Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat by ccoyle - FINISHED - GPM - 1/33 - CARD

[ccoyle]

Hi, gang!

 

Welcome to another card aircraft build! This one will feature a new release from the Polish publisher, GPM -- it will be my first crack at a GPM kit. The 2021 design by Rafał Ciesielski depicts a Grumman F6F-3 of US Navy Fighter Squadron VF-27 aboard the light carrier USS Princeton (CVL-23) at the time that ship was sunk on 24 October 1944 during the sprawling Battle of Leyte Gulf. In addition to this livery, the model can also be purchased in the livery of VF-9 aboard USS Essex (CV-9) during the 1943 Gilbert Islands campaign.

 

I'm building this model for a special purpose -- it will be a going-away present for a friend and coworker of mine who is moving to Virginia in September (hence the need to start the build before my USS England project is finished -- I want to be sure that I have plenty of time). Dave is an Air Force veteran and former KC-135 driver who likes naval aviation. He knows I'm building something for him, but he doesn't know what it is -- it will be a surprise, so mum's the word!

 

Here's the kit's cover. The aircraft wears the US Navy's tricolor scheme of dark blue over medium blue with light blue-gray undersides. VF-27 aircraft wore a cat's mouth design on their cowlings.

 

 

The kit includes five pages of diagrams, three pages of frames on plain paper, and five pages of color parts on card stock. The print quality is good, though with minimal weathering. The kit as rated as having an intermediate level of difficulty, which looks about right to my experienced eye.

 

Diagrams:

 

Color parts:

 

I will be replacing all of the kit frames with laser-cut frames. The laser-cut set is comprised of seven frets. Three contain the usual formers. I'm very pleased to see that these use tab-and-slot construction, which should eliminate some of the potential alignment issues.

 

 

There are also four small frets. One includes small detail parts, one contains instrument panels, and two feature very finely etched and cut parts for the radial engine. These latter parts could prove to be real time-savers.

 

 

Lastly, I went all-in and ordered a very nice set of 3D-printed wheels. These even include the tires' diamond-pattern tread.

 

 

I also have the vacuformed canopy (not shown).

 

I'm feeling very good about starting this model. I'm motivated, and the kit looks great. I'm really looking forward to seeing how well this GPM product goes together.

 

Cheers!

 

 

[Old Collingwood]

This will be Nice.

 

OC.

[Prowler901]

This is gonna be fun.

Todd

[Edwardkenway]

Ooh Pacific campaign flyer!!

[AJohnson]

I do like a Hellcat and the Cats mouth adds to the unmistakable deadly lines. The 1/24 Airfix was a beast, so a 1/33 scale one is going to be impressive! 😲

[Dion Dunn]

Looking forward to following along Chris.  I used to fly a 1/10 scale RC version of this until it had an unfortunate meeting with an unmovable telephone pole…..

[Danstream]

Another paper marvel. After the streamlined surfaces of a Spitfire, no doubt that the quality of this will be equally impressive.

Dan

[Egilman]

I'm here Chris, nice model... I guess we will see if GPM deserves it's reputation of being difficult....

[ccoyle]

Got my exterior colors mixed and have a little interior green left over from a previous build. I'm ready to start cutting.

 

[ccoyle]

First frames assembled. The tab-and-slot construction goes together very well. For some reason, the slots for part WA6, which is a spacer between two bulkheads, did not allow that part to be slotted in perpendicular to the bulkheads. It's not a big deal, because they won't be seen later. One thing that I noticed nearly immediately is that this center fuselage section is much larger than that for any other airplane model I have thus far assembled. The Hellcat was a chunky beast!

 

[Canute]

Grumman Ironworks fine design. Looking forward to your build, Chris.

[Landlubber Mike]

Love this aircraft Chris - looks like a little bulldog ready for business.  Can't wait to see what you do with it!

[ccoyle]

Test fit of the instrument panel. Notice anything . . . odd? Yes, that's right -- there's a whole lot of bulkhead still showing. I have no idea why that should be so, and the diagrams give no hint either. I expect some minor surgery will be called for. BTW, the instruments are glazed.

 

 

BTW, I saw an announcement just recently that Card Army will be publishing another Wundermodell -- and it's a Hellcat. For certain it will be a. amazing, b. expensive, and c. beyond my abilities.

[Old Collingwood]

A and B  yes  but certainly not C.

 

OC.

[lmagna]

17 hours ago, ccoyle said:

The Hellcat was a chunky beast!

Had to be to hold all that engine!

 

I agree with OC, possibly A&B but definitely not C.

[ccoyle]

Okay, here is the bulkhead after surgery.

 

 

I wicked some thin CA into the cut edge, then sanded and painted the exposed surfaces, and glued the instrument panel in place.

