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1/48 scale Eduard Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat Update 11/14/17


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  For the last year I've dedicated my builds to solely 1/32 scale, but it lacked the variety and accuracy of 1/48, so I made the decision to once again build in this scale. Being a devoted Grumman aircraft enthusiast, it wasn't much of a decision to pick the iconic F6F-3 Hellcat as my 1st build back, and the Eduard Profipak was the natural choice for me, so I ordered it and a few other kits plus a several Eduard items when Sprue Brothers  ran their 20% off Eduard sale. As usual, I forgot to take pictures of the box and contents, so I "borrowed" Sprue Brothers pictures. 

 

 6odtvx.jpg

 

The kit is exquisitely molded, well detailed, and one of the most accurate F6F kits available.  Being a profipack it comes with several additional items:

 

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Two sheets of PE with colored seatbelts & Harnesses, and a beautiful IP. Canopy & windscreen masks, a Brassin wheels, tires, and hubs if you want to use the kit plastic wheels. And then the Cartograf decals for the following 5 Hellcats:

eiKzzZ.jpg

   Naturally, this build started with the cockpit, so that's where I started as well. The seat for some reason in most kits are all too thick in every dimension. Just doesn't look very convincing as a replica. 

 

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So I thinned out both sides the front and the back to about half the original thickness, then added the Metal plate that I'm assuming is there to support the parachute weight:

 

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Then I cleaned up all the rest of the cockpit parts, both fuselage halves, and primed them with Mig Ammo acrylic black primer:

 

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Next up was the really well done PE IP that consists of a instrument plate and a top plate with nicely done bezels.  I've been using Pledge for the lenses, but this time I just wasn't happy with the results so I added a final coat of Tamiya X-22 Clear Gloss. Now they looked like glass lenses. Unfortunately, in the pictures it's really hard to tell. 

 

2R9V9z.jpg

 

   Grumman's painted their F6F-3 interiors after the 1st 100 or so Interior Green which includes the IP. The problem is that the PE parts are painted what looks like Bronze Green, but it's nowhere close to Interior Green ANA 611 which is very close to FS 34151.  I used MRP ANA 611 Interior Green straight from the bottle after my brother suggested a working flow rate of 12-10 psi as I was experiencing some spitting at 14-15 ps1.  After dark wash the colors should blend closer together.  I did have an issue with all the little PE knobs and levers. I just can't work with them as they're way to small for this one eyed near sighted old man. So I made sprue levers and white glue knobs painted black.  I also managed to loose the gun sight glass on my Workbench, so I punched out a disc from plastic sheet, then a 2nd disc which I cut in half, glued to the other one, then filed a flat surface to glue it to the base of the site. Looks good enough

 

 Next up was the belts and Harnesses. I'm always leery of PE ones as they don't bend very well, and always pop off with the slight touch. the Eduard ones are each made with separate pull straps that really look quite nice. I glued everything with Gorilla Thin CCA glue, and the parts really stuck in place almost on touch. At 1st I scrapped the paint off where I was going to glue them to, then I tried right on the paint, and it glued up just fine.  In the larger then life size picture below, I can see where I need to touch up the headrest area. In real life I just never saw this run. 

 

eBLG9i.jpg

 

  Next I turned my attention to the fuselage halves. I painted them ANA 611 Interior Green, then when dry, I masked off the rear area just behind the seat bulkhead and painted the area FS 36440 which is the accepted match for Grumman Gray, which then was a standard practice for their aircraft interiors and inside the cowl. 

 

rc93QC.jpg

 

Then I dry fitted the cockpit tub to see how it fits, and it fits the fuselage like a glove. Hopefully when close up the fuselage halves, the fit will be perfect on both sides. From the reviews I've read, there shouldn't be any issues. 

 

7wwLEj.jpg

 

Up next this week is sealing, dry brushing, and a few dark washes for a somewhat worn interior. 

 

Joel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Joel_W
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JA

Outstanding! What a fantastic return to 48th scale. Terrific work on the IP and front office. Love the seat belts, the interior green looks spot on and if you want a bit of careful brush paint work will cure Eduard's incorrect IP color. If not, The light interior wash should blend the colors just fine.

Glad my tip on the lowering your working pressure solved the MRP spiting issue

Keep 'em coming :thumbsup:

Bro

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Looking good, Joel!   I love 1/32 --   hundreds of parts, visually impressive by size alone and the bigger box is more fun to take home (after getting over the pain of plunking down the cash for it, of course)  but harder to hide from the wife : ).   I love lurking on LSP to look at those ultra-realistic builds, especially those ultra-realistic cockpits.  But really nice to have you back building in 1/48; looking forward to your updates.  Hi Peter, will you be building in 1/48 primarily now?  Will be awaiting your HB F-14 thread.

