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

[PhilB]

15 hours ago, Out2gtcha said:

Now dont crucify me here, but honestly the only initial thing I see that seems off a tad to my Mk 1 eyeball are the wheels.....

Maybe I'm off, but it seems like the wheels at least look like they are a bit too low in profile........something just looks off. Obviously I'll wait to see things I person before making a final call, but with the motorised option, I'm picking this one up!

I wouldn't worry about it even if they are.

I would think the usual AM companies will be getting ready for this one as I think this one is aimed squarely at the North American market.

Of course it will also be built by others but this one will be well covered with AM Ip's, decals and other lovely stuff.

If you suspend it from the ceiling and switch the motor on will it fly around in circles like those toy aircraft you used to be able to get?

[GrahamF]

10 out of 10 to Airfix, I was surprised by the Hellcat, but I think they make very good choices these days on what to make, The Corsair has been done very well recently by Tamiya in 1:32 so I totally get why they didn't choose that.

 

Graham

[TorbenD]

A very pleasant surprise from Airfix - Saw this yesterday at Telford - Incredibly impressive in the flesh and to my eye looked bob on from tip to toe and sat very well on its wheels with clearly well engineered and accurate touches across the whole airframe. Definitely a lot of top quality, plastic for the price.

 

The stressed skin is also really well rendered, subtle but there, not overdone at all IMHO. Top job to the designers on the finesse shown. 

 

Torben

[Shoggz]

The designer was stood by his new 'baby' all day and what a pleasant (young!) chap he was.

I also met the gentleman who had built the beautiful example they had completed on the stand.

Apparently if there had been any delays on the M20 he wouldn't have made it! Another one on a tight building deadline like our Phartycroc with his HKM Lanc.

[Shawn M]

gimme a night fighter conversion with radar, flame dampers and long barrel canons and im ALL over this!

[Rob Colvin]

12 hours ago, LSP_Ray said:

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

 

 

Didn't VFS say they were going to do a 1/24 corsair sometime back? I thought I saw that over at HS.

 

 

[Southern Bandit]

If Airfix are going to carry on this trend I'd like to see them do a Wildcat.

[Out2gtcha]

So, having heard a statement from them that K1 put out indicating that they will not be doing a -3..................

 

So what are the visual differences it would take to get an F6F-5 to and F6F-3 other than the obvious rear windows behind the pilot?

 

 

 

All that being said, I did happen to find this pic, that seems to show an F6F-5 in the typical 3-tone USN scheme:

 

https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Hellcat/F6F-5/pages/Grumman-F6F-5-Hellcat-showing-the-three-tone-color-scheme-01.html

 

 

[cbk57]

With luck, Airfix will also do an F6F-3, however with that said, I think there are adequate nice marking options for the -5 to keep us all busy for a while.  You don’t have to have three color scheme to make this airplane interesting.  I suspect we can find plenty of interesting marking options for it.  So I will be happy to do a -5 in GSB and if the chance comes around do a -3 in three color.  

 

As for a 1/24 Corsair, unless it is an F4U-4 or latter I don’t see any point.  The Tamiya one in 1/32 is fine.  I don’t see Airfix wanting to do their own version.  I am really happy to see this F6 being done.  I can’t tell, I watched the Video by Airfix and have looked at the sprues but it sounds like this kit will somehow have the option of positioning the wings in the extended or folded position interchangeably.  I don’t think they are incorporating a folding mechanism though.  It looks like maybe somehow you can hang the wings in either position.  If that is the case, I love it.  You can store and pop the wings out when you want.  With these big planes, storage flexibility would be a great help.  I hope we see more of that in future designs.  

[Out2gtcha]

8 minutes ago, cbk57 said:

With luck, Airfix will also do an F6F-3, however with that said, I think there are adequate nice marking options for the -5 to keep us all busy for a while.  

 

 

Ill see if I can find where he quoted it, but I believe LSP_Kevin got/saw a response from AirFix on their site or FB site, and they seemed to confirm that they were not doing a -3 release. 

[Dave Williams]

1 hour ago, Out2gtcha said:

So, having heard a statement from them that K1 put out indicating that they will not be doing a -3..................

 

So what are the visual differences it would take to get an F6F-5 to and F6F-3 other than the obvious rear windows behind the pilot?

 

 

 

All that being said, I did happen to find this pic, that seems to show an F6F-5 in the typical 3-tone USN scheme:

 

https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Hellcat/F6F-5/pages/Grumman-F6F-5-Hellcat-showing-the-three-tone-color-scheme-01.html

 

 

 

Doubt that’s a -5 due to the windshield differences previously mentioned.  Pretty sure it’s a -3.

 

This is a -3 canopy.  Notice the height and flattish shape of the top of the center windscreen panel, plus the frame going from the upper corner of the center panel back to the rear frame of the windscreen.  There are two of these frames, one each side.

 

 

This is a -5 canopy.  Note the top of the center windscreen is rounded and goes almost to the top of the windscreen, and there is just a single frame at top center going back the the rear windscreen frame.  Plus, the center panel is flat, whereas it’s slightly curved in the -3.

 

 

Aside from adding the rear windows and needing a new windscreen, the pilot’s rear head armor needs to be cut on the sides to allow him to be able to look back through the rear windows.  Also, check this thread.

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235041054-difference-between-a-late-f6f-3-and-f6f-5-cowling/

 

Edited November 12, 2018 by Dave Williams

[rafju]

-5 => bullet proof windshield

and -3?

 

[cbk57]

1 hour ago, Out2gtcha said:

 

 

Ill see if I can find where he quoted it, but I believe LSP_Kevin got/saw a response from AirFix on their site or FB site, and they seemed to confirm that they were not doing a -3 release. 

If that is the case, oh well.  I hope in time they come back and do it.  In the near term I am not holding out for a -3.  I will happily take the -5, I like this kit.  I think there is a lot to be enthusiastic about here.  

 

I am looking foreword to seeing how the wing fold works on this.  Do the wings remain positionnable after assembly in some manner?  To me being able to position the wings folded or unfolded would be a big plus.  I just am not into committing to folded wings as I don't like to build that way but if I could have the option of positioning them that is a different story as I could put the model away and fold the wings.

[Plasto]

My understanding is as the Hellcat production progressed Grumman introduced a number of modifications to the base -3 design so some late -3 have features associated with the -5.

 

When the USN changed the specification / order to change aircraft paint schemes from. Tri-colour to GSB. Grumman implemented the change with the introduction of the -5 to service. So all -5 were supplied in GSB to the USN..

[airscale]

i am just starting to learn about the airframe as I spoke to them about doing an IP set for it - it's got me curious though as the IP in the kit is actually just a reflector shroud that sat on top of the standard IP for only the F6F5N nightfighter - it had a load of dim red lamps on it and covered most of the instrumentation

 

 

..the odd thing is I can't see the big wing radar pod that went with this variant on the sprues, and even assuming there is a clear IP that sits under it (there were no clear sprues at Telford), I am still slightly baffled as to what's planned...

 

..I guess I will just do metal IPs and bespoke decals / placards when the test shot arrives and give the choice - shroud or no shroud..

 

Peter