Here are some pics of my finished build of the FAA Hellcat Mk.II.
I’m quite happy with how it turned out, and now it sits on a shelf in my cabinet!
Eduard 1/48 Weekend edition – Hellcat Mk.II FAA – Final reveal!
Hellcat Mk.II – part 9
Last update on this build as next will be the final reveal.
I gave the underside a protective clear cote.
For some reason I just might have forgotten to clear cote the topside later.
Next I used Flory’s wash for the first time.
I used grime on the topside and brown on the underside. Here’s the underside after wiping off the excess wash with a moist cloth.
It wasn’t until I started wiping off the wash from the topside that I realized that I probably hadn’t coated that side, as one of the walk way decals went off.
I managed to save it and get it in place with some Micro set, sol and lastly a few drops of Pledge.
I gave the landing gears an oil wash and added the covers.
I turned out that fitting the landing gears was a bit fiddlier than expected, and the covers fell off.
Adding the landing gears was the first part of the final assembly and for that the rockets also needed some colour.
Before adding the missing parts, I also gave the plane an oil wash and some sooth streaks with Tamiyas sooth pigment.
Feeling the end was getting closer, I tried to finish it quicker than neccessary. Ending up with rockets and antennas falling off.
Slowing down helped a bit and gluing the rockets one by one and letting the glue dry inbetween.
Then with all parts in place and everything done except removing the masking from the canopy, I gave it a cote of matt varnish.
That pretty much concludes the build, and the next post will be with the final reveal pics.
It’s a quite nice kit with only some minor problems, a few that I probably caused myself.
Perhaps some day I’ll get the Profipack and build that one, using what I know now to build it better.
Hellcat Mk.II – part 8
I gave the plane a clear cote in preparations for the decals and even later the weathering.
Not many decals and even less stencils on this plane. Now they’re on, and I think they went on quite nicely.
I gave the decals some Micro Sol that hopefully will make them sit even nicer, and hopefully I can give the plane a new clear cote to seal the clear cote and prepare for the weathering.
Hellcat Mk.II – part 7
Time for some touch ups of the paint job I’ve done earlier.
I first masked off the surrounding areas and re-shot the dark grey. Then I masked off the grey and painted dark slate grey, which is a more greenish colour than grey.
After removing the masking, I wasn’t happy with the edge of the sky colour, so on with som masking tape, and then some sky colour.
I also had to freshen up the green a bit. With all that done, it looks like this:
In my mind it looks okey, so next step will be a clear cote in preparation for the decals.
I also need to check which colour it should be in the wheel wells.
Hellcat Mk.II – part 6
Time for the second camo colour which is dark sea grey
Then I used black masking goo to mask off the grey areas.
Then I painted dark slate grey, which i fact is a greenish colour.
The masking goo was very easy to get off.
The blue tack I’ve used to mask off the sky areas, sat a bit harder, but still went off fairly well. As long as it doesn’t sit too long it’s okey.
It wasn’t until I had removed the masking and checked the pics, that I fully realized the mistakes I’ve made. The grey colour on the sides doesn’t cover entirely, and the green field going over the spine should have been a bit wider.
I’ll mask the surrounding areas and repaint the grey, let dry, mask again and the paint the green, and hopefully it’ll look better afterwards.
Hellcat Mk.II – part 5
Once the seams was sorted I could start painitng it, and I started with som preshade.
First colour to go down was sky type S.
I’ll let that dry and then mask for the first topside colour, which I think will be grey.
As can be seen I also painted the wheel well covers.
Hellcat Mk.II – part 4
Just a quick update. I painted the canopy frame black, and then the plane got a cote of primer. I also primed the fuel tank.
The prop was also painted.
I’ll give the prop a clear cote in preparation for the decals.
There’s a few seams that need to be sorted before I can continue painting the camo. The colours needed are sent and I expect to recieve them soon.
I turned out that the included rockets are different versions of HVAR rockets which are american, but FAA used british RP3 rockets instead. They look alike but have a rail that isn’t included in the kit.
I feel my options are to either omit the rockets or just paint them like the british ones and just pretend it’s okey. In my mind it looks cooler with than without rockets.
Hellcat Mk.II – part 3
From the previously assembled parts it didn’t take long to assemble them to look like a plane.
The underside with a few parts glued to the wheel wells.
I cleaned up and assembled the rockets.
Not the nicest rockets I have seen. but will do unless I can get something else.
I assembled the landing gears and painted them and some other parts like tires and rims.
Next I’ll mask the canopy, paint the rockets and try to get some primer on.
Hellcat Mk.II – part 2
With the cockpit done, it was time to glue it in place and then glue the fuselage halves.
Turned out the halves wouldn’t go together as expected. Time to check what’s wrong.
I’ve actually put the firewall leaning too much backwards, and after correcting the the fuselage went together very well.
I cleaned up the wing parts and glued them as well as the stabilizors.
There’s some minor work to do with the seams, but other than that the plane is ready to be assembled.
Landing gears and some other parts needs to be sorted, and I also need to check that I have the proper colours for this FAA craft.
Hellcat Mk II – Eduard weekend edition 1/48
Time to start my Swedish Secret Santa build. I got this kit on a Swedish forum in a Secret Santa kit exchange.
Weekend edition usally means a somewhat simpler kit with only one decal option and no etch or other extra stuff.
As usual the build starts with the cockpit. I checked the cockpit colour and then painted it interior green. There’s decals provided for the instrument panels, so after giving the panels a clear cote and letting it dry, I could add the decals. I think the colour match is quite nice.
I also assembled the fuel tank and engine, and engine cowling.
Next will be to paint some more on the engine, put the last decal in place, assemble the cockpit and then glue the fuselage together.