Eduard 1:48 Grumman F6F-5 (Late) ProflPACK Kit #8224
Its an Eduard kit so nuff said. I used the PE but this is probably my last time as when you close the canopy not much is seen. These were attached with Lepage 12, 5 Minute Epoxy. The resin wheels are a big improvement over the plastic bits. All paint was Tamiya though the innards was a mix to make Interior Green. The main wings are a butt join with minimum gluing surface so I ran some good old fashioned tube glue around the perimeter, let it set up and then ran Tamiya Extra Thin around the seams. Landing gear was an over-engineered process but with patience, not insurmountable. Everything else went together nicely. Now we get to the camouflage. Looking for the right blue I found many sites pooh-poohed Tamiya XF-17 Sea Blue saying it had a greenish hue. I have 1½ older bottles and I bought a new bottle. Looking closely at the two full bottles you can see a slight purplish hue and the ½ bottle was a bit lighter. so good enough for me. I sprayed the model and also sprayed the rudder white. Futured up, I used the kit decals and the were slightly translucent. Not much noticeable except for the fin stripes so I removed them and sprayed the stripes. Now we come to the flat coat. I know the paint scheme isn't absolutely flat but I am really struggling with flat coats. I have Tamiya, Vallejo, Microscale and Winsor & Newtons and they either don't flatten the shine or leave a white film. So on the weekend I went on a hunt. I found two that I had never seen before and purchased them and boy...am I ever impressed. The first is from The Army Painter and is called "Anti-shine Matte Varnish" and the second is from Vallejo and is called "Polyurethane Ultra Matte Varnish. I tested them on a small area first and the former is just slightly better than the later. You be the judge
A very nice kit and one more in the stash. The blue and flat may not be to everyone's liking but it works for me. Thanks for popping in
That Cat should be at least semi-gloss. The gloss Sea Blue was for ease of maintenance and anti-corrosive. Plus a bonus of a few extra MPH. If you want a real no nonsense flat coat you can't beat old fashioned Testor's Dullcoat (shake well). Nothing flats like this 'ol stuff.
The model looks very good, that's a nifty scheme.
The big problem with Dullcote is that 2 years later everything under it is yellowing. The lighter the color the yellower.
See my 1974 Tamiya KV-1 No yellow to be seen. I guess "your mileage may vary" 🙂
Outside of blue-grey/light grey and tricolor naval aircraft left out in the Solomons or Central Pacific Sun too long, the airplanes didn't go dead flat. Gloss Sea Blue was a paint that kept the sheen for at least several years of operations. Those flat varnishes that leave a slight sheen is what a "flat" camouflage scheme actually looks like.
Thanks for the input gentlemen. If you look at the photo that is half flat-coated, the elevators were also flat-coated as the trial areas and there is a slight reflection
Love it, George!
Well done!
Thank you Spiros
Really nice result on this Hellcat, George @blackadder57
Thank you John
Nice work, I like the gloss sea blue paint sceams, but I'm partial to the earlier tri color sceams. I have a thing for the older versions of the early war aircraft from all sides of the conflict. It probably should be glossy, but you did a great job with the flat coat and it definitely looks the part. Beautiful build.
Thank you
Beautiful Hellcat George !
Thank you Paul
Well done, George. If you like it, 'nuff said...
Much appreciated Gary
Great looking Hellcat, George!
Looks like the Tamiya paints worked out great.
Thank you very much, other George
I like it. I think you did a great job, glossy or not.
Thank you
Great job on the Hellcat George. Nice work. @blackadder57
Thanks a lot Robert
Nice work, George. I’m a fan of that kit.
Thanks John. One more in the stash and a -3
Gloss and flat finishes, and anything in between, are difficult to “scale”, you’ve managed to get a finish that looks right to you, and that’s what counts in my book.
Thank you very much, another George
Good-looking Hellcat!
Thank you
If it looks good, it is good, and your model looks very good. Thanks for sharing your Hellcat with us, George (@blackadder57).
Thank you Matt
Looks great. I like it. Working on one now. Cockpit done. Agree, lots of tiny PE in the cockpit...most of which will be hard to see. While I was working on it, kept asking myself "why am I doing this"?
Thanks Russ @rfking I’m done with PE. Using up what I have and no more