28  FineScale Modeler March 2007

One hellacious Hellcat

A simple weekend project becomes an object lesson in patience

This project started simply enough: Practice a few basic skills, and finish a model in one weekend without get-ting bogged down in detailing.

I’ve always liked the Grumman Hellcat, but I haven’t built one since the early 1980s when I put together the

Matchbox kit. That was an early model for me, and one I built before realizing Matchbox was thoughtful enough to provide paint codes keyed to Humbrol paints. (I thought the color dia-gram on the bottom of the box was an accurate depiction of the scheme – bright blue and pea-green fighter plane anyone?)

For a weekend project, a small-scale Hellcat seemed ideal. Late-war F6F-5s were glossy dark sea blue. One color meant one trip to the paint booth and quicker completion – or so I thought.

Research and planningSettling on Academy’s 1/72 scale Hellcat (kit No. 2121), I spent the days leading up to the weekend planning the build. Research is important in any project, but it’s doubly rewarding when work-ing on a tight timetable.

Finding a few photos, particularly of an F6F-5 cockpit, I made color notes on the instruction sheet, 1. In addition, I noted

subassemblies I could construct while paint and glue were drying to save time.

Academy captured the look of the Hellcat, but my research revealed a couple minor issues. I planned to correct the wing guns and the exaggerated rib detail on the control surfaces, both easy fixes which improved the finished model’s appearance.

Weekend warriorFriday evening arrived and construction commenced, starting

in the cockpit. It is nicely detailed, given the scale, and includes sidewall inserts.

After carefully trimming the parts from the trees, I removed the attachment points with a sanding stick. A few ejector-pin marks mar the floor; I removed them with a sharp blade, 2.

I dry-fitted the parts, then joined them with liquid cement. The alignment of the cockpit’s back wall was checked against the placement marks on the fuselage, 3.

Setting the cockpit assembly aside to dry, I removed the fuse-lage halves. The kit features finely engraved detail. The rear of the fuselage has a series of vertical panel lines; I applied masking tape to either side of the attachment points to protect the surface

by Aaron Skinner

For his first 1/72 scale aircraft in many years, Aaron chose a Grumman Hellcat, hoping for a quick build.

March 2007 www.finescale.com  29

from the sanding sticks used to remove excess plastic, 4, then toned down the molded rib detail on the rudder and other con-trol surfaces for a more-scale appearance, 5.

Shape of things to comeSetting the fuselage aside, I clipped off the parts for the wings. The guns are incorrectly represented in the kit, with all six –

three in each wing – protruding from the leading edge. The Hellcat’s .50-caliber guns were staggered with recessed outboard barrels. Using a photo in Squadron/Signal’s Walk Around F6F Hellcat as a guide, I clipped off the outboard guns at the leading edge. I cut off more than half the length of each middle barrel, 6.

Using the edge of a half-round file, I carefully opened the gun ports in the upper-wing parts, 7. Because the barrels were

1/72 Scale | Aircraft | How-to

Aaron’s notes on the instruction sheet help ensure accurate colors and clarify the kit’s mostly Korean call outs.

Holding the blade of a hobby knife almost flat against the surface, Aaron carefully carves away an ejector-pin mark on the cockpit floor.

The joint between the cockpit floor and the back wall didn’t give positive alignment, so Aaron checks it against the placement marks on the inside of the fuselage.

Before sanding off the remains of a sprue attachment point from a fuselage half, Aaron protected the surrounding surface detail with masking tape, then gently sanded away the extra plastic.

While the location of the molded rib detail on the kit’s control surfaces looks right, Aaron sands it down for a more-scale appearance.

Aaron trims a gun barrel flush with the wing’s leading edge. On the F6F, the outboard .50-caliber guns did not protrude.

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molded into the top half of the wings, there is already a hole for the outboard gun positions in the lower wing piece, 8.

Aligning the leading edge of the wing halves creates a mis-match at the rear of the wings. Sanding sticks removed the “step” and thinned the trailing edge more to scale.

Moving back to the cockpit, I painted the assembly and side-walls interior green. I painted many of the small parts while they

were still attached to the sprues, including the engine, landing gear, and propeller, 9. Dark paint was flowed into the recessed intakes in the cowling, 10. I “detailed” the cockpit by picking out panels on the sidewalls with black and gray paint and adding the instrument panel decal, 11. The only “aftermarket” details I added were seat belts made from masking tape, 12.

Eyes still on the clock, I assembled the fuselage, dry-fitting

The edge of a half-round file opens a trough for the outboard gun emplace-ment on one of the Hellcat’s wings. Constant checking of the size and shape of the hole ensured the correct diameter of the barrel.

Matching the molded recess in the lower wing with the opening created by the file makes the model’s guns more accurate. Simple changes like this enhance the finished model.

A wide, round brush dipped in flat black paint and pulled along each blade in one stroke gives the propeller a smooth finish.

Aaron applies flat black paint to the engine intake in the front of the cowl-ing, ensuring it will be dark after the Hellcat is painted.

Aaron lightly scores around the edge of the instrument panel decal before dipping it in water. The excess film was removed from around the panel before sliding it into position.

