Airfix News Just in from Telford: 1/24 Hellcat!

[rafju]

Under french navy colours:

http://archives.ecpad.fr/les-ailes-de-l-arromanches/

 

Hope Airfix will give some french roundels

 

[LSP_K2]

OK, dumb question time here, folks. As a rule, were the F6F-5 aircraft always painted in overall GSB? I know that most, if not all of the F6F-3's were done up in the tri-color scheme.

 

Thanks a bunch,

[LSP_Ray]

On 11/11/2018 at 12:49 PM, LSP_Typhoonattack said:

OK, dumb question time here, folks. As a rule, were the F6F-5 aircraft always painted in overall GSB? I know that most, if not all of the F6F-3's were done up in the tri-color scheme.

 

Thanks a bunch,

Apparently not:

I would have to look it up, but I think the all over GSB scheme occurred starting late '43, early '44? So earlier -5's would have been 3-tone scheme.

 

Edit:Looking closely at the photo, and ref info, looks like this is a F6f-3, not a -5! So unless new info comes out, 3-tone scheme is out! 

[Jack]

On 11/10/2018 at 1:45 PM, Erwin said:

OMG !!   Never saw that one comming. 

 

I might be wrong in mentioning.But I sure hope the parts are strong enough to support a folded wing. Wait and see.

It would be nice to build this with one wing straight and one folded.

 

I won't rush to buy one.I shall wait to see some progress reports.It's not that it will be out of production in 2020.

 

Erwin, i know ONE 1/24 you're waiting for since you started building:  BOULTON PAUL DEFIANT!!!!

[TimHepplestone]

I love it. The CAD looks really impressive. Like others I hope they provide a FAA scheme

[cbk57]

1 minute ago, Jennings Heilig said:

This could possibly be our first (and likely only) foray into 1/24 decals..

That might be reasonable, I wold think demand for this kit and A.M. especially decals should be pretty descent.  I am a likely buyer of both as I will probably want something other than what is in the box for decals.  I anticipate buying this kit.

[RNoAF]

And in a couple of years Airfix will give us the mighty Corsair in 1/24 and then finally the A-1 Skyraider!!! :-)

[Southern Bandit]

It looks a great kit, most unexpected release, just hope it does not stop Tamiya from producing a 1/32 one if that was on their schedule, Airfix's Mosquito never stopped Tamiya producing their own, or HK ... so maybe.

Otherwise ... am tempted on this one.

[Dave Williams]

Will the kit include the -3 type rear cockpit windows?  If not, not sure how many, if any, of the later -5s without the rear windows were painted in the tri-color scheme.

[LSP_Ray]

3 hours ago, Jennings Heilig said:

Re the possibility of a four-tone camouflage F6F-5 - I'm not going to state categorically that it didn't happen, but if it did there certainly wasn't more than a small handful of -5s build with the blue/white scheme.  Grumman switched to F6F-5 production at almost exactly the same time as the changeover to GSB took place.  I've been through all of my Hellcat refs and I can't find a single photo that I can state with certainty is a -5 in blue/white.  In the old D&S book there is a photo captioned "One of the first F6F-5s..." that's in GSB.  Take that for what it's worth, but if it happened, it was rare.

Are you saying "Little Joe" is a -3?

[LSP_Ray]

3 hours ago, Jennings Heilig said:

This could possibly be our first (and likely only) foray into 1/24 decals..

What if they come out with a 1/24th F4u???

[Dave Williams]

33 minutes ago, LSP_Ray said:

Are you saying "Little Joe" is a -3?

 

Not necessarily.  Early -5s were built with -3 type rear cockpit windows.  I think the point is that if only a handful of early -5s were painted in tri-color, they would have also had the rear cockpit windows.  If the Airfix kit doesn’t include an option for the rear cockpit windows, then you can’t do one in tri-color from the box.

[LSP_K2]

1 hour ago, Dave Williams said:

Not necessarily.  Early -5s were built with -3 type rear cockpit windows.  I think the point is that if only a handful of early -5s were painted in tri-color, they would have also had the rear cockpit windows.  If the Airfix kit doesn’t include an option for the rear cockpit windows, then you can’t do one in tri-color from the box.

 

 

I'm strongly leaning toward that same conclusion, which, if true, is a bit of a shame, at least as far as I'm concerned.

[Dave Williams]

46 minutes ago, Jennings Heilig said:

 

I’d say it’s far more likely than not.

 

Looking more closely at the real photo of Little Joe, it has the -3 windscreen.  The -5 windscreen has the flat armor glass panel incorporated as part of the windscreen, and there is just a single short frame from the rounded top edge of the center panel to the frame at the rear of the windshield.  On the -3, the armored glass was a separate internal part, so the center windscreen panel wasn't flat but had a more flat top edge, with two small frames going from each corner of the center panel back to the rear frame of the windshield.

[Erwin]

8 hours ago, Jack said:

 

Erwin, i know ONE 1/24 you're waiting for since you started building:  BOULTON PAUL DEFIANT!!!!

I can only dream ! 

 

Their must be some brand that can see the potential in such a kit.  I would be happy if it's 32 nd too.

 

(De Storch dat je me gaf is klaar in de groepsbouw.Bedankt )

Edited November 12, 2018 by Erwin