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16 hours ago, crackerjazz said:

Looking good, Joel!   I love 1/32 --   hundreds of parts, visually impressive by size alone and the bigger box is more fun to take home (after getting over the pain of plunking down the cash for it, of course)  but harder to hide from the wife : ).   I love lurking on LSP to look at those ultra-realistic builds, especially those ultra-realistic cockpits.  But really nice to have you back building in 1/48; looking forward to your updates.  Hi Peter, will you be building in 1/48 primarily now?  Will be awaiting your HB F-14 thread.

Crackerjazz

After years of nothing but 32nd scale builds on LSP, I've slowly cut the ties to large scale (maybe one in the future) and will be be building mostly 48th scale from now on. 

Peter

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On ‎10‎/‎1‎/‎2017 at 10:39 PM, Ichitoe said:

Great job on the cockpit. Yep, a little dirt will make it perfect looking!

 

Mike

 

Mike,

  Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my build. it's always much appreciated to get feedback. 

Joel

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21 hours ago, crackerjazz said:

Looking good, Joel!   I love 1/32 --   hundreds of parts, visually impressive by size alone and the bigger box is more fun to take home (after getting over the pain of plunking down the cash for it, of course)  but harder to hide from the wife : ).   I love lurking on LSP to look at those ultra-realistic builds, especially those ultra-realistic cockpits.  But really nice to have you back building in 1/48; looking forward to your updates.  Hi Peter, will you be building in 1/48 primarily now?  Will be awaiting your HB F-14 thread.

 

Crackerjazz,

 Thanks for the warm welcome back, it's much appreciated.  Like most things in life, there are pluses and minuses. The plus to 1/32 scale was the size with its great OOB detail and fidelity of those details. The minuses were the cost of the higher end kits which were ranging from $150-200+, but it was the overall limited selection of kits, and or the poor engineering of older kits that still are being marketed as the only viable options for wanted marks like the F6F or a P-51B/C, and even a decent F4F that made me realize that 1/48 is where I belong, so the move back. Then there was also the issue of I just missed my friends here on ARC. I just didn't have time for two forums, and honestly still don't. So you guys are once again stuck with me.  And this time I brought my brother Peter back with me so you get both ends of the "team".

 

  Joel

 

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On ‎10‎/‎2‎/‎2017 at 7:49 AM, Peterpools said:

JA

Outstanding! What a fantastic return to 48th scale. Terrific work on the IP and front office. Love the seat belts, the interior green looks spot on and if you want a bit of careful brush paint work will cure Eduard's incorrect IP color. If not, The light interior wash should blend the colors just fine.

Glad my tip on the lowering your working pressure solved the MRP spiting issue

Keep 'em coming :thumbsup:

Bro

 

Bro,

  Just new that you'd appreciate the work I did on the Pit. I'm still somewhat disappointed that Eduard can't seem to get the IP colors right. 1st is was that weird blue/black of the IP itself, but that has been corrected on the last two IPs I used. Just can't figure out where they came up with that Bronze Green color. The 1st 100 or so F6Fs were apparently painted in DDG. Hopefully, after a wash it will blend in better. 

 

Joel

#1 Bro

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1 hour ago, Wolfgun33 said:

Very nice work on the pit. I have the same kit in the stash. I want to get my painting and weathering skill just a little better before I build it.

Wolfgun33,

 Thanks for stopping on buy and checking out my build. It's much appreciated.

  looking forward to your build when the times come.

 

Joel

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8 hours ago, dnl42 said:

Joel,

 

Nice start! It will be fun to watch you build this!

 

dnl42,

  Thanks my friend for stopping by and checking out my Cat build to date. It's been a lot of fun so far without any issues. The kit is just a total joy to build.

Joel

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Nice pit, Joel. You showed exactly why I hate Eduard's prepainted photoetch - they're rarely the correct colour and the printing is subpar. I find it interesting that people prefer using prepainted PE to decals, yet they are both flat and with decals at least you decide the colour of the pit :)

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3 hours ago, Sebastijan said:

Nice pit, Joel. You showed exactly why I hate Eduard's prepainted photoetch - they're rarely the correct colour and the printing is subpar. I find it interesting that people prefer using prepainted PE to decals, yet they are both flat and with decals at least you decide the colour of the pit :)

 Sebastijan,

  Thanks for stopping by and checking out my F6F build. It's much appreciate 

 

  Eduard has made some real progress after getting slammed over and over again about that hideous   Blue/Black color they've been using for years. At  least they got the Black about right now.  I was able to change the green color somewhat by hand brushing on MRP (pre thinned) paints with a #10 O brush.  Will be posting some pics later tonight.

Joel

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   I've finally finished the cockpit after applying a dark oil wash followed by a Testors Dullcoat, then reinstalled the IP again after a few coats of MRP ANA 611  interior green applied by hand. Since it's pre-thinned, it helped but that odd Bronze color still is visible

 

azzX9f.jpg

 

The rear compartment right behind the cockpit firewall has been painted Grumman Gray. the accepted color match is FS 36440. Even when the fuselage halves are closed up, looking through the rear cockpit windows, the Grumman Gray is clearly visible. 