 

 

One thing to note --  I'm aware that I've got two mismatched shades of green, but most of this will not be visible on the finished model. The second shot, with the aft bulkhead only dry-fitted, approximates the lowest viewing angle that will permit viewing into the finished cockpit. Even the bit of bulkhead behind the panel will probably not be visible, but I painted it anyway -- just in case.

[Dion Dunn]

Reminds me of all of the highly detail plastic interiors that I spent weeks making perfect only to realize once again that you can't see it anyway once the cockpit is closed up.

 

But.....you know it's in there. 

[Egilman]

6 minutes ago, Dion Dunn said:

But.....you know it's in there. 

I think we've all been there and done that..... {chuckle}

[mtaylor]

6 hours ago, Egilman said:

I think we've all been there and done that..... {chuckle}

And even with wood ships, many of us are still there.  Think "detailing the lower deck"....  Yep....I'm still there and doing it.

[popeye the sailor]

off on another gem for your collection.........all in to see the show     late observation......if visibility is an issue,  I first though you might simply paint the area you cut out in the color of the interior.  but after seeing what your results are.......you've done an outstanding job.  superb solution to your problem!  

[ccoyle]

Small update. My modeling mojo sort of fell off the grid for a bit, but I finally got back to it. Rudder pedals are one of my least favorite tasks, because they inevitably have numerous delicate parts. Each of the 'Cat's pedals has nine parts; happily, five of them are included in the laser-cut set, which made work easier, even if still tedious. Control stick and linkage also added -- the rear part of the linkage will eventually pass through the aft bulkhead. I also tweaked my interior green a bit -- too late for the instrument panel, but the other interior features will blend in better.

 

[Javlin]

Looking good Chris been seeing so many HellCats and F4F's lately it's trying to make me bite.

[ccoyle]

Continuing with the cockpit. Part of the reason why the GPM kit is rated intermediate is that its cockpit is rather simplified, with quite a few details either printed only or omitted entirely -- makes for easier construction, but doesn't have the same level of 'wow' factor as some other kits. Also, the construction sequence of the diagrams is kind of vague, and I have been deviating from them wherever it makes sense to do so. Unlike HMV kits, the diagrams do not indicate where laser-cut optional parts are available, and I have already found a few on the frets after using the printed parts. Lastly some construction details, e.g. the seat straps, are not shown on the diagrams, making some guess work about their positioning necessary.

 

Here is a shot of the aft bulkhead. It is not particularly interesting, but I've included the shot because most of this will be invisible after the seat is installed.

 

 

And here is the seat and aft bulkhead after installation, which proves my point.

 

 

The straps are from the laser-cut set. I like the extra detail on the buckles -- I don't like how easily the thin card wanted to delaminate when folded.

 

The diagrams suggest that the wall-mounted cockpit details should be added to the inner cockpit skin, then the entire piece should be glued to the fuselage. Um . . . no. I think I will cut that piece into three pieces and do each wall separately.

 

Cheers!

[ccoyle]

Starboard cockpit wall completed.

 

[ccoyle]

BTW #1: I noticed last night that I inadvertently glued the quadrant lever on upside down, but it was past bedtime, so I'll have to fix that tonight.

 

BTW #2: I found out yesterday that the upcoming Card Army #3 kit will not be a Hellcat but rather a P-40. The F6F-5 will be Card Army #4.

[Dion Dunn]

Looking good!

[ccoyle]

Cockpit is done now.

 

First we have the port-side wall, which I'm fairly certain is way over-simplified, since it has only a single quadrant.

 

 

Then the reflector sight. Laser-cut parts were provided for this, but -- believe it or not -- they were just too delicate. The sight was easier to make with the original card parts.

 

 

And finally we have the port wall attached to the fuselage. As is usual with airplane models, much of the hard work done on the cockpit will subsequently evade much notice.

 

 

Cheers!

[ccoyle]

I realized while working on the sub-structure for the empennage that the kit provides alternative internal parts for making separate control surfaces, so I need to make the decision about those real soon. I'm leaning away from the separate parts at the moment, since this is a presentation model, and separate control surface, despite their 'cool' factor, come at the cost of increased complexity and a greater potential for boogering things. Clean looks are more important on this model than extra detail.

[mtaylor]

1 hour ago, ccoyle said:

I realized while working on the sub-structure for the empennage that the kit provides alternative internal parts for making separate control surfaces, so I need to make the decision about those real soon. I'm leaning away from the separate parts at the moment, since this is a presentation model, and separate control surface, despite their 'cool' factor, come at the cost of increased complexity and a greater potential for boogering things. Clean looks are more important on this model than extra detail.

Go for what you feel is best, Chris.  No matter which way you build it, it's still going to be a special gift.

[Egilman]

9 hours ago, ccoyle said:

Clean looks are more important on this model than extra detail.

I haven't seen a presentation model yet of any aircraft that had moved control surfaces... Clean is the usual look... with typical accessories, (drop tanks and the like)