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Eduard 1/72 Grumman F6F-3 Profipack

By Matt Bittner

Introduction

The Grumman F6F Hellcat was a direct descendent of the successful – but outdated – F4F Wildcat. The F6F was designed to enhance the best features of the Wildcat – namely its dive – and add to it a better range and higher speed. It was successful seeing it destroyed over 5200 enemy aircraft.

While the F6F mostly didn't see service after WW2, there were some that were kept as night fighters.

The Kit

The Eduard 1/72 Grumman F6F-3 consists of 70 pieces of tan, injected plastic; 8 pieces of clear, injected pieces, two photoetch frets of 81 pieces, and a set of Eduard masks. The options in this -3 release include different cowls; a separate, under-fuselage fuel tank; and a choice of two types of bombs. Both the fuel tank and bombs require the opening of flashed-over holes from the inside of the pieces. Decals are very nicely printed, in register, and consist of markings for the following aircraft:

• F6F-3, Probable BuNo 66016, VF-16, USS Lexington, Hawaii, September, 1943
• F6F-3, BuNo 25813, Lt. C.K. 'Ken' Hilderbrandt, VF-33, Ondonga, December, 1943
• F6F-3, BuNo 40090, VF-1, Lt. William C Moseley, USS Yorktown, June, 1944
• F6F-3, BuNo 40467, Lt. Alexander Vraciu, VF-6, USS Intrepid, February, 1944
• F6F-3, Lt. Richard E. Stambook, VF-27, USS Princeton, October, 1944

All are finished in the three-color camouflage scheme of sea blue/intermediate blue over white.

Construction starts with the cockpit and you can quickly see how the photoetch will help with this area. Lots of additions, such as belts for the seat, replacement pieces for the instrument panel, etc. Lots of goodies to really make the cockpit pop, and some of those are pre-colored and self-adhesive. Once the cockpit is built up then you install it into one fuselage half and add some other items (like tail wheel, etc.) before gluing the fuselage halves together. Before proceeding to the next step, you add the rear pieces of clear plastic and a couple of photoetch pieces to the cockpit sill.

Before continuing you'll need to decide if you plan on "bombing up" your Hellcat. If you do, now is the time to open up the holes in the lower wing, from the inside, before gluing the wing halves together. You'll need to trap the separate gun/barrel pieces into the wing now as well.

Now you make your model look like a real airplane by gluing the wings and horizontal tail pieces to the fuselage. However, as I am now in the midst of building one of these, you can leave them off until you're through with painting. Believe me it will really help with the application of the three colors, since the demarcation between the colors was soft.

You'll now glue the separate hubs to the tires (once you decide which tires to use – smooth or "treaded") and the gear doors to the landing gear. Once that is all accomplished you'll glue the landing gear to the wings.

After assembling all the pieces for the separate fuel tank and bombs, the instructions have you glue them now to the model. However, I would wait until after painting, making this one of the last steps you'll accomplish to finish your F6F-3 model.

Now you glue the engine pieces together (with photoetch wiring, etc.) and then glue the cowl halves together (dependent on the markings) followed by the front of the cowl. You now have an excellent F6F-3 ready for painting.

Conclusion

While I haven't see the Cyberhobby F6F "in the flesh", I have seen enough pictures on-line that show me the Eduard kit is the better of the two. With the overlapping panels on the fuselage and fine, petite, engraved panel lines, you can't beat the Eduard kit. The fit is excellent as well, making this the "go-to" 1/72 F6F kit. Peering into the future you have the F6F-5 "profipack" already released, an upcoming Weekend F6F-3 without the photoetch, and after that a release of the Gannant/F Mk.I. In addition, there are numerous photoetch sets coming from Eduard for their own Hellcats – already out a -3 exterior and a gun-bay set, and coming soon are Zoom and "regular" interior sets for both the -3 and the -5, plus an exterior set for the -5. All-in-all an excellent time to be a 1/72 Hellcat builder.

Many thanks to Eduard for sending the kit in for review.