Academy 1:72 Hellcat with Airfix decals.

[Windz]

Hello. My very first time posting on here, so go gentle with me. Like so many model makers I have accrued quite the stash over the years and in mine was a poorly started Airfix Hellcat I had bought back in the 80’s. Some of the parts were missing, but I love the Fleet Air Arm livery on the Hellcat in the box art. I happen to find an Academy Hellcat I had bought in the early 90’s so I thought I’d put the two together. The Academy 1:72 kit isn’t great, but I think it went together better than the old Airfix kit would have. https://www.flickr.com/photos/199168357@N03/53197617733/in/album-72177720311301613

[Windz]

[NAVY870]

Very nice

[Wm Blecky]

Looks fantastic!

[stevehnz]

You've done real good with that, the Airfix scheme sure is a good looking one. 👍

Steve

[Work In Progress]

Welcome. Nice job on the Hellcat. You will find the best place for completed aircraft builds to be this forum:

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/forum/87-ready-for-inspection-aircraft/

 

[echen]

1/48 surely - if not 1/24?

[Winenut]

That is a great job on the Academy kit

 

I'm currently building one myself and seeing what you've done is very inspiring

 

Cheers!

[Windz]

2 hours ago, echen said:

1/48 surely - if not 1/24?

Definitely 1:72 @echen, I’ve got crossed eyes to prove it 🤪

Edited September 19, 2023 by Windz

[Farmerboy]

A little gem, that scheme brings back some memories!!

[dogsbody]

Greetings from Alberta and welcome to the forum. 

 

That's a great looking Hellcat!

 

 

 

 

Chris

[georgeusa]

For your first post, or for that matter, any post, you did good.  Looks like a Hellcat should and made even better in FAA livery.  Noticed the drilled out barrels with looks like metal replacements of the .50s and impressed.  Please do not hesitate to post any of your further builds.  This one was delightful to look at and thanks for sharing it.

[Windz]

@dogsbody thanks Chris. Love Alberta! Flew out a few years ago and did the whole tourist thing. Edmonton Mall, Jasper, Banff and Calgary Stamped. 

[Windz]

@georgeusa thank you. Since getting back into the hobby, I have been taking my time and trying to add simple little details, like drilling out barrels and exhausts or adding cables. Quite a few YouTube videos too. Probably can’t see them in the pictures, but I added brake lines to the undercarriage too. 

Edited September 20, 2023 by Windz
Edited to keep Chris happy

[dogsbody]

4 hours ago, Windz said:

@dogsbody thanks Chris. Love Alberta! Flew out a few years ago and did the whole tourist thing. Edmonton Mall, Jasper, Banff and Calgary Stamped. 

 

I bet you didn't do Fort Mac. It's not much of a tourist attraction.

 

That's not a brake cable. It's a brake line, like on your car.

 

 

 

 

Chris

[bertielissie]

Greetings from "Down Under"!! A cracker of a kit. I can only admire the work you've put into this 1/72nd scale kit. Have to agree with you liking the Fleet Air Arm livery. Great photography too!

[kapam]

You definitely under-sold your "first-time" post.

That is fantastic work!

Your treatment of the exhaust staining and paint wear on the prop blades especially catches my eye.

I shall seek inspiration from your photos for the Eduard 1/72 F6F-3 I am soon to start building.

👏👏👏😮

[Dave Wilko]

Very nice indeed Sir.

How was the Academy Hellcat to build? one can't seem to find any constructional reviews on the kit.

One has a bit of an urge to do the FAAM's Hellcat which is believed to have been used as the Station Commander's personal

aircraft at sometime in it's past.

[Windz]

1 hour ago, Dave Wilko said:

Very nice indeed Sir.

How was the Academy Hellcat to build? one can't seem to find any constructional reviews on the kit.

One has a bit of an urge to do the FAAM's Hellcat which is believed to have been used as the Station Commander's personal

aircraft at sometime in it's past.

@Dave Wilko. Nice kit overall. Fairly simple with little to fill and alignment issues. The engine cowl doesn’t sit as flush with the fuselage as I would like. Tires had big seam lines which needed sanding and I did my best to put the tread back on with a razor saw. But as you can see, it makes a lovely little plane. 
And yes, the CO of Yeovil had a Hellcat for a while. I have a picture in a reference book of the CO near the Hellcat watching Sea Vixens fly overhead. 

[Dave Klaatu]

Nice looking build!

[Dave Wilko]

On 9/20/2023 at 7:44 PM, Windz said:

@Dave Wilko.
And yes, the CO of Yeovil had a Hellcat for a while. I have a picture in a reference book of the CO near the Hellcat watching Sea Vixens fly overhead. 

Many thanks for that Sir,one will have to be sought out.

The CO of Yeovilton also had a Hellcat?,interesting news Sir,it's believed that the CO of Lossiemouth had one,there were apparently two

that had been supplied under Lend-Lease that had somehow escaped the caveats of the aforementioned(use it then return it or scrap it),

one was certainly believed to be at Lossie into the 1960's,is there more to the story of these two "escaped" hellcats one wonders.

[Windz]

17 hours ago, Dave Wilko said:

Many thanks for that Sir,one will have to be sought out.

The CO of Yeovilton also had a Hellcat?,interesting news Sir,it's believed that the CO of Lossiemouth had one,there were apparently two

that had been supplied under Lend-Lease that had somehow escaped the caveats of the aforementioned(use it then return it or scrap it),

one was certainly believed to be at Lossie into the 1960's,is there more to the story of these two "escaped" hellcats one wonders.

@Dave Wilko, Ok, so I have gotten myself muddled up at my end. The picture I have is a flypast at Yeovilton in the 70’s of RN Phantoms, Sea Vixens and RN Hunters, but the Hellcat belongs to the FAA Museum (which was still flying at the time). However, this might be the Lossie’ Hellcat. KE209 was built for the US Navy in 1945, but converted to a Hellcat II(FR) (armed photo reconnaissance) transferred to the FAA. It went into storage until 1946 when it was transferred to RNAS Lossiemouth and operated as Station Flight.
 Now things get muddled from here (without speaking to the FAA museum directly). One site says she was put into storage in 1953, but another says she was still being maintained there into the late 60’s until it went into storage then transferred to the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton. In fact there is a picture of here on the flight line label “Lossiemouth 1967”. This is intriguing 🤔 
 

Edited September 22, 2023 by Windz

[Dave Wilko]

A shame we don't get a better view of the control tower Sir,Lossie's is quite distinctive.

The Hellcat looks as though it has been re-painted into it's present FAAM display colours there.

If left as supplied from the US,it surely would have been in all over dark blue with either C type European Theatre

or Far East white roundels one would have thought.

Edited September 22, 2023 by Dave Wilko

[stevej60]

Beautiful finish.