1:72 F6F-3 Hellcat cowling late - opened flaps - Eduard

Engine cowling with open flaps for the F6F-3 Hellcat, 1:72 scale

This is an accessory part, not an aircraft model. It replaces the radial engine cowling with a version that has the cowl flaps open, that is, as the cowling looked on the ground and during takeoff, when the engine needed as much cooling air as possible. The flaps on the rear edge of the cowling are meanwhile hard to make on an injection-molded kit: in the open position they are thin plates angled away from the fuselage with a view inside between them. A mold can only render them as a suggested groove. The resin replacement has them genuinely open. The designation late then specifies that this is the cowling of later production.

The real subject

The Grumman F6F Hellcat was an American carrier-based fighter of the Second World War. It was powered by an air-cooled two-row eighteen-cylinder radial engine and the machine was built to be robust, easy to produce and tough. The F6F-3 version was the first production variant and was deployed in the Pacific fighting from 1943.

Usage tips

• Wash the resin part in lukewarm soapy water to remove mold release residue.
• Cut the casting block off with a saw and level the mating face with a file.
• Paint the inside of the cowling before you fit it, because the open flaps give a view inside.
• Bond with super glue and try the fit dry.
• Match the open flaps to the rest of the model; on an aircraft in flight they should be closed.

Who it is for

The set is for modelers of carrier aviation who are building an aircraft on deck or on an airfield and want an engine cowling matching that moment. Working with resin is not difficult, but it differs from plastic.

It is not an aircraft model. The base kit, paints and glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.