1:72 Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat

The Hellcat and its famous crews

The Grumman F6F entered the fighting in 1943 as the answer to Japanese superiority in a turning fight, and it managed to reverse the ratio of victories within a few months. A robust airframe, a powerful radial engine and good protection for the pilot made it the type on which most American naval aces reached their peak. Two of them are represented by name on this sheet.

Five machines from five decks

Three aircraft belong to units operating from aircraft carriers at the time of the fighting for the Marianas in June 1944. The fourth machine carries the markings of a squadron from a smaller ship from July of the same year. The fifth is the personal machine of an air group commander who became the most successful fighter pilot of the US Navy and whose aircraft carried its own name painted under the cockpit.

Small markings in a reduced scale

Reduced to 1:72, the white tactical numbers come out at barely a centimeter and the names under the cockpit are smaller still. The film is therefore thin and folds over easily when lifted out of the water. It has proved best to bring the whole piece up to the model along with the backing paper and only then slide the marking off carefully with a soft brush. Tweezers are useful only for fine-tuning the position.

The paint under the markings

The naval blue of the upper surface is dark and matte, so without a gloss intermediate coat the film silvers almost every time. Once dry, a single thin coat of matte varnish is enough for the edges of the individual markings to disappear completely into the surrounding color and for the model to look as if it had been sprayed in one step.