Latest Project F6F-5 Hellcat

wjbrandel

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Messages
310
My latest project an F6F-5 Hellcat and it is nearing completion.20210308_160637.jpg

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Here it is just before final assembly and after the paint was applied

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And here it is after final assembly. What is left is decals, weathering, and removing the canopy masking. I am also considering trying my hand at chipping, mainly because Night Shift on YouTube makes look so easy (I know its not). Hopefully by Wednesday it'll be finished unless I decide to try the chipping.
 
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It is a hobby boss easy assembly kit. I like them, this one had some fit issues with the wings to the body, but nothing some milliput couldn't handle. and there was a large-ish seam line running down the spine. about 5 or 10 minutes of sanding took care of that.
 
I thought it was a Hobby Boss. I just built one of the regular builds in 1/48th it was my first build of this year. Look forward to seeing the decals and weathering when you finish it.
 
I thought it was a Hobby Boss. I just built one of the regular builds in 1/48th it was my first build of this year. Look forward to seeing the decals and weathering when you finish it.

Ask and ye shall receive. Here's the finished plane. Some travelling I was going to do today didn't happen so I was able to finish it.

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Had an oh crap moment. I just realized, looking at the photos, I forgot to paint the engine and weather the landing struts. That's what I get for being excited to finish.:( I'll try not to do that again.
 
Eh, chalk it up as a learning experience. We all forget things in steps during modeling sometime. You can still weather the struts if you want.
 
Happens to the best of us, which I'm not.
And, while it may be a bit tricky, you can likely get some paint on that engine around the prop if you're careful
 
I don't believe I've managed to build a mistake free model yet. It's a very humbling hobby. I built a Japanese Kate and it was two or three months before I realized I put the landing gear doors on upside down. I just laughed, wrote it off as just a little spilled milk.
 
When I notice a mistake that I made on a model my initial reaction is frustration followed by irritation then I can go "Oh well I'm only human". Like the landing gear and engine, I probably wont paint them and weather them anytime soon (or ever), mainly because I think the model still looks good.
 
I hear ya, move on to the next and don't focus on the bad shots. or you'll just keep making bad shots. (sorry golf reference, but it applies).
 
We've all had our moments. I've never built a perfect model. Something learned from each one I built. I had a P-40 Warhawk model I did as an 10 year old kid. I was so excited about it, having just read about The Flying Tigers, that I put the decals on it... and then looked at the camo painting instructions. Oh crap. Painting camo patterns around decals with a brush... Only did that once. If I'd known it was possible I could have just ordered a new set of decals. Still have the model as a reminder of those early modeling days.
 
I did that with a model of the enterprise, but I tried to pull the decals off and when they tore I decided I could paint the name and hull numbers on. That didn't turn out to well.
 
Oh, I hear you there. My conclusion to a similar situation was "I have got to find a better way to do this". That's when I figured out I could order replacement decal sheets and for free to boot back in the day. Now some of the kits in my stash are so old that may not be an option anymore so more advanced recovery techniques are in order. Latest solution? Modeling forums like this one!
 
I just wrote (snail mail) to the company producing the model and asked. I was able to get replacements for malformed or damaged parts as well. Not sure if model making companies will accommodate similar requests today but it doesn't hurt to ask.
 
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Is it a hobby boss like the one I did or a different manufacturer?

Hobby boss is a great kit in my opinion. Keep in mind I haven't built any Tamiya models yet, got em in my stash just haven't gotten to them yet.
 
The one I just got is an Eduard kit. Never heard of that brand before, but I went over the sprues and it looks detailed. let's see the fitment when I start the assembling process o_O
 

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