AlbertD

Hello
 
Here is my latest built (completed some times ago actually...)
 
It is the HKM 1/48 B-17G. A pleasant built.
Addons :
Eduard PE for the inside + space for the cockpit
Eduard Brassin exhaust pipes, turbochargers and wheels
Eduard bronze landing gears
Master gun barrels
Superscale Decals
 
It is my first kit painted with an airbrush... I used Tamyia paints.
 
Sorry for the poor quality of the picts, I had to take them with my phone as the model is way too big for the lighting box.
 











 
 
 

Ive only built the Trumpeter kit. It does build nicely, but I can only echo what others have said about it being obese 
 
Bruce 
 

We can only hope someone comes up with an updated kit. It's such an important plane and would be a popular kit if it's well done. Thanks for the comparison of the kits.

That looks great. You convinced me to pick up a Hasegawa kit.

This is what I made of the old Hasegawa kit many moons ago as my first serious dabble in the hobby since I was spotty teenager.
Sorry in advance for the waffling text, but the main ideas are there.
I had checked out the Hellcat in the Yeovilton museum and noticed the wings were very smooth yet the fuselage was as knobbly as a toad, so I left the raised rivet detail on the kit's fuselage and filled the trenches on the wings with super glue and rescribed.
Vacform canopy was from Squadron, True Details cockpit may be hard to find these days, though CMK do one I believe.
I still have my Hasegawa Hellcats, and they look infinitely better than the Trumpy thing.
https://www.hyperscale.com/2012/galleries/hellcatfaa32rt_1_1.htm

Very nice build! Again it shows what can be done with the old Hasegawa Hellcat. You guys! You're getting me fired up to score one of these[ like I really, really need another kit] . It's what we live for isn't it.

It doesn't take a lot of work to make the Hasegawa kit look like a Hellcat pretty much out of the box. And if you want to jazz it up, there are lots of things out there to help. Here's my example:
https://www.largescaleplanes.com/articles/article.php?aid=2401
and there are way better ones out there.
 

I just hope it's as good as Band of Brothers.
 
Still the best ever series shown on TV - in my opinion.

All-
 
Apple TV have finally announced a release date for Masters of the Air, the next World War II installment from Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks (Band of Brothers, The Pacific). January 26th, 2024, you'll be able to start streaming the new series on Apple TV exclusively. It's aviation related, so it's relevant here!
 

 
- Dennis S.
   Mount Juliet, TN USA

Hasegawa fuselage with Trumpeter wings ...?

Hasegawa.

X2.

Having tried to improve the Trumpeter kit cockpit area and still being unsatisfied with it, I would say Hasegawa personally despite the age of the kit and lack of detail.
 
The airfix looks good though - I have been holding out for a conversion to a dash three to build it myself but may give in and do as a dash-5

That looks like quite a project. It might be a bit much for me though. 

We can only hope someone comes up with an updated kit. It's such an important plane and would be a popular kit if it's well done. Thanks for the comparison of the kits.

I'm not after any specific version of the aircraft, I just want a nice representative of the airplane. It seems like most of the kits have been around a while. I thought about the Airfix 1/24 but I really want to stick with 32nd scale.
 
Thanks for any guidance. 

After doing a quick review on line , it seems as though the Airfix Hellcat is kind of hard to come by. Getting a little thin on the ground, crap! 

Yes it does , I know it would be too much for me and I'd really like to have a Hellcat. I know you would prefer 1/32  but TBH the pickings are slim, might want to reconsider the Airfix 1/24  Hellcat. It's about the best there is for large scale Hellcats. Like you I'm kind of surprised[ and disappointed ] that someone hasn't done a really good  one yet[ I don't consider Trumpeter's offering very good at all] I had one and ..... after going through the contents in the box , promptly packed it up and sold it to a friend of mine[ yes, he's still a friend]. While the Hellcat isn't my all time fav, I still want one and I maybe getting an Airfix Hellcat[ a little big perhaps ,have to fold the wings] .

That looks like quite a project. It might be a bit much for me though. 

There's always this path...

Well, it's a case of pick your poison, either/or....  You can get the old Hasegawa kit that has some "issues" and is very old, complete with raised panel lines, deep trenches for others, inaccurate cockpit but yet is fairly accurate in overall shape and detail but it does have some issues; like the smile on the cowl is a bit wonky I believe among others (I never noticed it but I'm not a real Hellcat afficanado so I probably wouldn't).  The alternative is a Trumpeter offering which looks like a Hellcat but is noticeably portly, especially around the cockpit area.  The detail is ok and the cockpit is better than the Hasegawa offering, probably builds easier (I've never built the Trumpeter kit - I had one but immediately sold it when I saw it was "fat").  I have a Hasegawa F6F-3/5 kit with some aftermarket to make it a little better.  I choose that over the Trumpeter kit but your preference may differ.
 
Until someone offers up a top notch quality F6F (Tamiya, et. al.), those are the only two options.

I completed the simple base yesterday and mounted the plane and pilot on it so this build is 100% complete.  Following are a few photos.  As I stated in the in progress thread I took a bit of artistic license when it came to shading the blue and red - though due to the shadows the top wing gives under certain light conditions the differences red shading actually looks a lot less than it showed up in the pictures I took during the build.  
 
As an aside I have started the next step in my WWI German aircraft odyssey this year as I have started the WNW Albatros DV/DVa "Wooden Wonders" kit.  Replicating the wood should be fun and hopefully I won't make too much of a hash with the rigging.  I'll start a new "in Progress" thread soon.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a few close ups to finish off.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A few med distance shots.  I had not yet put the tie downs on the carrier deck, but the aircraft and figure are complete.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Marking time while looking after my spouse who is laid out sick today with either the flu - or she ate something that did not agree with her; and our 5 year old foster daughter (who we are in the process of adopting).  I doubt there will be any bench time today and while the little one is listening to some children's music and coloring I thought I would post a build I did some four years ago of Tamiya's A6M2b Zero.  This was a very nice kit that had only two drawbacks.  The decals were not the easiest to work with and the undercarriage was more fiddley than it would have been had Tamiya not tried to make it a cross between a toy and a model.  I guess one could also add the rubber tires as well, but I thought they were ok.
 
The figure is the one that came with the kit and shows all the limitations of an injection molded figure vs a resin one, but it turned out serviceable.  The carrier deck is scratch built using left over "planks" from an old wooden ship kit that I built for my brother-in-law some 10 years ago.  Those were laid down on a  piece of MDC board that I then framed with wood.  I tried to get the deck color to look like a Japanese carrier deck circa mid to late 1942.  I wanted to show the aircraft a bit worn, without making it look ready for the boneyard so I kept chipping, fading, etc somewhat "middle of the road".
 
Enjoy!