Here is a review of the new Hobby Boss 1:48 scale Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat. Quality wise the overall package is really good but when it comes to accuracy it is sadly quite a different story!

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If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Hi Jean-Luc

Nice review - the comparison shots are really useful. Overall, I'm glad I didn't run out and buy the kit - I'm not particularly interested in the wing-fold, and that seems to be its principal value...

All the best

Rowan

My thought exactly: The wingfold might make this kit worthwhile.

Note the Eduard kit is the best but is far from a sinecure:

-Very slight lack of chord on the -5 windshield. (I smash moulded a new one, but the fit to the Eduard fuselage of my part is very tricky as a result of the slight extra armourglass slope and the consequent overall chord I added)

-F6F-3 winshield's quaterlight forward side window very inaccurate.(Far too tall vs lenght)

-Landing gear legs far too long.

-Tires too skinny.

-Prop totally absurd, especially the undersized no-detail spinner: Tamiya F4U-1D prop an excellent substitute.

-Cowling "smile" a valiant and generally sound effort, but too rounded overall, especially on the bottom lip which can use being thinned squarer; the middle separation lip needs to be thicker-edged with more profile inner and outer radius to sort of match the top cowl profile radius.

All this is fixable but the resin D-Mold cowling is the best: Very hard to find though.

Still a very fixable kit despite all the problems, and an unusually delicate touch on the true thinness of the kit's spine cross-section, which you hardly ever see on almost all kits. Absolutely eautiful engraving/riveeting that really has to be seen.

A few challenges but still one of Eduard's best, and by far the best starting point for an F6F out there...

Note I know little of the Hasegawa kit, but that never looked "right" enough for me to even purchase, so...

Gaston

Hi Jean-Luc

Thanks for your detailed review. It's quite interesting how some companies shine in detail in some kit areas but completely trash the effort on another area. I thought about getting this kit in the past but I will go with the Eduard version instead. Great review.

Hi Ernie,

I'm glad that you found this review helpful. It seems Hobby Boss have copied the Trumpeter 1:32 scale kit as it has the exact same "too big cockpit" problem. It is obvious on this model which I saw at the Thionville Expo...



Jean-Luc

I want to add my 2 cents to your review of the 1/48 Hobby Boss Early F6F-3.
I've been involved with a Grumman Cat group build on one of the modeling websites. I'm building the Arii/Otaki 1/48 F6F -3 , which is also an early _3.
I wanted to do one of the cat mouth fighters from the Princeton and in my research, found that all the VF-27 ,USS Princeton's Hellcats were late -3s.
This kit would be inaccurate for a VF-27 Hellcat for the same reason as the Arii kit, although simple to correct.
You would need to eliminate the bulges over the exhaust stacks on the side of the cowl as well as the lower cowl flaps. Just trim/sand off the bulges on the cowl. Replace with small pieces of sheet plastic if necessary .
Fill in the panel lines of the lower cowl flaps and scribe an extension to the panel lines along the lower portion of the cowl.
The rear quarter windows would still be correct for the late F6F-3.