The Hellcat

Well, this is an epic for me. During my college days, I virtually abandoned modeling. You know, women and a party every day... But somehow I kept myself working on a Heller F6F-5 Hellcat in 1/72, mostly during vacations at my parents house. And the story goes on, but suffices to say that sometime during 1996-98 timeframe I finished the beast. Far from my best model, but I like to think in this model as a link which kept my interest in the hobby during my undergrad days. Pure nostalgia. No photoetched parts, no special accessories whatsoever. My Hellcat has a basic, completely scratchbuilt cockpit, as are the gun bay and the landing gear (including the tailwheel). At the time, a hobby knife was the most advanced tool in my small modeling case. In the end, though, I managed to install True Details bulged wheels, and an engine resin copied from the Hasegawa F4U, from which I also have stolen a propeler.

After glueing three sections together, I removed a small section to provide room for the base plaque, and painted the deck with a base coat of natural wood. Once dry, I aibrushed some selected timbers with a darker brown color in order make some planks to stand under the deck blue stain.


I then removed the masks and sprayed the deck with my own mix of Gunze acrylic colors simulating the H-5 wood deck stain, to comply with the cammo measure applied on the Enterprise during Sept/1944. The deck markings were masked and painted in yellow. The deck section was then slightly sanded to reveal the wood color under the H-5 stain. I tryied to concentrate this effect on the center sections of the deck, after what I saw in wartime photos. After a protective coat of Future, the deck was then washed to highlight the planking joints and the tie-down rails.



The tow tractor

Another item of the diorama would be a naval tow tractor. A decent one in this scale can be obtained only by scratchbuild. I chose the Clark CT-46 simply because it was the one for which I had more references. Although the US Navy had a preference for the Fordsons, the 'Clarktors' (as the CT-46s were called by the crews) were not rare aboard US Navy carriers. It took me a few months to finish all the parts. I started by the chassi/suspension/wheels and moved up from there. The only items stolen are the front wheels (from an old Revell tractor) and the rear wheels (they are Walters 1/87 truck wheels). The driver's pit was decorated with some photoetched items, pedals and handles.


Having many other naval aircrafts in my stash, I couldn't use these masters. So I decided to reproduce all parts in resin.


These are not easy items to be cast at home, without professional equipment. I got decent copies in polyester resin. Next time, I'll do with the epoxy kind...


A common problem with polyester resin is the severe contraction during curing. In a multi-part project, this may be an issue. What I did was to choose the best fitting parts from many casting runs. Small plastic tabs glued here and there helped to keep everything aligned:


The basic color was applied after priming the little stuff. I still don't have an official source about the exact color of these tractors. They could be painted in grey or blue, but the few color photos I found indicate a color similar to the Haze Blue used to camouflage the ships. I simply mixed Intermediate Blue with some Light Grey to achieve the hue I was after.

I applied a black number to the front shield and back fender. At this point, everything was sealed with Future and washed.


I then painted the details like driver's instruments, wheels, fire extinguisher and seats. Next, a flat clear coat was applied to provide a rough surface for chipping.


The chipping was done essentially with a 4B pencil, and nothing more. I scratched it around corners and high traffic areas to simulate wear and exposed metal. The details were glued to place and I declared my Clarktor finished:



The details

My F6F-5 should carry a load of 5" HVARs. I wasn't really satisfied with the injected rockets I found, and decided to make my own from plastic stock, Aluminum and the fins of the HVARs included in the Tamiya F4U-1D kit.


I prepared a silicon mold and poured a half-dozen copies of the HVAR. Two of them will be installed under the Hellcat wing, and another will be carried on the shoulder of an armourer crew.


Most of the figures to be used in the diorama are Preiser and Airfix, in some cases converted to a more casual attitude. I swap the heads of the flying officer and the armorer carrying a HVAR (and before you ask, yes, I have photos of these rockets being carried on shoulders).

The diorama

And then the Hellcat received a load of HVAR, a white belly tank borrowed from another tri-tone F6F, and wheel shocks made from plastic stock. Everything was glued to the base and the engine warm-up can start.



The award at the Brazilian IPMS National Convention in 2004

The Clark tractor was awared during the Brazilian IPMS Nats in 2004, grabbing a double silver medal in Military Vehicles - 1/72 scale category.