 

AsPyUU.jpg

 

I decided to modify the rear wheel assembly so that I can install it as a finishing item, rather then now. This will allow me to work on the seam running through the rear wheel well, and let me paint it as a separate component without having to mask it or try to paint it after installation.  So I installed the rear cockpit windows on both sides which fit perfectly, and closed up the fuselage. The fit is just outstanding to say the least.  

 

As I assumed, once the fuselage halves are closed up, there isn't that much of the cockpit that one can easily see, but enough to make the detailing and careful paint worth while.

 

OpBvnB.jpg

 

  As I said earlier on, I opted not to use the PE Eduard IP levers as I couldn't work with them do to their extremely small size, so I made new ones out of stretched sprue and knobs out of white glue.  Same deal for the throttles and console levers.

 

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  As I said, the fit is near on perfect. what a refreshing change that is.

 

iEfcmK.jpg

 

   Thanks for stopping by and checking out my build to date. It's always much appreciated.

 

Joel

Edited by Joel_W
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9 minutes ago, dnl42 said:

Joel,

 

I love the detail painting on the harness! :thumbsup:

 

dnl42,

  Wish I could take credit for it, but that's all Eduard's work. I just added a black wash to it.

Joel

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JA

Very impressive front office. Details and paint work - brilliantly done. Of course, the IP and sestbelts are a standout as they should be and add so much to the cockpit. Super work and a gem in the making👍

Keep 'em coming

Bro

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2 hours ago, Peterpools said:

JA

Very impressive front office. Details and paint work - brilliantly done. Of course, the IP and sestbelts are a standout as they should be and add so much to the cockpit. Super work and a gem in the making👍

Keep 'em coming

Bro

 Bro,

  Thanks for stopping by and checking out the F6F-3, it's always appreciated. Glad that you like how the pit turned out.  Just started on the wings, and Eduard's separate flying surfaces are a real nice touch. 

Joel

The Other Bro

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2 minutes ago, Sebastijan said:

Those levers look much better than Eduard's would. You cannot reproduce round things with PE accurately.

Sebastijan,

     Thanks so much for stopping by, and appreciating my efforts.

 

    That's for sure. Even if I could have gotten the PE ones bent up and glued on, they're still 2 dimensional. I could have tried to use white glue for the knobs, but there is nothing I could do to change the flatness of the shafts. 

 

Joel

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  • Joel_W changed the title to 1/48 scale Eduard Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat Update 10/22/17

  Finally I've accomplished enough work for another update.

 

  After the fuselage was glued together, I filled any small depressions that was caused by the Tamiya Extra Thin as the fit was 100% perfect.  Then I sanded the seam, and it was time to face the music and re-scribe all the recessed panel lines I had sanded off.  I'm about the worst re-scriber you have ever seen, and almost always cause more damage then I fix through the process. But since this model is going to be an entrant in the 2018 IPMS Noreastcon, the basics had to be perfect.  Amazing, but this time I got it right. I still  have to seal and polish the re-rescribing, but the hard part is over.

 

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  I also noticed that the rear cockpit bulkhead needed a little filling, so using Vallejo White Acrylic putty, I took care of the issue.  Since the putty doesn't require sanding, just a damp Qtip, it was the perfect choice for this job.

 

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   Next I tackled the centerline gas tank which is so prominent on the Hellcat.  The tank glues up perfectly, but there is a plug with the two supporting rods that needs some work. The rods make it nearly impossible to do correctly, so I cut them off.  Then glued in the part. When dry I sanded to shape, then puttied with Bondo Glazing, followed by a coat of CCA Gel.  Every recess is sealed for a perfectly smooth fit.

 

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   Now I drilled two holes for new rods made from Evergreen rod. Both the tank and rods are just dry fitted. Once I got the rod positions correct, I glued them in place, but not the tank, as it will be attached at the end of the build.

 

WjfNUc.jpg

 

    there are two sets of anti sway straps which at molded only on the bottom half of the tank, and the upper straps are PE parts. I cut one out to test fit it, and naturally it popped out of the tweezers  and the carpet monster had his 1st snack of the session. So I decided to make them out of thin strips tank to fuselage for now. When I install the tank at the end of the build, I'm planning on cutting those straps in half, and with thin pieces of lead wire flatten each end and the middle to represent the tightening clamps.  But for now, this is where the tank is at

 

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    I had already glued up the main wings, and didn't much care for the insert with the MGs, so once again I cut them off, making the process so much easier. I'll replace them with some spare Quckboost MGs I have in my spares box.  I've always had issues with the wing tip lenses, and this time was no different.  I drilled a hole in each tip, then painted each one the appropriate color, then the base silver. When dry I glued the lenses on with Extra Thin, then a coating of CCA Gel. I sanded and polished to a smooth finish which passed my finger nail test.

 

5u0Tvr.jpg

 

And a little closer

 

L9MJ4l.jpg

 

 

 As usual, thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my Hellcat build, it's always much appreciated.

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  • Joel_W changed the title to 1/48 scale Eduard Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat Update 11/14/17

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