1:48 Eduard Hellcat Mk.II

[shortCummins]

 

This is my attempt at building Eduard’s 1:48 Hellcat Mk.I/Mk.II kit, kit number 8223.

 

Being a DUAL COMBO, the kit contains enough parts to make two aircraft so its very good value with masks and photo etch and resin wheels included for both.

 

Decals are by Cartograf and gives the options for six different schemes.

 

For this build I’ve opted for a Mk.II flown off HMS Indomitable in March, April 1945 taking part in operation ‘Iceberg’, the Allied invasion of Okinawa, and combat missions against Formosa(Taiwan) and various Japanese islands.

JZ935 was flown by Sub Lt. TB Speak and was damaged on April 5 during landing.

 

I’ve not built a “blue” navy aircraft before so I’m looking forward to attempting the scheme.

 

 

 

Next I’ll be making a start on the cockpit, where else?

 

until next time

as always, any suggestions, criticisms or comments will be gratefully received.

rgds

John(shortCummins)

[franky boy]

Nice choice John

 

I built this kit some years ago and remember it being a very pleasant build. The only parts that I replaced were the wheels as these were pretty poor as supplied.
 

Enjoy. 
 

James

[Beazer]

I’ve built two of these so far with this kit (Emperor with the stripes and a USN Nf version) with a 3rd on the way(kiwi black).  

I replaced the wheels and prop.

One spot I had some trouble was the cowling so just make sure you pay attention to that area.

 

Also the “Blue” colour you have to pay attention to as it was really dark but faded quickly in the pacific and you can even get into the debate into the post war blue vs ‘45 blues.

 

[dnl42]

Great choice of subject! 

[moaning dolphin]

Nice choice, I lost my only completed 1:48 Hellcat earlier due to an unfortunate incident involving a 1:72 Mirage and a fit of madness because the undercarriage wouldn't fit! I like the look of the Eduard kits so will follow along for inspiration for my replacement Hellcat!

Bob

[shortCummins]

1 hour ago, Beazer said:

I’ve built two of these so far with this kit (Emperor with the stripes and a USN Nf version) with a 3rd on the way(kiwi black).  

I replaced the wheels and prop.

One spot I had some trouble was the cowling so just make sure you pay attention to that area.

 

Also the “Blue” colour you have to pay attention to as it was really dark but faded quickly in the pacific and you can even get into the debate into the post war blue vs ‘45 blues.

 

thanks for the info on the cowling Beazer,

I intend to use MRP-14 glossy sea blue and I'll probably ease up on the fading/wear and tear as I want to make her well used but not flogged to death! also I'm not convinced that glossy sea blue would fade too much, I think it just lost its glossiness? anyhow I'm looking forward to making her not just a slab of blue, it should be interesting.

I hoping I can get a reasonable finish as I've a 1:48 Lancaster nearing the top of the stash and making black visually interesting will be a challenge, so I treating dark blue as a trial run.

 

rgds

John(shortCummins)

 

[shortCummins]

2 hours ago, franky boy said:

Nice choice John

 

I built this kit some years ago and remember it being a very pleasant build. The only parts that I replaced were the wheels as these were pretty poor as supplied.
 

Enjoy. 
 

James

thanks James

 

my version comes with Brassin resin wheels and at first glance they look very nice

 

1 hour ago, dnl42 said:

Great choice of subject! 

thanks dnl42

 

I've a soft spot for "Far East" schemes

 

53 minutes ago, moaning dolphin said:

Nice choice, I lost my only completed 1:48 Hellcat earlier due to an unfortunate incident involving a 1:72 Mirage and a fit of madness because the undercarriage wouldn't fit! I like the look of the Eduard kits so will follow along for inspiration for my replacement Hellcat!

Bob

thanks Bob

 

at the very least you'll see what not to do 😉

 

rgds

John(shortCummins)

[mark.au]

This should be fun! I really enjoyed the Eduard Hellcat I completed earlier this year, looking forward to how you go with yours.

[Dunny]

Nice - I've got the same kit(s) very near the top of the pile! Will watch with interest,

 

Cheers,

 

Roger

[Grey Beema]

I’ll be watching this one, if I may.  I’ve built three and have three in the stash, I think it’s a great kit..