Using the point of a hobby knife, Aaron installs seat belts made from thin strips of masking tape. Each strap was positioned, then stuck to the seat with a burnishing tool.

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and filing the cockpit floor to ensure a good fit. Just a little sand-ing under the rear fuselage was needed; I restored panel lines with a hobby knife, 13.

Another day, another hurdleJoining the wing to the fuselage started the project’s second day … and my headaches with the model. I never could get the align-ment right at the rear part of the wing joint, 14, and it took heavy scraping and sanding to remove the worst of the step cre-ated. Gap-filling super glue took care of minor gaps at the wing roots and sink holes in the top of each wing tip, 15.

Attaching the horizontal stabilizers and the cowling com-pleted major construction.

Clearing the wayI attached the two-part canopy with Testors Clear Parts Cement & Window Maker, then masked it with natural-metal foil. Cribbing an idea from FSM Editor Matt Usher, I blacked the edge of a new No. 11 blade with a marker, 16. This eliminates reflections between the knife and the foil, making precise cutting easier. I burnished the foil over the framework with a cotton swab, trimmed it, and peeled it away from the framework, 17.

So far, so good. In spite of a few fit problems, I was still on schedule to finish Monday, as expected. But, you know what they say about the best laid plans …

Painting bluesLate-war U.S. Navy aircraft carried an attractive camouflage of overall gloss dark sea blue. It’s a single-color scheme I thought perfect for a quick build – no masking, no waiting for one color to dry before applying the next. I chose dark sea blue (No.4686) from the Testors Model Master Acryl line of paint. These widely available acrylics airbrush well out of the bottle and dry quickly.

After washing the model with a weak detergent mixture to remove manufacturing oils and fingerprints, I airbrushed two coats. Unfortunately, the result wasn’t as glossy as I needed for decaling. The next day, stretching my self-imposed deadline, I sprayed the model with a 50/50 mixture of the blue paint and Future floor polish. This combination produces a deep, glossy fin-ish, but a heavy hand with an airbrush results in drips, 18.

My impatience got me in trouble; I tried to sand out the runs too early, before the Future was completely cured, resulting in a couple rough areas. Knowing I wouldn’t finish as quickly as I hoped, I let the model sit for about 48 hours, then sanded back the drips. A few light coats of the paint/Future mix covered the rough spots. By week’s end, the model was ready for decals.

Finishing touchesAfter peeling the foil mask from the canopy, I removed the resi-due with Goo Gone on a cotton swab, 19.

Using the kit decals and Microscale decal finishing products, I

Rocking the blade of a hobby knife back and forth, Aaron starts panel lines on the rear fuselage. A scribing tool deepened the impressions, replacing detail lost while cleaning up seams.

The alignment of the kit’s one-piece lower wing and fuselage was imperfect. Extensive sanding and scraping took care of the worst of the step created by the mismatch.

Aaron uses the nub left after stretching sprue to apply super glue, filling a long sink hole in the Hellcat’s starboard wing tip. Several holes and ejector-pin marks had to be filled during construction.

Preparing to mask the canopy with metal foil, Aaron blackens a hobby knife blade with a marker. This reduces reflection between the knife and the foil, improving visibility and making precise cuts easier.

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decorated my Hellcat as a member of VF-17 aboard the USS Hornet. The wingtip and tail checkerboard decals were a little large; after they dried, I trimmed them with a sharp blade.

I sealed the decals with a couple light coats of Future. The landing gear, propeller, and antenna were attached with Testors Clear Parts Cement. This slow-setting glue dries clear and strong while allowing time to adjust alignment. It can be used on painted surfaces, too, minimizing damage by eliminating the need to scrape paint from parts before glu-ing them.

As a final touch, I brushed clear flat acrylic over the areas of the airframe affected by engine exhaust. Exhaust and gun barrel streaking are powdered pas-tel chalk, 21.

Patience is a virtue – a lesson this Hellcat taught me well. I’m happy with the result, and it’s nice to have this feisty feline on my display shelf again after such a long absence. FSM

REFERENCESWalk Around F6F Hellcat, Richard S. Dann, Squadron/Signal Publications, Carrollton, TexasU.S. Navy Fighters of World War II, Barrett Tillman and Robert L. Lawson, Motorbooks International, Osceola, Wis.

SOURCESGoo Gone, Magic American Products, 800-328-9248, www.magi-camerican.com, available at your local hardware store

Masking in place, the Hellcat is prepared for painting. Aaron washed the model with mild detergent to remove oils.

Future floor polish mixed with paint results in a glossy finish, but be careful, and go slowly – Future pools very easily, resulting in runs or drips.

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Using Goo Gone, Aaron carefully removes adhesive residue left by the metal foil on the canopy. The cleaner, marketed by Magic American Products, did not harm the canopy or the paint.

Aaron uses a fine brush to apply powdered black pastel to the wings to rep-resent cordite streaking. A mixture of light gray and reddish-brown pastels was used for the exhaust stains on the fuselage.

With a couple of minor changes, the Academy F6F-5 Hellcat builds into a nice replica and provides good practice for other projects.