1:24 Grumman Hellcat F6F-5 Numbers And Insignia Paint Mask Set

The cat that won the Pacific

The Grumman F6F Hellcat was designed as a direct answer to the Japanese fighters that the older types could not cope with. It received a powerful radial engine, a robust airframe and such a reserve of fuel and ammunition that it could stand a long flight over the ocean. In the F6F-5 version it gained strengthened armor and modifications for operating in the dark as well. The overwhelming majority of the US Navy's air victories in the second half of the war came from its carrier decks.

The scope of the sheet

The set deals with spraying the stars with bars, the fuselage numbers and other markings instead of using decals. In 1:24 scale the model has a span of over half a meter and any decal here gives its carrier film away by a glossy outline, especially when a matte navy blue finish lies underneath it. A sprayed insignia has no edge and behaves as part of the surface, including subsequent wear and chipping.

Have these ready as well

• a large kit of the carrier fighter in the corresponding scale
• white and dark paint for the insignia and the numbers
• covering for the glazing, which is dealt with separately
• enough room on the workbench

Spray the insignia only onto a finished and dried base coat, in thin layers and rather in two passes. With white paint on a dark base it is worth putting in an intermediate coat of light gray, otherwise coverage is reached only with a heavy deposit, which creates a step under the edge of the film.

In scope the sheet ends with the markings. Camouflage transitions and circles for the wheels are not in it; on a model this large both are obtained separately.