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F6F-5 Hellcat in Indochina - rivetting again and again


dutik

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Hi, folks!

 

This is my NAM GB entry. Something esoteric for the theater of operations, but a wellknown Grumman fighter: A Hellcat, but in French livery. They used them for ground support, based on dry ground, still wearing the wellknown Glossy Sea Blue. So a lot of dust and chipping ahead...!

 

hellcat0006e5k9w.jpg

 

All the good stuff:

 

Trumpies Hellcat. It's an Mark 3. will make it into a Mark 5.

Eduards selfadhesive interior PE

Eduards gunbay for show

Eduards canopy mask

Barracudas post-war wheels

Berna decals French marking

 

Enjoy!

- dutik

Edited by dutik
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First steps first:

 

hellcat000104oxo.jpg

 

First time I used Eduards self adhesive PE. I am not impressed. They look nice in the blister, but paint rubs down easily. Faced the same problems as AndersN with his Bearcat - the PE parts are too large for the kit parts. Had to use precision sheet metal shears to cut some parts down without damaging the paint as well as to enlarge one misaligned slot for cockpit wall stringers and to add some styrene at another location. Large PE parts are difficult to remove from the backing sheet without bending them, while the small parts are difficult to hold. OK, there is one advantage: Tweezer launched parts tend to stick to your arm to be saved instead of going down to the floor forever. I am not convinced with the glue effect: In contrast to oldfashioned superglu or decals the selfadhesive PE does not stick well to the surface, tend to move somewhat after final application (i. e. to rotate or slide sideways) and to come off when handling the styrene kit parts. Coloration is also somewhat odd...

 

OK, no more whining. Managed to fit the PE to the kit parts. The Interior green paint at hand didn't fit Eduards green, so I mixed the proper shade using Vallejos. Worked well, but I have to paint some more coats instead of one or two. Not a biggie, but slowing down work. Also made some touchups where the PE lost some paint as well as to hide shiny edges.

 

While paint was drying started folding the first gunbay. This is "plain jane" Eduard PE and it works as I know it: very well. No problems here.

Nice finding: I discovered two full PE sets in my blister :thumbsup: Nice compensation for the hassle with the selfadhesive parts... 

Well, maybe this is some kind of "modeller bail-out program"? So I will take care of the blister and the instructions to sell the surplus set.

 

Regards

- dutik

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This is why I stopped using most P/E stuff,  plus I get the satisfaction of painting it myself.

 

I have guys in my club who would be lost without it??????????

 

LOVE the choice for your build

 

watch'in you :wicked: 

 

jack

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Spent some time this evening to add more precolored gizmos to the pit:

 

hellcat0003hhkxn.jpg

 

Looks nice when done. Reglued the PE at the right console with superglue, because it peeled off again and again. Bonded now forever!

The instrument paneel is ready, but I will leave it off until the cockpit is glued into the fuselage. Dry fitting revealed some gaps around the frontal bulkhead to be filled and sanded; and I don't want to scratch the nice instrument paneel.

 

Working at the throttle quadrant (left upper corner). Its huge, so I cut off some chunks with a saw and sanded it as flat as possible without damaging the levers. Also scrapped off the wrong lever runnig across the front face. Now I will mate this with the PE backside of the Eduard set and fit it to the left console. Also shortened the lower "shelf" of the left console. there is no such thing at the real plane, just some instruments at the side wall and a lot of plumbing. I made a compromise by keeping a short piece to help glueing it.

 

Want to add the visible plumbing and wiring below the left console and at the rear wall. Does anybody know what was the colour of the compressed air bottle? I guess this one is used to lower the undercarriage.

 

That's it for today.

 

Enjoy

- dutik

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Spent some time this evening to add more precolored gizmos to the pit:

 

hellcat0003hhkxn.jpg

 

Looks nice when done. Reglued the PE at the right console with superglue, because it peeled off again and again. Bonded now forever!

The instrument paneel is ready, but I will leave it off until the cockpit is glued into the fuselage. Dry fitting revealed some gaps around the frontal bulkhead to be filled and sanded; and I don't want to scratch the nice instrument paneel.

 

Working at the throttle quadrant (left upper corner). Its huge, so I cut off some chunks with a saw and sanded it as flat as possible without damaging the levers. Also scrapped off the wrong lever runnig across the front face. Now I will mate this with the PE backside of the Eduard set and fit it to the left console. Also shortened the lower "shelf" of the left console. there is no such thing at the real plane, just some instruments at the side wall and a lot of plumbing. I made a compromise by keeping a short piece to help glueing it.

 

Want to add the visible plumbing and wiring below the left console and at the rear wall. Does anybody know what was the colour of the compressed air bottle? I guess this one is used to lower the undercarriage.

 

That's it for today.

 

Enjoy

- dutik

Hi Dutik! Shes looking awesome and great work!  The compressed air bottle would be ZC yellow or Unpainted Aluminum.

Keep up the great work my friend,

 Paul 

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Journey onward:

 

hellcat0005vxbek.jpg

 

Added some plumbing to the rear bulkhead. Not to scale, but at the correct locations to make the cockpit look busy. Trumpeters handwheel was a solid blob (hey, I know the can make nice handwheels, proven by their armor kits!), so I replaced it with a PE part from the bitbox. Cut off the headrest, made a new one and placed it more to the top. The right paneel is ready now. The left one got the throttle quadrant added, but needs some more PE as well as some red and green insignia painted here and there. Started making the PE seatbelts. Somewhat fiddly, but nice when ready.

 

Base paint is on. All accents and highlights are done. Wash (pinwash only) done. Next painting step is micropainting of chips and wear, followed by dusting with pigments and a final flat clearcote. Then I am ready to glue the parts together and into the fuselage.

 

Enjoy!

- dutik

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There is a work related break ahead, so 2 more images to go B)

 

Dryfitted:

 

hellcat0009zpkq4.jpg

 

And forced into the fuselage:

 

hellcat0004cdj32.jpg

 

Needs some more dryfitting and a little bit of sanding here and there to be glued when the painting was done. Not bad for the moment. We shall see when time has come...

 

- dutik

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