Late Hellcats

Jun 27, 2009 12 Replies
E

I'm going to be starting yet another Hellcat soon. I will use an 1/48 Eduard kit and the wonderful Alley Cat decals to build an F6F-5K at Point Mugu in February 1950.



The decal sheet destructions show that the undercarriage legs and wheel hubs should be gloss sea blue. Would that apply to the wheel wells as well? Or would they have been painted fluorescent orange like the aircraft's underside? Or, given that the aircraft appears to have been originally overall Insignia Red, with the orange undersides added later, maybe they were red.



Likewise with the flap interiors. Blue, red or maybe chromate yellow?



And as a further question, did any Hellcats survive long enough to be painted in the Light Gull Grey/White scheme?



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W

on 6/27/2009 6:26 AM (ET) Enzo Matrix wrote the following:

Wouldn't the fluorescent orange or other vivid colors indicate that it was a drone, or is that what you want?

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E

Exactly! This is the sheet I will be using.

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I will build the Point Mugu aircraft, but I had to think long and hard about choosing it over the Operation Crossroads aircraft.

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R

Take a look here -

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...looks like orange everywhere.

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R

...and notice that #10 in the foreground of the second link, running up it's engine, doesn't look like it has a pilot in it...as far as I can tell...

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S

looks like there's someone in the cockpit to me, leaning forward and to the left.

Steve Vernon

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R

...ok - now I see him. Good eye.

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E

Brilliant! Thank you.

Actually, the Crossroads aircraft were Insignia Red. The one I am building has fluorescent orange undersurfaces and fuselage sides. However, I think that the orange may have been added later as the markings have been carefully masked off and so are on Insignia Red panels. Nevertheless, I'm going to paint the wheel weels orange - as well as the whole of the tailwheel unit.

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E

Working, mostly. New job places a lot of demands on my time, but that just makes my modelling all the more important!

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S

indeed. does it provide the valuta as well?

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J

Another option:

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Insignia Red

This one was at China Lake and is currently on display the Flying Heritage Collection at Paine Field, Everett WA but painted in dark gloss blue as James Flately's aircraft as commander of Airgroup 5 on the Yorktown.

Jack G.

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R

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Way cool site!

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