F6F Hellcat Drone details/references

[Shawn M]

Hello gang,

After snagging Airfix's 1/24 Hellcat for 25% off, I decided to do it as a target drone.

 

From what I've found all the radio control gear/actuators,etc was inside the fuse, not the cockpit.

That said some had video cameras in the cockpit and so on.

I was wondering if there are any good books or sites out there you could recommend on the subject to fine tune the details, this scale is perfect to show them off.

 

Thanks!

Shawn

[Juggernut]

Did Hellcats have autopilots or were they part of the drone modifications?

[LSP_K2]

Both Detail & Scale publications books on the Hellcat, share one common page on the Drones (in color), but that's it, at least for D&S.

[Kaeone57]

Build her as as a late -5 Hellcat with orange paint and appropriate BuAer number and I "think/feel" you're good Shawn...WhoTF Knows Bro!? Lol

 

Naval subjects are ghost Bro! You can hear/read/find every Rlm color, etc on aircraft but you ain't gonna find **** on US Naval aircraft of the late 30's till way after hostilities as definitely for real Bro! 

[Shawn M]

Thanks gang, I found what I can online including schematics of the control system.

I was inspired by the Aviation Classics issue on the subject which was chock full of good info.

The cockpits were left intact as the drones we're still piloted from time to time depending on the need, or so the resources say and some pics confirm.

Kaeone57 you're not far off brother lol. 

 

 

[Shawn M]

Hiya Jennings, not a crossroads bird, Im doing a later 5k. Luckily they had colorful tails as well

Although an inflight dio of the Crossroads squadron would be fun in 1/72

[thierry laurent]

Hi,

 

As far as I know, the cockpit was the standard one. As the plane was sometimes piloted, you need to include normal features such as seat belts, oxygen hose and so on.

It looks some planes had a camera on the left side of the IP coaming (forward of the gunsight).  However, I do not remember having seen a picture of that camera. I do not know any other internal specific feature.

 

With regard to the external features, here's what I found:

- The tail wheel is fixed and its bar is longer. This changes the plane stance on the ground. 

- Many planes had different antennas on the tail top and fuselage spine. Two antenna wires were running from the tail top to the port fuselage side. Behind the mast on the spine, the new antennas were trapeze-shaped and triangle-shaped.

- Then there are various changes that were not standard on all airframes such as the center line camera pod or the pods on the modified wing tips.

 

By the way, there were not only F6F-5K but also F6F-3K. And if you want to reproduce a very original postwar Hellcat, the one used to test the Sparrow I looks really impressive even if the color scheme is not that fancy...!

 

Hth

 

Thierry

[Shawn M]

thanks Thierry!

 

[Shawn M]

just found and bought the D.O.D book on the testing of the -5k, now I have allllll I need