In Box Review of Otaki 1/48th Scale U.S. Grumman F6F-3 "Hellcat"
Kit no. OT2-29-400
By Ray Mehlberger
My kit is out of production. I paid $5.98 for it back in the 70's at a local hobby shop that went out of business. It has a copyright date of 1976. It is shown 3 places for sale on eBay for prices from $26.00 to $29.00.
By Ray Mehlberger
My kit is out of production. I paid $5.98 for it back in the 70's at a local hobby shop that went out of business. It has a copyright date of 1976. It is shown 3 places for sale on eBay for prices from $26.00 to $29.00.
HISTORY:
The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United States Navy's dominant fighter in the second half of the Pacific War.
The Hellcat competed with the faster Vought F4U Corsair for that role and prevailed, as the Corsair had significant issues with carrier landings. The Corsair instead was primarily deployed to great effect in land-based use by the U.S. Marine Corps.
Powered by a 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp, the same power plant used for both the Corsair and the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters, the F6F was an entirely new design, but it still resembled the Wildcat in many ways. Some military observers tagged the Hellcat as the "Wildcat's big brother".
The F6F was best known for its role as a rugged, well-designed carrier fighter which was able, after its combat debut in September 1943, to outperform the A6M Zero and help secure air superiority over the Pacific Theater. A total of 12,275 were built in just over two years.
Hellcats were credited with destroying a total of 5,223 enemy aircraft while in service with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. This was more than any other Allied naval aircraft. Postwar, the Hellcat was phased out of front line service but remained in service as late as 1954 as a night fighter.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter aircraft
National origin: United States
Manufacturer: Grumman
First flight: 26 June 1942
Introduction to service: 1943
Retired: 1960 Uruguayan Navy
Primary users: U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, Royal Navy,French Navy
Produced: 1942–45
Number built: 12,275
Unit cost: 35,000 in 1945
The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United States Navy's dominant fighter in the second half of the Pacific War.
The Hellcat competed with the faster Vought F4U Corsair for that role and prevailed, as the Corsair had significant issues with carrier landings. The Corsair instead was primarily deployed to great effect in land-based use by the U.S. Marine Corps.
Powered by a 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp, the same power plant used for both the Corsair and the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters, the F6F was an entirely new design, but it still resembled the Wildcat in many ways. Some military observers tagged the Hellcat as the "Wildcat's big brother".
The F6F was best known for its role as a rugged, well-designed carrier fighter which was able, after its combat debut in September 1943, to outperform the A6M Zero and help secure air superiority over the Pacific Theater. A total of 12,275 were built in just over two years.
Hellcats were credited with destroying a total of 5,223 enemy aircraft while in service with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. This was more than any other Allied naval aircraft. Postwar, the Hellcat was phased out of front line service but remained in service as late as 1954 as a night fighter.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter aircraft
National origin: United States
Manufacturer: Grumman
First flight: 26 June 1942
Introduction to service: 1943
Retired: 1960 Uruguayan Navy
Primary users: U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, Royal Navy,French Navy
Produced: 1942–45
Number built: 12,275
Unit cost: 35,000 in 1945
THE KIT:
Otaki was a model company based in Japan.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a Hellcat flying above clouds. It has a sea-blue spine, intermediate blue sides and a white undercarriage. The fuselage code is OO star with a diagonal white bar on the rudder. Black OO under the elevators on fuselage sides.
It is the aircraft of Lt. Col. James Fratly, Commander, Leading Air Groups 5 & 9, Yorktown (CV-10) 1943, Marcus.
One side panel has 2 small color profiles of other Hellcat's:
Otaki was a model company based in Japan.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a Hellcat flying above clouds. It has a sea-blue spine, intermediate blue sides and a white undercarriage. The fuselage code is OO star with a diagonal white bar on the rudder. Black OO under the elevators on fuselage sides.
It is the aircraft of Lt. Col. James Fratly, Commander, Leading Air Groups 5 & 9, Yorktown (CV-10) 1943, Marcus.
One side panel has 2 small color profiles of other Hellcat's:
1. A British Hellcat. It is in a wave-pattern of dark-gray and light-gray over duck-egg-green undercarriage. The fuselage code is white IL before the roundel. It has a white horizontal wide bar on the rudder, black ROYAL NAVY over JW564 after the fuselage roundel.
It is with no. 808 Sqdn. Fleet Air Arm, HMS KHEDIVE, Operation of Sumatra, 1945.
2. A U.S. Hellcat in 2 shades of blue with white undercarraige. Large white 33 under the cockpit and smaller at the top of the rudder. 5 victory marks for Japanese kills under the cockpit.
This is the aircraft of Lt. Francis M. Frammig, No. 16 Sqdn., on Lexington (CV-16) Wake Island.
It is with no. 808 Sqdn. Fleet Air Arm, HMS KHEDIVE, Operation of Sumatra, 1945.
2. A U.S. Hellcat in 2 shades of blue with white undercarraige. Large white 33 under the cockpit and smaller at the top of the rudder. 5 victory marks for Japanese kills under the cockpit.
This is the aircraft of Lt. Francis M. Frammig, No. 16 Sqdn., on Lexington (CV-16) Wake Island.
The other side panel shows kits made by Otaki. They are the P-47D, F4U-1 Corsair, Fw190A-8, P-40E Curtiss and a P-51D Mustang.
A sheet is included of two F6F-3 color profiles are that are the same ones that are on the first side panel.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
The kit holds 3 medium-gray trees and clear tree in 2 sealed cello bags, the decal sheet and 2 instruction sheets.
The first instruction sheet consists of a single sheet folded in the center to create 4 pages in 7 1/2" x 11" page format.
Page 1 has three 3-views of the 3 schemes (already described above), next to the history of the Hellcat.
Page 2 has the parts trees illustrations over the first 2 assembly steps.
Pages 3 & 4 give a balance of a total of 13 assembly steps.
The second instruction sheet is the same size as the first one, printed on one side in color on slick-coated paper. It is the painting and marking instructions. It has a profile of the British Hellcat and the U.S. Hellcat no. 33.
Medium-gray letter A tree holds fuselage and elevator halves (4 parts)
The kit holds 3 medium-gray trees and clear tree in 2 sealed cello bags, the decal sheet and 2 instruction sheets.
The first instruction sheet consists of a single sheet folded in the center to create 4 pages in 7 1/2" x 11" page format.
Page 1 has three 3-views of the 3 schemes (already described above), next to the history of the Hellcat.
Page 2 has the parts trees illustrations over the first 2 assembly steps.
Pages 3 & 4 give a balance of a total of 13 assembly steps.
The second instruction sheet is the same size as the first one, printed on one side in color on slick-coated paper. It is the painting and marking instructions. It has a profile of the British Hellcat and the U.S. Hellcat no. 33.
Medium-gray letter A tree holds fuselage and elevator halves (4 parts)
Medium-gray letter B tree holds the wing halves (4 parts)
Medium-gray letter C tree holds: propeller, bombs and their racks, drop tank and its rack, engine, dashboard, tail wheel, main wheels, wheel pants, seat, cockpit floor and side consoles, landing gear legs etc. (42 parts)
The clear tree holds the cockpit canopy and gun-sight lens (2 parts)
The decals complete the kit.
Kit has nicely engraved detail. All flaps are molded solid.
No pilot figure is included
No pilot figure is included
Recommended.