1/72 Grumman F6F-3/5 Hellcat (Hasegawa 1:72 Aircraft Series B11)

The F6F Hellcat was a fighter plane launched by Grumman, a prestigious manufacturer of carrier-based fighters, as a successor to the F4F Wildcat, and was, along with the F4U Corsair, the main aircraft of the US Navy in the latter half of World War II.

On June 30, 1941, an order was issued to produce the XF6F-1 prototype,
and the XF6F-3 made its first flight in June 1942.

However, this aircraft was somewhat underpowered and its performance was not satisfactory,
so the engine was immediately replaced with a more powerful P&WR-2800 Double Wasp.

Delivery of mass-produced aircraft began in November 1942,
and the first F6F unit, VF-9, was formed in January 1943,
and training began on the aircraft carrier Essex as the first to defeat the Zero fighter.

2,545 F6F-3s were delivered by 1943,
252 of which were loaned to the UK under the Lend-Lease Agreement,
which assigned them to the British Fleet Task Force in July 1943,
and participated in combat in December, some of which were engaged in operations against Japan in the Indian Ocean.

The F6F-5 is equipped with the same R-2800-10W engine as the late production F6F-3,
but is a production model with slightly redesigned engine cowling, windshield, ailerons, and tail area.
The rear view window behind the movable windshield has also been removed.
In addition, the bulletproof equipment has been strengthened.

The F6F was large and heavy for its engine power,
and was by no means a masterpiece in terms of performance,
but it was sturdy, mobile, and had excellent bulletproof equipment,
and was able to withstand hits well with low attrition rates.
In addition, a total of 12,272 were produced,
and Japan was slow to develop a successor to the Zero fighter,
so it had a more brilliant combat record than its actual capabilities would suggest.
Data: F6F-5
Crew: 1
Width: 13.06m
Length: 10.23m
Height: 4.9m
Wing area: 31m2
Engine: P&W R-2800-10W
Takeoff power: 2,100 horsepower
Range: 1,750km
Maximum speed: 594km/h (altitude 7,300m)
Armament: 6 x 12.7mm machine guns or 2 x 20mm cannons + 4 x 12.7mm machine guns, 2 x 450kg bombs