SkyPainter303's 1/72 Hobby Boss F6F-3 Hellcat

[SkyPainter303]

I can't help myself sometimes when it comes to buying cheap kits. I figured I'd continue the series in this GB. This came from Hobby Lobby where I used the ever popular 40% coupon.


P1040250 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



Like all of the easy assembly kits, there aren't that many parts.


P1040251 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1040256 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1040252 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1040253 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



I'll be doing the tricolor scheme.


P1040254 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1040255 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[SkyPainter303]

For a bit of F6F Hellcat history, I turned to my favorite aviation book series, "Squadron Signal In Action."


Pages from Sq1216-2 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


Pages from Sq1216 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


Pages from Sq1216-3 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



I was glad to see Hobby Boss actually made a good attempt to produce a true -3 variant. The most readily apparent difference is the extra cowl flaps on the bottom of the cowling and the bulge in the sides for the exhaust.

[SkyPainter303]

This build won't take long. I was surprise to see that the cockpit is a separate piece. There still isn't much detail inside. That doesn't bother me so much because once the canopy is on, you can't see much inside this 1/72 scale aircraft anyway. The seat was even a separate part.


P1040258 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr




The gun sight and the headrest were added next.


P1040257 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



I primed the cockpit in black Stynylrez and painted it Model Master Acryl Interior Green.


P1040259 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1040260 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



I brushed painted the interior parts; MM Acryl black and leather.


P1040261 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



The wings fit much better than the F4F Wildcat I did previously. The lower joins do need some putty and sanding.


P1040263 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1040264 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[SkyPainter303]

As one would expect from an Easy Assembly kit, this build is flying by.

The lower fuselage-wing join needed filling and sanding. I also attached the tail wheel and horizontal stabilizers. Fit of these parts was really good.


P1040265 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

P1040271 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



The canopy is masked.


P1040267 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



Masking the rear windows was easily accomplished by placing the window face down on tape and cutting around the shape.


P1040269 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



Finally, here is the model ready for primer.


P1040270 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[Tomcat64]

Interesting to see the difference in fit between this and the Wildcat - are the kits a similar age?

Anyway - nice to see this one really flying together.

[SkyPainter303]

Interesting to see the difference in fit between this and the Wildcat - are the kits a similar age?

Anyway - nice to see this one really flying together.

The Wildcat was from 2009 and the Hellcat 2017.

[SkyPainter303]

In preparation for painting the engine, I primed it with black Stynylrez. Unfornuately, I forgot to take in-progress photos of the engine being painted.


P1040272 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


Here is the aircraft in gray Stynylrez.

P1040284 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


Next up will be a bit of pre-shading followed by paint.

[SkyPainter303]

I did some haphazard pre-shading. My cheap airbrush was acting up, but this is good enough for me.


P1040285 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



While I was doing the pre-shading, by airbrush trigger broke. No worries, I took it back to Harbor Freight Tools for a replacement. The new airbrush (with a different item number) is working much better. This one has a different design. I used it to spray on white, Vallejo Model Color on the underside of the model. This paint went on really nicely.


P1040286 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



I also assembled the centerline, drop tank and landing gear. Then I primed with gray Stynylrez.


P1040287 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[pourquoi61]

Bargins and old model kits I love them.
Great work mate.

[SkyPainter303]

Getting ready for the next color, I masked off the white surfaces.


P1010946 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1010947 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



I sprayed the upper surfaces with Model Master Acryl Dark Sea Blue. The next update will be for the intermediate blue paint.


P1010949 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[Tomcat64]

That's coming along really well - looking forward to seeing the contrasting blue.

[SkyPainter303]

Today, I finally got in some bench time. The masked off for the intermediate blue with white tack and Tamiya tape. The paint is Model Master Acryl. When I removed the masking I noticed some areas where the paint and primer lifted. I'll need to do some touch up. I also had some over spray on the upper fuselage which I'll need to clean off.


P1010951 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1010952 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1010953 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1010954 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[Twokidsnosleep]

Looking good in the blues

[SkyPainter303]

A little minor progress with painted undercarriage and drop tank.


P1010957 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[SkyPainter303]

Plugging away a little at a time. This update shows the gloss coat and decals have been applied.


P1010962 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



I also painted the tires with Model Master Acrylic Flat Black.


P1010963 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1010965 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



The Hobby Boss decals went on really well. I used Micro Set and Micro Sol. Once the decals were dry and airbrushed another, thinned coat of Liquitex Gloss Varnish. After the gloss coat is cured, I'll move on to the weathering stage. I'll be using an oil wash for the panel lines and some basic weathering effects.


P1010968 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[SkyPainter303]

Well, poop! Liquitex Gloss Varnish isn't compatible with oil washes and thinners. It gets dissolved. If I choose to finish this build, the paint will need to be stripped.

These photos show the still wet oil wash.


P1010970 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1010971 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[papatika]

Arrrgh! It does worth to test new paint combinations on a scrap piece...

