Eduard 1/48 F6F-5 Hellcat

[Pedja]

Great model to build...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for watching.

[Retired Bob]

Nice looking cat, love the navy aircraft from this period.

 

Bob

[fubar57]

Well done

[Uncle Pete]

1 hour ago, Retired Bob said:

love the navy aircraft from this period

The American ones tend to have a "chunky" look to them.  Attractive in a different way to the sleeker look of British and German Air Force kites.

[Retired Bob]

19 minutes ago, Uncle Pete said:

The American ones tend to have a "chunky" look to them.  Attractive in a different way to the sleeker look of British and German Air Force kites.

That would be the radial engine choice, reliable and powerful with no coolant system to get shot up, just what you need on long flights over the Pacific.

[VMA131Marine]

3 minutes ago, Retired Bob said:

That would be the radial engine choice, reliable and powerful with no coolant system to get shot up, just what you need on long flights over the Pacific.

Even radial engines typically have an oil cooler.

[Retired Bob]

2 minutes ago, VMA131Marine said:

Even radial engines typically have an oil cooler.

That's true, but radial engined aircraft sometimes came home with cylinders shot away whereas inline engined Spitfires and Mustangs only lasted a few minutes after their coolant system was hit.  Each had their merits and and I like them all. 👍

[Harold55]

I have always thought the plane was built around the biggest or best engine they had available, which in this case was the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 and it is an enormous engine.  Same engine in the P-47 and F4U so you can see the similarity in their muscular appearance.  Love this plane and love the job you have done.  I also like the "Death N Destruction".  Goes with this plane perfectly!

[Uncle Pete]

18 minutes ago, Retired Bob said:

radial engined aircraft

I don't know if this is right but my dad used to tell me about Blenheims with air-cooled radials used to have problems on takeoff if the engines were't warmed up just right.  Admittedly, dad might not have been an expert since his hitch in WW2 as an A/C Plonk involved nothing more technical than defending the piano in the NAAFI.

[RMCS]

Niiiice 

[Retired Bob]

3 hours ago, Uncle Pete said:

I don't know if this is right but my dad used to tell me about Blenheims with air-cooled radials used to have problems on takeoff if the engines were't warmed up just right. 

Very possible, I can imagine the engines would not provide full power until it had reached operating temperature. I talked to a pilot that flew Blenheims and Beauforts during WW2, He said that they were so underpowered, most raids resulted in around a 25% loss ratio and the bomb bay doors on a Blenheim were not opened to drop bombs, the doors were held closed by a rubber bungee cord and the bombs just pushed them open as they fell away.

[dnl42]

Dang, that's great looking! Very well done weathering.

 

USN aircraft had radial engines. The Grumman J4F (Widgeon), Piper NE (Cub), &etc were originally civilian designs, while the Lockheed LO-1 (P-38), NAA ETF-51D (P-51D), and others were USAAF aircraft  USN aircraft were also burlier to deal with traps. Having written that, the F7F Tigercat was a beautiful aircraft--and to think it was a direct descendant of the XF5F Skyrocket!

[pacificmustang]

Love the subdued Gloss Sea Blue finish.  

 

Seasons Greetings

 

Bruce

[Mark Joyce]

Very nicely done.  Are those decals or did you paint the markings?  If decals, you did a fabulous job of getting them to lay down and weathering them!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

[Pedja]

1 hour ago, Mark Joyce said:

Very nicely done.  Are those decals or did you paint the markings?  If decals, you did a fabulous job of getting them to lay down and weathering them!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

YES, all big markings except tail are airbrushed, so you are right about that. 

Thank you all for a kind words. 

 

[WildeSau75]

A real winner that you have there - like the painting and the weathering.

 

Cheers,

Michael