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Hasegawa F6F-3..or 5

paddy

Well-known member
Hi
been a long time since i posted a build but lockdown in the UK has got me going again after rather a long absence...
I picked up a Aires Detail set for a F6F-5 on ebay for half price. I suspect the reason is Hasegawa dont seem to make the -5 anymore,,,so this is an odd build using a -3. That said the difference is in the cowling which i will be throwing away and the canopy which i can change if necessary later if i find a later one.
I started this a week or so ago so its just an initial catch up.

First thing is to cut the parts to suit, you dont get any diagrams or instructions really so you need to be very careful and work it out


This gives an idea of what you need to cut off the front

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The wing root will need to be cut too

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And the root thats part of the fuselage to match

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Basically you are aiming for this. Aires stuff always needs a lot of fitting and general persuasion to sit properly. It really important to get the engine bulkhead to sit spot on as everything hangs off this and you dont want a droopy engine or one that stick up in the air. the gun covers will also need to be cut out but there are panel lines to follow for those so no real problem.
 
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Struggling here to get larger pics and text between so i will switch to an outside server for pics

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This is the basic Aires detail set as it arrives on its pouring blocks

Dont always assume because its an "upgrade" detail set its going to better than the stock parts. You can see here its not worth messing about with the resin stuff compared to the Hasegawa original plastic in the cockpit, i will probably use the resin seat and the PE seat belts.

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Here is an example. Little wonder this guy had trouble hitting anything when i look at his resin barrels.

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Some brass tube will sort them out later :)

Thats about as far as i have got so far but updates will now follow after i have gone off and learnt how to post pictures again :)
 
Interesting. When you want to attach pictures, choose thumbnail or larger image, then click insert. To add text below the photo, hit the return key and type. Hope this helps.
:good:
 
Looks like the original attachments were deleted. Paddy we got the file attachment system in the forum or the Media section much like our old Gallery. If you're lucky the original gallery stuff transferred...
You're right, resin bits ain't always what they are cracked up to be. :popcorn
 
OK i put the first pictures on another server and will get it sorted with my next upload

When i tried before i got large pictures where i wanted them and a row of thumbnails i didnt want at the bottom of the post.
 
Anymore with the photos, I do my text and press ENTER a bunch to give blank lines. Then drag the photos over in order and if you watch, it will show a blinky vertical line on the left where the photo will go. I leave a space between photos. When they are all placed, I click post reply. It seems that they don't go into the Gallery this way but are posting full size in the thread as I want. There are other things that need to be done when uploading the whole shebang all at once.
 
This is what we are aiming for top.

TM48065.jpg

I have gone for top simply because its the more complicated paint scheme , i also ordered some paint masks for the canopy last night and now having posted this picture i see you get them with the decals...Doh ! What i would have really likes is a Malcolm hood which some Hellcat Mk2's used over here ( basically the F6F-5) The Royal Navy here acquired just over 1000 Hell cats which they kept the name for, previously they had always given aircraft their own name like the F4F widcat became the Martlet over here but this was getting confusing so the name Hellcat was retained.
 
Right....first mistake.
You cant dry fit these resin sets enough , there are no instructions as such to warn you of whats ahead
Glued up the fuselage and now find the floor is too long :)...i should have cut that down to suit the cut wing roots. as it is its in the way "the soon to be fitted" bulkhead is going to sit vertical .

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I need to lose the front 5-6mm

I have cut the holes in the wings, i like to get the gun bays where i want them, clamp them and then glue a couple of guides in place because when i finally glue them with super glue i need to get them right first time with that stuff..

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I have found the resin guns are pretty naff and they only give you 4 and you need 6 so i will have to make some. I will need some 1.5mm x 3mm plastistrut next time i am passing a model shop,
 
With super glue I have new fast glue and old slow glue (slow because it is old and thick as well) that still bonds. I clamp the parts in place and flow in the super glue. Sometimes I will tack it in place in a couple of spots to make sure before doing the heavy duty attachment. I will also mix super glues. A drop of each on a watch crystal, mix and dip my applicator. Sometimes the mixed CA is the best. Tough with a little flex. thin and flows well, but slower to set up.
 
A quick apology that this is not very exciting but it might help others who want to have a go at this and also show what to look out for with other Aires detail sets.

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The instructions , such as they are call out what needs to be cut from the front of the std kit parts leaving the sides with the exhaust channels.
This makes it trick to cut and later like me you will also find this cant work :) You need to cut these side panels off as well as there is no way the forward bulk head is going to fit inside them.........
after a lot of head scratching and thinking i looked atthe box again and the guy that built the model for the box front also found the same as he cut the sides off as well

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Thats more like it :) I have now cut the sides off of mine and will a bit of trimming got the cockpit wall/bulked in where i want it also now shortened the cock pit floor. One other problem i found is the sides when still fitted were different lengths, 1mm out despite being cut to the panel lines ....so another good reason for losing them.

I promise this might get a bit more interesting soon as things start to come together so bear with me :)

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It is all good Paddy!
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Doing these kind of mods to a kit are always guessing in the dark. I have several Aires AM items for some of my future builds and they are all extra detail but look to be a LOT of work to add in.
 
found time to call in at the model shop yesterday and got some .060" x .100" and have made this..

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Macro lens doesnt do it any favours but with the ammo belts and the guide shoots for them i think 6 of these will do, certainly better than Aires efforts :) some better paint and a little cleaning to do up but scratch has never been my thing.
 
I have been trying to find a way to cheat painting the cylinder heads :) I wanted to do them bassed on the double wasp in the imperial war museum here with black barrels and alloy heads but they are very small and i couldn't find a way to mask them so ended up painting them by hand.

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i had already drilled the spark plug holes. i didn't fancy trying to cut push rod tubes, all 36 of them exactly to length so i have drilled the holes in the crank cases a couple of mm deep so i can fit the rods over length and just slide them up till they touch the heads if you see what i mean...hope it works :)

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I have done the gun bays with my home made guns, the Aires kit give you four guns and about enough ammo for 4 guns so i made six new guns and have only armed one side. If i had know all this i would not have opened one of the wings up and just displayed one side.

DSC_1271.JPG


So i am happy with the bulk head and this is where i am at the moment
PS the gun barrels are not seen out side the gun bays so they are no particular length here.
I have a PE ignition harness but i dont like it, like most PE its 2D and i would rather have round wires but i cant see a way of doing it in this scale at the moment.
 
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