1:72 F6F-3/5 Hellcat

The fighter that turned the balance over the Pacific

When the Hellcats first appeared over the Japanese islands in August 1943, the US Navy at once had a machine that stood comparison with its opponent in everything that mattered. It was faster in a dive, it carried more armor and its radial engine of around two thousand horsepower pulled even a badly damaged airframe back onto the deck.

Two versions in one box. The designation in the name refers to two consecutive production forms. The older of them fought the decisive battles of 1944; the later one got a stronger windscreen, heavier armor and modifications for night and attack work with rockets. The differences are small but, for a builder inclined to accuracy, substantial, so it pays to pick the version before the fuselage is glued.

Why this size of all sizes. For a carrier fighter 1:72 is the ideal compromise: the model fits into an ordinary display cabinet and still carries photo-etched belts, metal machine gun barrels and masks for the markings. A collection of carrier machines can be put together faster in it than in the larger scales.

What to expect from the build. The box holds moldings, decals and instructions, not a finished aircraft. The Navy blue-gray scheme forgives little, so it pays to work in thin layers and to suggest the transitions between shades by shading rather than with a sharp boundary. Anyone who wants to build a machine from the end of the war should check the shape of the exhausts and the presence of the radar pod under the wing beforehand.