This
is the Academy Hellcat, built mostly out of the box, and finished with a set of
Superscale decals. It’s an older build, dating from mid-2006, and one of the
first projects in which I made extensive use of an airbrush.
I
used a pre-cut Kabuki-tape mask from Eduard for the canopy and windscreen.
A set
of PE seatbelts was sourced from the spares box. Polly Scale colors were used
throughout, including US Interior Green for the cockpit and engine bay, with US
Navy Dark Sea Blue for pretty much everything on the exterior. The crisply
detailed engine was hand-brushed MM Acryl Gun Metal and highlighted with Citadel
Mithril Silver. The crank case/center housing was brushed Tamiya Metallic Gray.
I finished off the model with a light coat of Polly Scale Clear Gloss.
Click on
images below to see larger images
Markings came from
Superscale sheet #72-835 (Grumman F6F-5 Hellcats, McCampbell CAG 15,
VF-83 and VF-31) and represent a plane of VF-83 operating from the USS
Essex in 1945, shared by Ensigns Donald McPherson, Bill Kingston, and
Littleton Ward.
So there you have it; not the
most accurate Hellcat out there, nor will it win any contests; but it’s close
enough for home display, and I had fun building it. (I’d add that, in spite of
its problems, this kit does make a great donor for other projects, providing
lots of serviceable parts for contemporary USN fighters.) Thanks for
looking.
Jerry Hawhee (Old
Blind Dog)
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