Photos F6F-5 Hellcat WWII USN fighter plane - 1/72 scale

[Erik W]

I'm a daily visitor of the photo threads on this website, so I thought I'd contribute in my own way. I just finished this Eduard 1/72 scale F6F-5 Hellcat decorated for VF-12. I've always liked the look of the striped tails of this carrier air group. I have an avid interest in the Pacific theater of WWII history. I've been wanting to build a Hellcat for years, and am happy I finally got around to it! I used aftermarket decals from Furball Aero-Design. The figures are from Czech Masters. The deck is laser cut plywood produced in Ukraine.

Erik

 

[Erik W]

Here are some in-progress photos. I added some extra detailing to the engine and the cockpit using styrene, and phosphor bronze and brass wire. For the laser cut plywood deck, I stained individual boards with black, gray, brown, and umber washes. I then lightly sprayed the blue gray deck color. I brush painted the tie down strips. Then masked and lightly sprayed the white deck striping. I then used a razor blade to rough up parts of the deck boards.

Thanks for looking!
Erik

 

[TheKiwi]

Fantastic job. I love all the shading and weathering of the plane. Also the crew are very nicely painted, especially considering how tiny 1/72nd scale minis are.

 

[NebrHogger]

Excellent work! Looking forward to more!

 

[uktabber]

WOW mate, NICE JOB!!! And such a small scale...blinding!

 

[Erik W]

Thanks for the kind words guys. This was a fun project that pushed my skills, and at times my patience (masking the canopy comes to mind, lol). As someone interested in history, it's always neat to bring it to life in three dimensions.

Erik