Don't give up!

[bfrd]

Bummer! She was looking good.

[SkyPainter303]

The cheap price combined with the Hobby Lobby coupon makes buying a replacement a no-brainer.

[Tomcat64]

Ouch! That was coming along really well - is it definitely a no-hoper?

[SkyPainter303]

Ouch! That was coming along really well - is it definitely a no-hoper?

Either I spend a lot of time stripping the paint, or spend $6 USD on a new kit. There are only five major pieces to what is shown in the photo. I picked up a new kit this afternoon.

[Tomcat64]

That's a shame - but can't argue with the low-pain recovery option.

[TommyKillander]

Ouch!

Kudos for making a rerun - most people had given up... (me included probably)


Tommy

[SkyPainter303]

Here is the replacement kit.


P1020021 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1020022 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



First up was to prime the cockpit parts with black Stynylrez.


P1020023 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1020025 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



I airbrushed on Model Master Interior Green Acrylic and brushed on MM Flat Black for the instrument panels. The headrest is MM Leather and the window areas is MM Light Gull Gray (standing in for Grumman Gray).


P1020026 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1020027 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1020028 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



I then inserted the cockpit up thru the bottom.


P1020030 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



The fuselage and wings had a bit a flash to remove. I clean that up then added the wing and lower fuselage.


P1020029 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1020031 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1020032 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



The fuselage join needs some contour work. I use Tamiya putty for this.


P1020034 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[SkyPainter303]

I got some more done on the Hellcat. I used the trusty Tamiya tape to mask the canopy. I glued in the rear side windows, the horizontal stabilizers, and the rear tail wheel. The lug on the rear wheel needed to be trimmed to fit correctly.


P1020038 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1020039 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1020036 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



I also primed the molded-in engine.


P1020040 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[SkyPainter303]

I painted the molded-in engine - Model Master Acrylic Aluminum for the cylinders, MM Medium Gray for the gearbox, and MM Flat Gull Gray for the inside cowl.


P1020043 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



I primed the canopy frames with Green Stynylrez primer to stand in for Interior Green. The overall aircraft will be primed in black Stynylrez.


P1020042 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[SkyPainter303]

Continuing on with round 2, I've primed in black Stynylrez, painted the underside with Vallejo Model Air Insignia White, and masked for the upper surface paint.


P1020044 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1020045 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1020046 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



As a die hard Model Master Acrylic devotee, Vallejo takes a little getting used to. The mixing ratios are different and the paint has a different feel when dry. It also takes more time to cure. I still need to be wary of fingernails while handling the model. I put a couple of scratches in the white while I was masking.

[SkyPainter303]

A couple of days ago I sprayed the upper surfaces with Vallejo Model Air Dark Gull Gray. I let that dry a day or two and sprayed on some Aqua Gloss. I am waiting for that coat to fully cure before decaling. I must say that I am pretty disappointed in the Vallejo paint. Compared to the Model Master Acrylic, Vallejo has a distinct latex feel and remains tacky for a long while. In fact, the model still feels a tad tacky even with the Aqua Gloss top coat.


P1040648 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[Tomcat64]

The build is looking great; interesting to hear the problems you're hitting with the modelair though as I've not hit any issues like that with it so I wonder if it's more sensitive to atmospheric conditions than some of the other brands. That being said I will leave it at least overnight before masking, but I do that with any brand due to hard-earned paranoia.

[pourquoi61]

Might be worth leaving it a week to harden.
Play safe, while waiting you could start another model.
Great work so far.

[SkyPainter303]

Might be worth leaving it a week to harden.
Play safe, while waiting you could start another model.
Great work so far.

Yea, it is feeling OK right now. I've decaled it and will post an update soon.

I think the problem was airbrush air pressure and thinning ratio. I believe I laid the paint on too thick. I watched a Vallejo tips video on YouTube and will give the paint another go on a new build.

-Michael

[pourquoi61]

I will watch out for that also.
Cheers.
Michael.
Michael.

[SkyPainter303]

The few decals this kit had, have been applied. I chose to represent VF-4 circa 1942.

Next up is to seal the decals and do some weathering.


P1040651 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1040650 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[SkyPainter303]

I've done some basic, oil weathering, but the recessed panel lines are so fine, minimal darkening is evident.

Here is the underside with an oil wash drying in my heated drying box.


P1040663 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



This is the result. It will be sealed with a matte lacquer finish.


P1040665 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1040666 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[SkyPainter303]

This build is coming to an end. I've primed and painted the landing gear, propeller, and drop tank.


P1040667 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1040669 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[SkyPainter303]

I'm finishing this one up. Today, I added the gear and drop tank. These parts received a similar oil wash. I also painted the prop and added some simple chipping using a fine tip, silver Sharpie. Next up is a Model Master Dullcoat and some final detail painting.

Look for final reveal photos soon.


P1040671 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1040670 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[Tomcat64]

Nice work - looking forward to seeing the reveal.

[demarcation]

Great job!!