1/72 Academy F6F-5 Hellcat

Gallery Article by Jerry Hawhee (Old Blind Dog) on July 28 2010

 

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)

Photos and text © by Jerry Hawhee (Old Blind Dog)