Cyber Hobby 1/72 Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Overview
After many years, we seem to have been inundated with new-tool 1/72 Hellcat kits. First Eduard released their high quality version, and now we have Cyber Hobby's release. Undoubtedly there will be comparisons made as more and more build both kits, but on the surface, both have their positives and are better than their predecessors. The first release from Cyber Hobby covers the F6F-3 variant.
The Kit
The kit comes molded in the typical Dragon gray plastic, with finely recessed panel lines and lots of nice detailing throughout. The kit comes with a complete engine, options to fold the wings, and a selection of underwing stores. The decal sheet offers up six options, split between US Navy and British Royal Navy. A small fret of photoetch adds some extra detail, making this a pretty detailed kit straight out of the box.
Starting construction with the interior, this is not too bad out of the box. The seat gets photoetch seat belts, while the main cockpit has a separate rear bulkhead and instrument panel. With the seat attached to the floor, the addition of rudder pedals and the control stick finishes up the main cockpit tub. Separate sidewall pieces give a clean fit to the whole cockpit, and the finished assembly will look quite good under the canopy.
The forward firewall is provided in this kit, as the engine is a complete two-row radial. While there will need to be extensive scratchbuilding should you decide to leave the cowl off, a very good start is provided in the box. The engine features a separate crankcase and a separate exhaust piece. The bits on the back end of the engine are also included. With that, the cockpit, and the tailwheel in place, the fuselage can be closed up and attention turns towards the wings.
The wings are designed to either be extended or folded, a noticeable difference with the Eduard kit. The center section includes the lower fuselage center, with the upper inboard wing pieces molded separately. The outboard wing pieces are split into upper and lower halves, with separate ailerons. Wingfold detail is molded in place, with some extra bits provided separately. While the option is available for having the wings extended, this kit just cries out for having the wings folded, and I am sure that is how we will see most of these finished.
Moving on to the undersides, the landing gear is quite well done, and the kit comes with two extra sets of wheels marked not for use, so you'll have some spares. The gear leg itself is mostly solid, with two extra support struts and a bit of plumbing provided separately. The wheel doors are also separate, and once it is all together it should look quite nice under a coat of paint. The centerline fuel tank has mounting straps provided separately, and the inboard bombs and racks are equally well done.
The final steps include adding the cowl (for those interested, the chin scoop is not as well done as the Eduard kit; it just doesn't quite capture the look of that grinning Hellcat), sticking on the propeller, adding the tailhook, and then figure out which scheme you want to paint this kit up as.
The decal sheet provides four USN and two Royal Navy options. All four USN options are in the three-color camouflage. You get VF-27 off the USS Princeton in 1944, VF-1 off the USS Nassau in 1943, VF-6 off the USS Intrepid in 1944, and VF-5 from 1943. The VF-5 and VF-1 options have red surrounds around the national insignia, while the VF-27 option has that classic Hellcat snarling mouth. For the Royal Navy aircraft, you get JV131 from 800 Squadron in 1944, complete with invasion stripes, and JW723 from 804 Squadron, finished in Far East colors. The decals are well printed, although the reds look a bit bright, and the upper wing roundels for the 800 Squadron aircraft are completely wrong, featuring a white ring when it should just be blue and red.
Conclusion
Following on the heels of the Eduard kit, many modelers are wondering which one to get. The short answer is, either one. The Eduard one has a more accurate cowling, but the Cyber Hobby one has better landing gear and the option of folded wings. Either one should be enjoyable to build, and with all the options provided in the box with the Cyber Hobby kit, you'll definitely be padding the spares box with this release. My thanks to Dragon USA for the review sample.