F6F-5 Hellcat Late

Eduard ProfiPACK, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

The Grumman F6F Hellcat was designed as a stop-gap upgrade of the lightweight F4F Wildcat, almost as an insurance policy in the event that the F4U Corsair, then under development, did not live up to expectations.

Despite the clear family resemblance to the earlier Wildcat, the Hellcat was an all-new aircraft. The resulting naval fighter was stocky in profile, large, powerfully armed and armoured, and heavy. The Hellcat secured its place in history with a remarkable kill ratio of 19:1.

A number of 1/48 scale Hellcat kits have been available for some time now. The old Monogram kit was a typical product of the 1960s with gimmicky moving parts, accuracy problems and poor detail. The ARII / Otaki offering from the 1970s was much better, but was let down by a low level of interior detail. Hasegawa's F6F family dates from the mid-1990s, but it is still a nice model - well detailed with petitely recessed panel lines. Perhaps the most frequent criticism levelled at that kit is the slighty squashed and undersized shape of the lower cowl intake - the Hellcat's distinctive "grin".

Eduard entered the fray with a brand new 1/48 scale F6F-3 Hellcat kit in February 2008 - time flies, doesn't it? - to be followed up with their FAA Hellcat Mk.I and Mk.II, the Royal Class packaging and a standalone F6F-5N Night Fighter ProfiPACK in 2010.

This is an Eduard PofiPACK version of their 1/48 scale F6F-5 Hellcat. As sch, it includes resin and phoo-etched parts plus a generous six marking options as well as the still-excellent plastic parts.

Eduard's 1/48 scale Hellcat Late comprises four grey resin parts; one colour photo-etched fret; one brass photo-etched set; 17 clear parts; decal sheet covering six markings options.

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Thumbnail panels:

Even after more than a decade since its original release, surface textures on the Hellcat stand up well in comparion to Eduard's very high standards today. In addition to crisp, finely recessed panel lines and selected rows of rivets, the Hellcat fuselage employs a subtle lapped panel effect. This really works well.

The fabric ribs on the control surfaces are also very convincing.

The plastic detail in the cockpit is good but the front office is significantly lifted by the included colour photo-etched fret. Parts include the instrument panel, consoles, throttle quadrant, harness srraps, switches and more.

The engine is a simple assembly with only five plastic parts, but detail is barely compromised. Pushrods are moulded in place.

The brass plated photo-etched fret adds an ignition harness, which will be highly visible through the front engine opening. This fret also includes bomb fins ad smaller details.

The canopy parts are crystal clear and thin. Separate parts are supplied to permit the sliding canopy to be displayed open or closed.

Control surfaces are all supplied separately. These are tabbed to assist precise alignment in the neutral position. It appears that the ailerons and elevators may easily be repositioned after slicing the tabs off.

This boxing offers a bonus four resin parts for the main wheels. Hubs are separate parts. Casting quality is perfect and detail is superior to the kit's plastic wheels.

There was much discussion aout the shape of the "grin" lower cowl intake upon the kit's release. I think it looks pretty good - certainly better than the other 1/48 scale kits. You can read my initial impressions by following this link.

The main landing gear legs are too long, giving the finished model a somewhat stalky appearance. Shortening the legs at the oleo strut will be a fast fix for this issue.

Markings

Six marking options are included on the decal sheet. All are in variations of overall Gloss Sea Blue.

The decals, printed by Eduard, are glossy and look great on the sheet.

A small separate stencil data decal sheet is also included.

Eduard's 1/48 scale F6F-5 Hellcat Late is well detailed, features excellent surface texture and offers plenty of useful options to the modeller.

Thanks to Eduard for the sample

Review Text and Images Copyright © 2023 by Brett Green
Page Created 27 July, 2023
Last updated 27 July, 2023

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