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Academy 1/72 Hellcat


Crane

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I have 3 Spitfires going on but I am not happy with my clear coats. I thought it may be due to the cold winter air. In the meantime, my wife wanted to stop in the new Hobby Lobby that just opened, so I took her and walked around the store. All models were on sale, so I picked this kit up for $9.09. I figured it would be a fun build. It will be my first Academy kit and my first 1/72 scale build. I was so impressed with the details and fit, I'm putting some time into it.

 

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comparing it to my Eduard kit....

 

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Trouble area 1 - the sprue attached to the prop. at the 2 rounded (bolts?) in center of picture, I had a tough time trying to reshape them

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seam inside the cockpit needs attention (right below the sight)

 

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trouble area 2 - canopy ridges are not pronounced, and I'm having a tough time trying to follow the outline with a blade, masks are as much as the model, so I am trying to get it done without

 

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no filler needed so far 

 

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Hi Crane,

 

so far so good! I have this kit in the proverbial stash too, and for some unexplained reasons, I have never been a great fan of the Hellcat!!! But they look so good in French Navy roundels that this is how it will be built... one day. I even bought, for another unexplained reason, a very comprehensive resin after market set that details the engine and cockpit ad nauseam... Yummy yummy!

So yes, I will be another one lurking in the shadows and watching you create a masterpiece!

 

Keep having fun!

JR

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16 holes filled, all major building/sanding is complete

canopy mask solution still elusive

I missed a fit issue and only noticed it after gluing the main underside to the fuselage. It would have been an easy fix, but now I have to work around it. With a little sanding, the main underside would have seated where it should have - more toward the rear of the plane.

I was not going to add the eft, but got bored waiting for glue to dry and put it together.

 

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Edited by Crane
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On 1/2/2019 at 3:52 PM, jean said:

Hi Crane,

 

so far so good! I have this kit in the proverbial stash too, and for some unexplained reasons, I have never been a great fan of the Hellcat!!! But they look so good in French Navy roundels that this is how it will be built... one day. I even bought, for another unexplained reason, a very comprehensive resin after market set that details the engine and cockpit ad nauseam... Yummy yummy!

So yes, I will be another one lurking in the shadows and watching you create a masterpiece!

 

Keep having fun!

JR

I have only recently begun to appreciate the stubby/tubby shape of the Hellcat. Once I did, I purchased 4 Hellcat kits!

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finally got the canopy masked by what I am going to call the 'patch method'

then some black stynylrez for checking seams

 

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thinking ahead about color options, on the left is MRP Intermediate Blue and Sea Blue, on the right is some no-name water based acrylics

I guess irl, the MRP colors are more realistic, and of course the Hellcat in the photo is a repainted museum piece, but it is tempting to go with brighter colors

 

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Edited by Crane
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  • 3 weeks later...

Freezing here but made some progress. I tried my thin masks over panel lines method once again, though I don't think it worked as well. Might be due to the stark contrast of white over black. In the future I may try adding all shading/highlights after the main color is down. (still learning!) The colors are a little off, I need photography lessons also. 

 

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I used blu-tack to hold the engine cowl on and create the camo pattern.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Major update (though barely visible) - my first successful gloss clear coat. This step is what halted production of my spitfire builds.  Once I decided on a mixture, it was kinda fun. It is glossier than it looks irl.

 

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A new macro lens !

 

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on to decal solution tests:

 

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Mark Fit on the left, Micro Set on the right.

 

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My observations with the Academy decals and test solutions - Mark Fit was very nice to work with. I'm a Tamiya fan and the bottle includes a brush cap. My Micro Set is about 25 years old. In the first test I thought it was a tad better due to flatter appearance both of height and shine. Mr. Mark Setter dried too quickly. And Mr. Mark Softer had no effect on the decal. No curling up or wrinkles.

 

Test two. (everyone deserves a second chance)

 

Mark Fit had the slight edge over Micro Set this time - the decal seemed a wee bit flatter and duller. I'm thinking the under coat had a lot to do with it, so IMO Mark Fit and Micro Set works equally well.

I shook up the bottle of Mr. Mark Setter and once again, it was difficult to position the decal with it. Mark Setter dried too quickly. I then applied 2 drops of Mr Mark Setter above the decal. 1 drop I wiped away after a few seconds and the other drop I let dry. In both cases it ruined the paint. 

My last test was with a floor cleaner. My mixture was 1:1 with distilled water. I had just enough time to position the decal, and had to add more of the mixture if I wanted it to move once again. It seemed to work o.k. as a setter, but it left a swirl mark on the paint. It failed to hide the edge of the decal. I then applied some more of the mixture on an empty test spot and it left a swirl once again.

In my last test, I brushed on a small amount of the floor polish mixture to the edges of the Mr Mark Setter test. My hope was that it would at least get rid of the edge of the decal, but it failed. 

 

As of now, I am content with Mark Fit and Micro Set except for the visible line of the transparent edges of the decal (only seen when held into the light). After 2 wet coats of gloss clear, they are still visible. I already have a bottle of Micro Sol on the way. I just want the decal edges to go away, although I believe it is the height difference between the decal and the surface which causes the issue.

 

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I'm wondering if the swirl mark from the floor polish (Klear or something else?) was due to not wicking the excess away & rolling the decals down with a damp cotton bud after positioning. Maybe you did but didn't say. :unsure: I would expect a clear coat of some sort over the decals to hide the carrier film somewhat too.

Steve.

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Hi Crane

I think that Academys decals are troublesome. I´ve had the best results using Solvaset on Academys decals.

Solvaset even works good on Trumpeters decals.

 

Regards Göran

 

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On 2/23/2019 at 5:58 PM, stevehnz said:

I'm wondering if the swirl mark from the floor polish (Klear or something else?) was due to not wicking the excess away & rolling the decals down with a damp cotton bud after positioning. Maybe you did but didn't say. :unsure: I would expect a clear coat of some sort over the decals to hide the carrier film somewhat too.

Steve.

I did not wick the excess - it was part of my test. I wanted to see how the solutions would react in worst case scenarios. Plus I was hoping the floor polish would 'encase' the decal.

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Some more firsts - first photos with a real macro lens and first decals I ever used (I used to paint them on in the old days and did so with my recent Spitfires which are on hold)

 

No complaints. All I used was Micro Set (as much as I felt needed, it does not react with my paint at all) and a tiny dab of Micro Sol on the underside of the wing near the mechanism for the flaps (sorry it is not pictured, maybe in the near future)

 

I couldn't wait to test some grey Tamiya enamel wash, it can be seen in the fuselage panel lines to the left of the big '40' 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

build near completion, looking for some feedback before top clear coating

notes:

1. weathering is fun and one goal of the build was to test techniques, but I tried not to overdo it

2. it is a 'wif' in the sense that I changed some of the markings, the instructions called for a 'K' and a carrier designation, but I didn't like the looks so I left them off

3. chipping is represented by tiny dots (I thought it would be more to scale that way)

4. I think the green inside the cowling needs some weathering

 

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