F6F-3
Hellcat

About This Build

The Subject

The Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat was a carrier-based fighter aircraft designed and built by the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation. Entering service in 1943, it quickly displaced the Zero as the dominant fighter in the Pacific Theater. Powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine, it could exceed 380 mph and was armed with six .50 caliber machine guns, with the ability to carry up to 2,000 pounds of bombs or rockets. By the end of the war, Hellcats had accounted for more than 5,000 enemy aircraft destroyed — roughly 75% of all US Navy air-to-air victories.

The Kit

This build is the Eduard 84160 F6F-3P Weekend Edition in 1/48 scale — a very affordable kit with an impressive level of detail. Construction was entirely straight from the box; I only added seat belts. The markings reference the F6F-3 flown by Lt. Arthur Singer, belonging to AG-15 aboard the USS Essex in 1944. Photography is just as important a part of the hobby for me as the construction itself — getting close to a tiny machine and capturing it in the right light is how I truly immerse myself in this world.

Colours & Markings

Colours are from the AK Real Colors series, paint set No. 25 — "WW2 US NAVY & USMC Aircraft Late Colors" — which provides everything needed for the classic carrier aviation scheme in one box. The paints dry fast, can be sanded and polished easily, and respond well to layering. One important tip: use the AK Real Colors dedicated thinner. White Spirit and water did not work reliably for me with this line.