[shortCummins]

5 hours ago, mark.au said:

This should be fun! I really enjoyed the Eduard Hellcat I completed earlier this year, looking forward to how you go with yours.

thanks Mark

 

I tried re-visiting your build but for some reason I can't see any photos? anywho, I pooped over to your website and had a look there, very interesting site, I'll spend more time and have a good look.

 

5 hours ago, Dunny said:

Nice - I've got the same kit(s) very near the top of the pile! Will watch with interest,

 

Cheers,

 

Roger

thanks Roger

 

by all accounts its a nice kit so I'm looking forward to build it.

 

3 hours ago, Grey Beema said:

I’ll be watching this one, if I may.  I’ve built three and have three in the stash, I think it’s a great kit..

thanks Grey Beema

 

you built the same scheme as I' attempting, I'll not be building her at the same speed you managed!

 

rgds

John(shortCummins)

[Thom216]

Couldn't wait for the Hellcat GB, huh? 😛 With a kit like that though, I perfectly understand! Will be following along.

[Grey Beema]

2 hours ago, shortCummins said:

 

you built the same scheme as I' attempting, I'll not be building her at the same speed you managed!

 

Todate I have built two MkIs and a MkII JX772/X119 which was flown by a distant cousin who was quite handy with a Hellcat.  There are stills from a film of Corsairs on board Formidable one of which shows Hellcat 119.  It looks in better nick than mine does, so at some point I will either rebuild or repaint.  

 

Anyway, checking Fleet Air Arm Aircraft - Sturtivant & Burrow I see that the barrier crash for JZ935/W145 of which there are photos) when flown by S/Lt Speak is dated 05.08.45, long after Iceberg, in fact I think Indomitable was heading back to Australia at that time.   I’m not fully sure when GSB Hellcats started to filter through to 5th Naval Fighter Wing, I have seen reference in ‘Heaven High, Ocean Deep’ that some Hellcats were painted blue to avoid ‘Friendly Fire’ incidents which would be odd as Iceberg was a British affair and they would largely not have come across USN aircraft.  I suspect Iceberg aircraft were largely TSS but would need input from @iang, @Graham Boak or @Giorgio N to get their views on when GSB Hellcats joined 1839 or 1844 on HMS Indomitable.

[dnl42]

44 minutes ago, Thom216 said:

Couldn't wait for the Hellcat GB, huh? 😛 With a kit like that though, I perfectly understand! Will be following along.

This just means another can be built for the GB! There is nothing wrong with that!

[shortCummins]

1 hour ago, Thom216 said:

Couldn't wait for the Hellcat GB, huh? 😛 With a kit like that though, I perfectly understand! Will be following along.

sorry I didn't realise there was a GB 😳 I've not taken part in one on here before and I'm not sure I'd get any model finished in time, I sometimes get distracted by other shiny things.

 

so when does the GB start and how long will it run for? this kit has 2 aircraft so if I enjoy this build and I finish it a reasonable time perhaps I could join. Or, as I've only open'd the box and I've not even open the plastic bags the sprue's come in, could I wait and enter the GB? 

 

rgds

John(shortCummins)

[shortCummins]

40 minutes ago, Grey Beema said:

Todate I have built two MkIs and a MkII JX772/X119 which was flown by a distant cousin who was quite handy with a Hellcat.  There are stills from a film of Corsairs on board Formidable one of which shows Hellcat 119.  It looks in better nick than mine does, so at some point I will either rebuild or repaint.  

 

Anyway, checking Fleet Air Arm Aircraft - Sturtivant & Burrow I see that the barrier crash for JZ935/W145 of which there are photos) when flown by S/Lt Speak is dated 05.08.45, long after Iceberg, in fact I think Indomitable was heading back to Australia at that time.   I’m not fully sure when GSB Hellcats started to filter through to 5th Naval Fighter Wing, I have seen reference in ‘Heaven High, Ocean Deep’ that some Hellcats were painted blue to avoid ‘Friendly Fire’ incidents which would be odd as Iceberg was a British affair and they would largely not have come across USN aircraft.  I suspect Iceberg aircraft were largely TSS but would need input from @iang, @Graham Boak or @Giorgio N to get their views on when GSB Hellcats joined 1839 or 1844 on HMS Indomitable.

thanks for the info, the note about Speak's bad landing came from Eduard's detail so I wouldn't be too surprised if it was inaccurate, it's still interesting to get a little background? 

