interesting to see the new cowl parts and resin wheels. I've got the dual combo issue of this from a few years back. It's right here by the sofa because I keep ogling the sprues and am so tempted to start building them. So little time...

Cheers

John

Do it, you know you want to. They're great kits. Nice to the point review to by the way.

[DaveCromie]

Nice review Dave, interesting to see the new cowl parts and resin wheels. I've got the dual combo issue of this from a few years back. It's right here by the sofa because I keep ogling the sprues and am so tempted to start building them. So little time...

Cheers

John

If they go together even half as well as the 1/72 ones do, they virtually build themselves! And, I feel your pain, so many models, so little time, money, space......