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Russ King
19 articles

1/48 Eduard Hellcat

March 16, 2024 · in Aviation · · 27 · 340

F6F-5 late. . Profipack.
VF-31. Lt. Cornelius N. Nooy. USS Belleau Wood. August 1945.

Built out of box except for Bitskreig Hamilton Standard Prop and EZ line for aerial.
Primary paint: Vallejo model air gloss sea blue.
Flory wash gray.
AlClad II Klear Kote Light Sheen.

Enjoyable build. Another nice from Eduard. Cockpit and engine PE took some time, most of which can't be seen. Got through with no major blunders.

Reader reactions:
16  Awesome 2 

8 additional images. Click to enlarge.


27 responses

  1. Fantastic job, Russ!

  2. A wonderful Hellcat, Russ @rfking
    The cockpit is still well visible and looks really nice.

  3. Nice looking Hellcat.

  4. Very nice work.

  5. Great job. I have a Hellcat waiting in the box. Please comment on the process you used for the lighter panel lines. I don’t think I can match this but fun to try. Always learning.

    • Thanks Mark.
      After decals I put on a coat of varnish, Gauzy Intermediate Agent. Then cover the model in gray flory wash. Let that dry a few hours or overnight. Come back and wipe it off with a damp paper towel.
      I'm sure a lot of purists would say the brighter panel lines aren't realistic but I like the way it looks. Otherwise all the panel line detail just blends in.

  6. Incredible finish @rfking. To be able to make such a dark color come to life is incredible. Learned a lot from this. Thank you. G

  7. Very nice result.

  8. You can't beat those Bitskrieg Ham-Standard props with a Louisville Slugger,

    Beautiful work on the Hellcat flown by the leading CVL squadron ace.

  9. Looks great, Russ, very nice finish.

  10. A very solid build Russ, the Gloss Sea Blue is just perfect

  11. Great looking Hellcat. All the details in all the right spots.

  12. Always nice to see one of Grumman’s venerable Cats. Just the right amount of weathering, Russ. Well done!

  13. A truly great job, Russ, especially with all those decals that you've got down smoothly and blended in so well. I've just got some of those Flory washes and hope to use them to your excellent effect. Congratulations!

    • Thanks! People either hate or love the Eduard decals. I was able to peel most of the clear film off without damaging the decals. Time consuming but seems to work best if they sit for a few days before trying to peel it off.

  14. Very nice looking Hellcat! I really like the exhaust staining.

    • Thanks. I sprayed isopropyl alcohol tinted with a touch of white/yellow, then again with buff color and finally with black. Built up slowly.

  15. a great-looking Hellcat - nice work! Paint and weathering effort are really nice.

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