I wondered about the camo' change from green and grey to blue, I'd assumed that they were supplied blue as perhaps they were originally destined for the USN and for some reason shipped to RN instead?  also presumably there would have been a number of joint operations. between allied forces and having all of your aircraft looking the same would help gunnery crews with identification, fear of Kamikaze's and all that?

wasn't there a problem with the "British" roundels having a red centre and being mistaken for Japanese Hinomaru and therefore they became just blue and white with a white "bar" to look similar to the US star and bar markings?

 

rgds

John(shortCummins)

[Rumblestripe]

1 hour ago, shortCummins said:

wasn't there a problem with the "British" roundels having a red centre and being mistaken for Japanese Hinomaru

Should someone who can't tell the difference between the red and blue roundel and the Japanese red circle be flying an airplane! 😜

[RadMax8]

Pulling up a chair to see how this one goes, if you don’t mind. A Hellcat was one of my first airplane kits I ever built when I was small, so I’ve got an appreciation for the type. I’ve also got one of the Eduard kits in the stash. 
 

Looking forward to your efforts!

[Grey Beema]

2 hours ago, shortCummins said:

thanks for the info, the note about Speak's bad landing came from Eduard's detail so I wouldn't be too surprised if it was inaccurate, it's still interesting to get a little background? 

I wondered about the camo' change from green and grey to blue, I'd assumed that they were supplied blue as perhaps they were originally destined for the USN and for some reason shipped to RN instead?  also presumably there would have been a number of joint operations. between allied forces and having all of your aircraft looking the same would help gunnery crews with identification, fear of Kamikaze's and all that?

wasn't there a problem with the "British" roundels having a red centre and being mistaken for Japanese Hinomaru and therefore they became just blue and white with a white "bar" to look similar to the US star and bar markings?

 

rgds

John(shortCummins)

 

Hellcats were always in short supply in the FAA (I think if there were more there would have been fewer Seafires) there was an agreement between Grumman/FAA at some point that they would take them in GSB rather than TSS.  

 

JZ935 was delivered 17.01.45 and in the photo in Aug ‘45 it is GSB with the British Pacific Fleet Roundel and Bar.  I’m not sure if it was delivered in GSB or if the FAA painted any from TSS to Blue and if so - which blue.  This is where we need the experts.

 

Getting rid of the red was supposed to reduce confusion with Japanese markings and the bars (introduced Mar/Apr ‘45) was to make it look more American.  Prior to the BPF Roundel the Blue/white Roundels seem to have been used.  

 

My portrayal of my distant cousins Hellcat..

 

Hope this helps..

 

 

[Graham Boak]

It was an overall agreement regarding the acceptance of US colours rather than specifically Hellcats.  I think it very unlikely that any Hellcats were actually repainted GSB, because they didn't stay in service long enough, but of course never say never when it comes to this sort of thing.  Not without absolute confirmation and good luck with that!  It certainly wasn't a matter of matching US colours in the operational area as no British aircraft were so repainted: Seafires, Fireflies, Walrus and Sea Otter...  Avengers and Corsairs weren't repainted either, the GSB ones arriving as replacements.

[Thom216]

8 hours ago, shortCummins said:

sorry I didn't realise there was a GB 😳 I've not taken part in one on here before and I'm not sure I'd get any model finished in time, I sometimes get distracted by other shiny things.

 

so when does the GB start and how long will it run for? this kit has 2 aircraft so if I enjoy this build and I finish it a reasonable time perhaps I could join. Or, as I've only open'd the box and I've not even open the plastic bags the sprue's come in, could I wait and enter the GB? 

 

rgds

John(shortCummins)

 

The Grumman Hellcat GB starts on June 26. Plenty of time to get this one done - and start another for that!

As for finishing GBs, I haven't finished one yet.😆

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235064392-grumman-hellcat-stgb-26-june-to-26-sept-2021/