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Old Hasegawa 1/32 Hellcat


Tolga ULGUR

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Scott also built a beautiful Corsair out of the old Revell kit... does anybody know if Scott is around on site?

Cheers

Alan

 

He pops up every now and then at different places.

Haven't seen (virtually of course) him recently.

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In my opinion Hasegawa's interpretation of the lapped panels and mushroom rivets is on the fuselage is consistent with the real thing...

 

40155193064_8ca906008e_o.jpg

 

26993093258_562d2f9138_b.jpg

40822012072_1e3ab67750_h.jpg

 

Unlike the wings, which were flush riveted...

 

39969375815_8dc05c6da9_k.jpg

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing them.

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I agree 110% you are dead on and the Trumpeter kit is not nearly as good. I would take the Trumpeter cockpit and throw the rest of the kit in the garbage.

This would be a big mistake as the wings with the wheel wells and the engine are also FAR better! The only thing that is better in the Hasegawa kit is the fuselage. Not a minor point for sure but not sufficient either.

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Yeah, that is why most of us are planning on using the Trumpy wings if available. The grand Canyons in the Hasegawa wings are definitely fixable, but overall the Trumpeter wings have much better panel lines and detail to them. 

 

 

That being said, if you dont have access to the Trumpy kit which it doesnt sound like you have, fixing those panel lines should be no more work that some filler, masking tape, an Exacto blade (for cutting out the ejection chutes) and some elbow grease with some sanding material. 

 

Also, double check your Has wings for warping. I know mine are slightly warped right out of the box, and have had a few guys report the same thing with their Has kits. 
Just something to look out for that apparently the Has F6F wings may be a bit prone to.  

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I have a lot of love for the old Hase kit - built a couple over the years, I do think the fuselage is better than the Trumpeter kit in almost every way, but seemed like it would be a real pain to try to get the Hase fuse to mate with the Trump wing (which is IMHO quite nice and much better than the Hase, in particular with the wheel wells, control surfaces etc)

 

here is my current build where I have "forced" the Trump fuselage to at least be shaped more correct (again just my opinion):

 

http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=72085&hl=

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Tolga, you're probably aware of this already, but there was a very good issue of the IPMS QUARTERLY dating back to 1975, which reviewed the Hasegawa F6F-3/5, along with the Otaki F6F-3, Monogram F6F-5 as well as the Matchbox and Airfix kits in 72nd.

 

The major takeaways with respect to outline accuracy and shape were that the vertical fin/rudder was slightly too tall ( but correctable), and the drop tank was just a smidge too short at the trailing edge tip. I think the cutout for the tail wheel well at the back end needed to be lengthened or shortened but i cannot remember which.

 

When i look at the kit parts, the profile of the "nose ring" on the front of the cowling seems to my eye to be a little too squared off and blocky, but again i think its correctable with some careful filing and sanding.

 

The only other issue with the Hasegawa kit concerns the canopy. To me the windscreen proportions look a little off. Not the same order of magnitude the Trumpeter canopy is, but i feel like they made the sliding part a little too short in length and compensated by making the windscreen a little long at the base. Don't take my word for it; compare it to photos and draw your own conclusions.

 

Bottom line: +1 for the Hasegawa F6F kit.

 

-d-

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Thank you for information and explanation. Very appreciated.

It seems that I will continue with Hasegawa by working on the wings. 

 

Yeah, that is why most of us are planning on using the Trumpy wings if available. The grand Canyons in the Hasegawa wings are definitely fixable, but overall the Trumpeter wings have much better panel lines and detail to them. 

 

 

That being said, if you dont have access to the Trumpy kit which it doesnt sound like you have, fixing those panel lines should be no more work that some filler, masking tape, an Exacto blade (for cutting out the ejection chutes) and some elbow grease with some sanding material. 

 

Also, double check your Has wings for warping. I know mine are slightly warped right out of the box, and have had a few guys report the same thing with their Has kits. 
Just something to look out for that apparently the Has F6F wings may be a bit prone to.  

 

 

No, they don't. I filled them all and re-scribed it.

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Thanks David

Tolga, you're probably aware of this already, but there was a very good issue of the IPMS QUARTERLY dating back to 1975, which reviewed the Hasegawa F6F-3/5, along with the Otaki F6F-3, Monogram F6F-5 as well as the Matchbox and Airfix kits in 72nd.

 

The major takeaways with respect to outline accuracy and shape were that the vertical fin/rudder was slightly too tall ( but correctable), and the drop tank was just a smidge too short at the trailing edge tip. I think the cutout for the tail wheel well at the back end needed to be lengthened or shortened but i cannot remember which.

 

When i look at the kit parts, the profile of the "nose ring" on the front of the cowling seems to my eye to be a little too squared off and blocky, but again i think its correctable with some careful filing and sanding.

 

The only other issue with the Hasegawa kit concerns the canopy. To me the windscreen proportions look a little off. Not the same order of magnitude the Trumpeter canopy is, but i feel like they made the sliding part a little too short in length and compensated by making the windscreen a little long at the base. Don't take my word for it; compare it to photos and draw your own conclusions.

 

Bottom line: +1 for the Hasegawa F6F kit.

 

-d-

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I have just ordered CMK's cockpit set and Barracuda's wheels from Hannants.

I will study the kit and start as soon as possible. But I have some ongoings projects to be completed.

I will post pictures in WIP when I started the kit.

Thanks again to all who share their knowledge, opinions and experiences. Very appreciated indeed.  

 

:clap2:

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