Jump to content

1/48 Hellcat F6F-5


Recommended Posts

Place holder here for my build in the GB. This is the Squadron boxing of the Eduard Hellcat. Bought two of them on the 'bay for great prices each. Comes with resin wheels and seat with belts, though I have bought some resin replacements without belts, as I prefer PE for those. Will also see about getting some PE for the 'pit.

spacer.png

spacer.png

spacer.pngspacer.png

spacer.png

 

I'll be doing 115.

spacer.png

 

Have to wait until my entry into the Unarmed GB is done, but soon!

 

Thom

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Finally getting a start on this one. First was scraping off the detail from the consoles to fit the PE parts, then glued a few bits together and sprayed them. The cockpit green I have was a lighter shade than on the PE parts, so I hit them with XF-5 Flat Green.

spacer.png

spacer.png

spacer.png

 

And the SBS resin seat, which is commendably thin!

spacer.png

spacer.png

 

One thing, the ins say to paint the gear wells and gear white. I would assume they would be the same shade as the rest of the build, sea blue.

Anyone know any different?

 

Model on!

Thom

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Thom216 said:

One thing, the ins say to paint the gear wells and gear white. I would assume they would be the same shade as the rest of the build, sea blue.

Anyone know any different?

US Navy regs called for the wheel bays to be the underside color.  

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, I started putting the PE belts in, and that was going fine. Until the 'Pinging' occured. That inevitable event when the tweezers grab the bent teeny, tiny piece of metal in such a way as to cause it to 'ping' away. In this case up, and then down. I even heard it strike the linoleum between my feet. But could I find it after getting down on my stomach with a flashlight and ten minutes of searching..? Of course not. I think the Gubbins came out of the crooks and crannies and ran off with it. Damn Gubbins!

That left me with only one half of the lap belt, and that wasn't going to work.

I do have another PE set, for a Spitfire, and I was about to raid it for the lap part, but I really didn't want to do that. Part of that is because I want to use that on the appropriate kit, rather than have more scrap PE laying around. Then I realized, I was going to be putting the shoulders harnesses behind the seat rather than over it, as I saw that in a pic, and I liked that it would be a little different. So I figured, if those were put behind the seat, then maybe the right side lap belt has fallen down the right side of the seat, between it and the side console? Since I did have some left over from this fret, I took a small portion and bent it back the other way. Then I cut a small piece of scrap plastic in the shape of that brown piece if that goes under the belt itself and painted it Tamiya hull red. Close enough match.

spacer.png

spacer.png

spacer.png

 

Good enough for the situation!

 

Proceeded from there to dust some brown artist chalk onto the floor and, reshine the scratches after the dull coat and gloss the instrument dials, and then put it all together.

 

spacer.png

spacer.png

spacer.png

spacer.png

spacer.png

 

I just need to add a few levers into the throttle quadrant and the cockpit will be done.

 

More to come. Model on!

Thom

  • Like 11
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Cookenbacher said:

Masterfully done, take that gubbins!

 

4 hours ago, Roberto said:

Sweet work on that cockpit.

Thanks! that means a lot.😀

 

Tiny bit more done. Just the inner cockpit walls.

spacer.png

spacer.png

 

And the tail wheel. Unless some surgery is done, it has to go in before the halves close up, but I foresee no problems. They'll be the same color as the exterior, so there will be very little masking in this area.

I did get some drill bits and opened up the lightening holes before gluing it in place.

spacer.png

 

Model on!

Thom

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pic of the cockpit in place. You can see I thought I was going to have a problem near the headrest. Needn't have worried... 😅

spacer.png

 

Then I turned my attention back to the tail wheel. I was looking through some walkaround pics and noticed that what I thought was the tail wheel door, is really only part of it. Eduard, at least, has it looking like a large door for the tail wheel. But actually only little more than half of that is. The rest is something separate and attached to the gear itself.

 

http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/mark_hayward/f6f-5k_hellcat/

spacer.png

 

So I framed it with tape and cut it off with a trusty PE razor saw!

spacer.png

spacer.png

 

After that I drilled it out to make room for a metal shaft. Almost went too large on the diameter though, as the plastic was starting to show stress. And I did blow through the top of the gear piece, which should turn out alright in end, as the actual gear leg didn't go any higher than that anyway.

spacer.png

 

Then I did the same with the lower gear piece, after sanding the remaining lower half of the 'gear door' narrower and rounding the front arc a bit.

spacer.png

 

And a test fit shows it looking good, IIDSSMS1!

spacer.png

 

And now I can even glue it at an angle.

spacer.png

 

What I wonder now is, should I remove the plastic closing up the top of the gear well? I can simply paint the opened interior the exterior color before the fuse is all glued up. Yeah, I think I'll do that!

spacer.png

 

And this is something I wish I had done before gluing the tail wheel in place!🤪

 

Model on!

Thom

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you @shortCummins

 

I have since removed the roof of the tail wheel bay. I won't be worrying about detail in there, and will just paint it the same as the exterior color.

 

And I decided to skip ahead a wee bit to the cowl. Pics show a metal screen across the lower, center inlet, so I raided the PE stash for something 'appropriate.'

 

spacer.png

 

I 'measured' it to shape and made sure it was oriented correctly.

spacer.png

 

And then glued it in place with 60Sec super glue.

spacer.png

 

I'll spritz the rear gear well and then get the 'fuse together, and the engine is the next stop.

 

Model on!

Thom

 

Edited by Thom216
  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A few days lying like a lazy bum, and I finally hit the rear gear well with some Tamiya Sea Blue.

spacer.png

 

And while I was at it, I hit the inner cowl with yellow/green.

spacer.png

spacer.png

 

Those pin marks will be hidden by the engine. (I hope!😅)

 

And I started putting the fuse together. I started at the nose and will work my way back to the tail.

spacer.png

 

And the replacement barrels showed up!

spacer.png

 

Model on!

Thom

  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got the cowl finished up. Don't know if it was me, but there were some fit issues, esp with the very front. Test fitting showed it overhung on the left side.

 

spacer.png

 

So before it was added, I hit that side with sanding and polishing pads, doing more test fits until it looked good.

 

spacer.png

spacer.png

spacer.png

 

All glued together now, as well as the rest of the fuselage. Now to clean up the seams...

 

Model on!

Thom

Edited by Thom216
  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like you recovered from that cowling fit. :thumbsup: It wasn't just you--I had the same problems. 

 

BTW, when I assembled the wings, I cut the barrels off B9 & B10 so I could use them as they helped alignment. I also figured they would align the depth of the replacement barrels.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It appears the fit of those cowl components is the only issue with this kit but you've tided that up nicely Thom :) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@dnl42 @Col. Thanks!

Another option would have been to put a sliver of plastic as a shim into the join between the cowl halves, to spread it out to match the ring. But then I could see having to redo the panel line going down the center of the top of the cowl, as well as all the rivets along either side of it. It was easier to sand.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...