At last I have a French plane in my collection - Hasegawa's French F6F-5 Hellcat, kit number 09600. I built this one because I wanted to complete something rather quickly, and since this plane is all one color, it seemed an appropriate choice. It was also a little different from the usual nationalities. It is also the second 1/48 Hellcat I've tried to build - I did not complete the Otaki kit.

As with the Otaki Fw 190A-8, I primed with Krylon Gray primer. This primer is rather dark, but I didn't think it would be a problem since the main color is so dark. I used Model Master enamel Flat Sea Blue for the main color. The surface ended up being rather rough, so I may have to break down and use a primer intended for models. The instructions said the wheels could be either blue or silver; I chose blue for simplicity. In retrospect, silver would have made painting the tires a bit easier, as there isn't much contrast between the blue of the wheels and the black of the tires.

Again I used an EZ Mask for the canopy, which worked well.

I used Krylon Acrylic gloss in a rattle can for the gloss clear. The kit decals worked very well, and I was very pleased with how they turned out.

Page last updated February 14, 2024.