F6F-5N Nightfighter

ProfiPACK, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Graham Carter

Familiar to most modellers of naval fighters of the WWII era, the Grumman F6F series replaced the Wildcat fleet fighter in 1944. Some 12000 were produced in two main variants, the F-3 and the F-5. The latter was essentially an up-graded F-3 with a more powerful engine in a revised cowling, better designed armoured windscreen and stronger rear fuselage and some 7900 of this variant were produced. It was used by the USN as well as the FAA (as the Hellcat MkII) and also by France and Uruguay after the war. The Nightfighter variant depicted in this kit was equipped with both 20mm cannon and .50 Brownings , as well as a wing-mounted AN/APS-6 radar pod. Some had the small windows behind the canopy, but most did not. In RN service they were called Hellcat NFIIs.

There are quite a few still existing, fifteen at my count,  either flying or on static display, largely because they were used for post-war racing or fire-bombing and so survived the wholesale destruction of many other types. I am not sure if any of these are the NF variant.

Coming in the usual strong top-opening Eduard box, this kit is yet another iteration of a kit originally released in 2011 and which has been subsequently offered in number of versions as fighters and night-fighters and as a Hellcat II as well as other Profipack , ‘Overtrees’, and Weekend Editions.

This kit is in the same box top as a 2012 night fighter release except that the signaller to the right of the aircraft on the original box is not in this illustration!

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Thumbnail panels:

Being a ProfiPACK boxing, this one includes extra goodies.

These include a much wider decal choice, a pre-coloured and a plain photo-etched fret, and set of self-adhesive canopy masks (but none for the tyres given the separate centres).

Following Eduard's usual pattern, the parts are beautifully moulded in blue-grey plastic on three largish sprues, with a ‘pinwheel’ transparent sprue in a separate bag.

A sprue map on the first page of the instructions indicates that some 21 parts will not be required for this build - essentially cowling options, underwing loads and weapons, instrument panel and windscreen parts from earlier models.

Parts are beautifully moulded with diminutive gates, fine details and subtle panel lines and rivets where called for.

Surface detail is excellent and no flash was visible anywhere so Eduard are obviously taking care of their moulds. Note that smooth and treaded tyres are included and I do like the hubs being separate to ease what I find is the hardest painting demarcation, that around the tyre.

The twelve-page A4 sized instruction booklet gives the modeller a clear construction sequence with colour call-outs at each point in Gunze and Mission Models numbers. Instrument panels are provided as decals and as pre-coloured PE if you so choose. The differences between the five decal choices are indicated where required. The final five pages cover the four schemes in colour with the last page showing the stencil locations. This variant requires all holes to be filled in wings and fuselage before you proceed.

Markings

The four decal choices are nicely printed in-house by Eduard and an additional smaller sheet contains all of the stencils which are tiny and which will possibly disappear against the dark sea blue on all airframes.

As always these show very fine detail, great density and register with minimal carrier film.

The subject aircraft are:

• White 13 flown by Lt. William E Henry of VF(N)-41 , USS Independence , 9/44, without a fuselage tank,

• white 92 of VMF-511, USS Black Island, April 1945 with a grey centreline tank,

• Hellcat NF Mk II of 892 Naval Air Squadron, Drem, Great Britain, 5-8/45, with no tank, and 

• F(N)76 of Major Bruce Porter, CO of VMF(N)-542, Okinawa, 5/45 with a grey centreline tank.

If you missed this kit the first nineteen times it was released then now is your chance to pick up an excellent little kit which comes a very reasonable price for such quality.

Thanks to Eduard for the sample

Review Text & Images Copyright © 2022 by Graham Carter
Images Copyright © 2022 by Brett Green
Page Created 19 December, 2022
Last updated 19 December, 2022

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