Misterfriend Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 (edited) 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 Edited November 10, 2015 by Misterfriend 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 You're in for a treat, if you've never built one of these before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misterfriend Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 You're in for a treat, if you've never built one of these before. Oh nice! This my first, really looking forward to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Oh nice! This my first, really looking forward to it. I rank the Eduard Hellcat as one of the top two or three kits I've ever built. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snapper_city Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 This is going to be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Nice kit and a great choice, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misterfriend Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 Thanks chaps, the 5th can't come soon enough! I may have to unpeel the cellophane and fondle the plastic before then I think! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snapper_city Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 That goes without saying. You will have a chance to fondle and plan your build. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEMPESTMK5 Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Good morning Misterfriend If you like anchors on roundels and want to build a Navy aircraft you can use this decal sheet https://www.scalemates.com/kits/172550-model-art-decal-system-72-026-grumman-f6f-hellcat-aeronavale-hawker-sea-hawk-faa-suez Patrice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misterfriend Posted September 3, 2015 Author Share Posted September 3, 2015 Good morning Misterfriend If you like anchors on roundels and want to build a Navy aircraft you can use this decal sheet https://www.scalemates.com/kits/172550-model-art-decal-system-72-026-grumman-f6f-hellcat-aeronavale-hawker-sea-hawk-faa-suez Patrice Ooh thanks for that Patrice, I hadn't seen that set before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEMPESTMK5 Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Ooh thanks for that Patrice, I hadn't seen that set before Hi Misterfriend You re welcome In 2011 I built an Italeri Hellcat in the markings of GC 2/9 Auvergne with the Berna Decals Sheet I will try to post the pics if I can find them .. Cheers Patrice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misterfriend Posted September 9, 2015 Author Share Posted September 9, 2015 This a lovely little kit. Here's the contents of the box, well half the contents as a duel combo! Been working on the cockpit over the weekend and it's about ready to go into the fuselage. Last couple of PE levers to add to the instrument panel which I'll do just before I put it in as otherwise the levers will end up somewhere other than the panel! So far everything fits perfectly. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 I rank the Eduard Hellcat as one of the top two or three kits I've ever built. WooYay! I actually have at least one wingy-thing that isn't pants! Looking forward to seeing this one develop. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snapper_city Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Great start. The pit is looking good. I do however worry about the head in the background. The poor bloke doesn't look like he is all there. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misterfriend Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 Great start. The pit is looking good. I do however worry about the head in the background. The poor bloke doesn't look like he is all there. It's only a flesh wound sir, nothing to worry about! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfqweofekwpeweiop4 Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 WooYay! I actually have at least one wingy-thing that isn't pants! Looking forward to seeing this one develop. My advice, is get it to the top of you're build pile! I've got 6 of them and I've built 2 so far - a stripy Hellcat Mk I and the Hellcat Mk II Nightfighter with cannons. Next up will be a bomb armed Hellcat Mk II before I start on the USN Hellcats. As others have said, these are really excellent kits - if only Airfix kits were as good as these............. thanks Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misterfriend Posted September 12, 2015 Author Share Posted September 12, 2015 Last look at the lovely cockpit before I close her up http://i670.photobucket.com/albums/vv67/misterfriend/hellcat4_zpsqqsxo3er.jpg 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEMPESTMK5 Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 Good afternoon Misterfriend Very nice work but I am a little bit suprised by the green what reference did you use ? Patrice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misterfriend Posted September 14, 2015 Author Share Posted September 14, 2015 Good afternoon Misterfriend Very nice work but I am a little bit suprised by the green what reference did you use ? Patrice Thanks Patrice. The green is Modelmasters Zinc Chromate, it does look pretty bright in these shots but it's not as lurid in the flesh! It's a pretty spot on match for the Eduard painted PE that comes with the kit. But I have to say I'm no expert on US plane interior colours. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misterfriend Posted September 19, 2015 Author Share Posted September 19, 2015 Been gluing plastic! Everything goes together very nicely, which was why I was so surprised to find one of the cowling halves bent out of shape quite badly. Attempted to bend it back but was starting to get stress lines on it. Luckily this is a Dual Combo kit and I just stole the piece from the other kit. I wont miss it as although there are two complete kits in the box, you have to build one F6F-3 (Mk.I) and one F6F-5 (Mk.II). I'm doing mine with just rockets stubs, so I fashioned some of those out of some Evergreen stock. Drilled out gun barrels, the longer one will be chopped off and replaced with the 20mm cannon barrel later. Drilled out the exhaust stacks, only a little as a tricky angle to drill far. Chopped out the wing tip lights and will make my own, I really wish companies would supply wingtip lights, this kit has all the switches in the cockpit would it be too much of a stretch! I had a idea of doing a slightly new (to me) method and I thought if I made a basic mould of the wingtip and then smash cast it with heated clear sprue. Unfortunately I thought of this after I had chopped out the lights but luckily this being a Dual Combo came to the rescue again and I clipped together the extra wing and made an impression of it in some Magic Sculpt. Then gently heated some clear sprue and shoved it in, then using a razor saw cut off the clear wingtip. Will still require some finessing but should be a little easier than carving it from a block of sprue. Cheers Segan 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misterfriend Posted September 23, 2015 Author Share Posted September 23, 2015 Little more progress. The engine is just about finished, may give it another light wash. The wingtip lights turned out rather nice, if I say so myself! Drilled a small hole in the back of them and dropped paint in to represent the coloured bulb. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEMPESTMK5 Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Good afternoon on the engine keep on that way .. Patrice 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misterfriend Posted September 25, 2015 Author Share Posted September 25, 2015 Polished up the wingtip lights, nice and shiny! Attached and drilled out the cannons, slightly worried that I'll break one of these off before completion, we'll see. Just about ready to attach all the main parts, minimal work needed on the seams. At this rate I'll be painting her this weekend! Unheard of rate of progress for me! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 You are very brave to glue these cannons so soon!!! Be gentle with them!!! Have fun. JR 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misterfriend Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 You are very brave to glue these cannons so soon!!! Be gentle with them!!! Have fun. JR I know! It's not ideal but the cannon and fairing are all one piece so better they go on before paint. It is a little worrying but so far, touch wood, nothing bad has happened! So I was going along at a cracking pace but then work and life bought things to a crashing halt. Finally had some time to get back on it this week and got the initial coat of paint on. Gone for a slightly irregular finish as by this stage these airframes were a little long in the tooth and were starting to show their age. Using Xtracrylix gloss sea blue with a dash of Tamiya deck tan to lighten it, thinned with water and a drop of Liquitex retarder, essential as we are having a bit of a heatwave here at the moment. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts