Eduard 1/48 F6F-3 Hellcat, VF-27

Started by · 25 · 10 months ago · Eduard Profipack, F6F-3, GB, Hellcat, VF-27
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    said 10 months, 3 weeks ago:

    Hello Everyone,

    Just today I ordered a kit for a subject I've been wanting for some time: the Eduard Profipack in 1/48 scale of a F6F-3 Hellcat, with the cat mouth markings of Fighting 27 when they flew from USS Princeton.

    I got the Eduard "Space" 3D decal set, too. I'm really excited, Hellcats are of course iconic of Navy aviation in WW2, and VF-27 has fascinated me since I first saw photos and a model of their cat-mouth fighters in an issue of "Finescale Modeler" in the 1990s. I was happy when I received an eMail telling me the kit was back in-stock this afternoon, and I should have these items in-hand late this week.

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    John vd Biggelaar said 10 months, 3 weeks ago:

    Great entry, Anna @tankgrrl
    First time I see a Hellcat with mouth markings.
    The boxart does indeed look very nice.
    Looking forward to your build.

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    gary sausmikat said 10 months, 3 weeks ago:

    That will be a nice build, Anna

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    said 10 months, 2 weeks ago:

    Hello Everyone.

    I've been under-the-weather. My health problems are like that sometimes.

    I got my Hellcat kit and 3D cockpit decals last week, and just today I got a Model Air paint set for WW2 US Navy and Marines so I can get back to work on my projects finally.

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    Tom Bebout said 10 months, 2 weeks ago:

    Two thumbs up A/E now the fun begins.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 10 months, 2 weeks ago:

    You are all-set to go, my friend @tankgrrl! Looking forward to it!

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    John vd Biggelaar said 10 months, 2 weeks ago:

    Looking forward to it, Anna @tankgrrl
    Health always comes first, take care.

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    Tom Cleaver said 10 months, 1 week ago:

    VF-27 was the top-scoring CVL fighter squadron of the war - over 200 victories between their arrival in WestPac at the Marianas invasion and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. When Princeton was sunk, the surviving "Hell Cats" landed on USS Essex, where that night the faces disappeared under a coat of paint and the airplanes were shanghaied into VF-15.

    I'll be interested to see what you think of the Vallejo Model Air paint set, @tankgrrl.

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    said 10 months, 1 week ago:

    @tcinla - I'm surprised even one plane, let alone a squadron, was allowed to display the cat-mouths. I love learning the history, thanks Tom.

    I use Vallejo Air and AMMO of MiG for lots of things, but it's been armor and gaming miniatures up to now. Airbrushing aircraft is all new for me.

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    Tom Cleaver said 10 months, 1 week ago:

    @tankgrrl - They were the only squadron in the Navy that did that, and Admiral Frederick Sherman, who commanded the task group Princeton was part of along with Essex and Lexington, was constantly looking for a way to deal with the "non-regulation" paint jobs. While they were successful they were left alone, but when Princeton was sunk, he had his chance when the surviving Hell Cats landed on Essex.

    Airbrushing is an art. I've been doing it for 50 years and still learn new things.

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    George R Blair Jr said 10 months, 1 week ago:

    Great choice, Anna-Elizabeth (@tankgrrl). This Eduard kit builds into a really nice model, plus it has everything you need in the box except paint. I am also looking forward to how the paint works for you. I started out a long time ago using enamels and lacquers. I had a bunch of trouble changing over to acrylics when enamels and lacquers became scarce. I am most comfortable spraying Tamiya and AK Real Colors, but I have occasionally used Vallejo Model Air with mixed results. I am looking forward to your experience with them.

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    said 10 months, 1 week ago:

    Hi, guys.

    @tcinla - I read somewhere that many senior officers objected even to the kill marks, and that Admiral King himself had to settle the issue by sending down an authorization.

    @gblair - The kit presents very nicely in the box. I'm not too worried about the Model Air paint, but I did have to get a new airbrush this year. My 25+ years old Aztec gave up the ghost this past February. With spraying Model Air or AMMO through the airbrush, I've learned to always use a couple of drops of Flow Improver along with airbrush thinner, but I am going to have to learn new muscle-memory with a grip-trigger double-action, my hands got used to the Aztec down-and-back. It was a ghastly, horrid brush, really. I had to disassemble the "easy-clean" tips - breaking the warranty - to have any chance of getting them clean.

    I'd prefer enamels or lacquers to acrylics, but apartment living has made that impossible.

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    said 10 months, 1 week ago:

    And so it begins...

    Eduard ProfiPACK 8227 1/48 scale "F6F-3"

    Shown are the box contents. It was hard to get photos, another rainy day. My kit came with a sprue with the F6F-5 fuselage, not shown in the instructions, as the way to include Sprue "8220 J", the cowlings needed for several of the options, including "B", the VF-27 subject I selected. The kit has markings for 5 different F6F-3s.

    The "SPACE" 3D cockpit decals were bought separately, as was of course the Vallejo Model Air paint set. This is only my third Eduard kit, though I have a great many Eduard detail and accessory sets. I'm really pleased with this kit, the detail is impressive. I think ProfiPACK sets are a great value.

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    George R Blair Jr said 10 months, 1 week ago:

    Anna-Elizabeth (@tankgrrl): I would be embarrassed to tell you how old my Paasche single action airbrush is, but it keeps on working.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 10 months, 1 week ago:

    Looks super in the box, my friend @tankgrrl! Looking to it!