Hi guys Iv got a question? the next project on the Bench Is going to be a hellcat can anyone give me any information on any decent kits As Im going to go to the LHS in a couple of hours and get the Plane. I want to do this Plane justice and make it look Good any help would be much appreciated.
The best kit out there, in 1/48 scale, is the Hasegawa one. They have an F6F-3 and -5 version, but it’s all the same kit, because so little was changed between -3 and -5, all you need to do is scribe some panel lines and open a window and change the windscreen and you have a -5. What I am trying to say is, the -3 and -5 from hasegawa are the same kits with different decals.
The Hasegawa kit is very nice, it has good detail, good fit of parts and is accurate. The only bad thing I’ve heard/noticed is that the shape of the “chin” isn’t right. It looks like it’s been given a good upper-cut punch. It isn’t too noticable though, and if you really want too, a resin replacement cowl is available from someone. But apart from that, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the kit.
Hope this helps.
[:D]Thanks for the Help!!![:D]
I would also give the hasegawa kit a thumbs up. I too have heard the cowl complaint, but overall I was incredibly happy with mine. I also have a arii/otaki one to build and while I haven’t started it yet or looked super closely at it, I have heard that with a little work it comes out really nice too.
Leon
The Hasegawakit is certainly the best, but the older Otaki/Arii/Airfix isn’t bad for the $. The cowl flaps were different on the 3 & 5 models also. Most 5 models did not have the small window aft of the cockpit found on all 3’s, but some of the early ones did. Cutting Edge offers resin replacement cowls for both versions if you want to build a more accurate model, but they aren’t cheap.
Regards, Rick
I just finished builging the hasegawa -5 kit and it went together nicely. I would recomend this kit. I did not encounter any problems during the build.
Todd
In 1/72 scale I’ve heard some good things about the Italeri kit. I’ve never built a Hellcat before but I think I’m going to grab this one the next time I’m at my local hobby shop. I’ve read a lot of good things about it. You can pose the flaps in the down position but I have heard that they are rather tricky. To pose them up would be easier they say.
Eric
[:D]Thanks for the Information!!![:D]