Grumman F6F- (Hellcat) Series

[NARSES2]

Surprisingly we don't have a thread on this subject, or at least I couldn't find it.

Any of you who read my musings in my Blog on site will have seen that I have plans for a couple of real world FAA Hellcats (originally due to be called the Gannet in FAA service) but I have a problem and am looking for advice.

Now the 2 Hellcat kits I have in the stash are the Eduard toolings of the F6F-3 Hellcat Mk I, but all the transfer options in my stash, bar one, are for the F6F-5 Hellcat Mk II. Now I know the Mk II had a different engine and didn't have the quarter lights the Mk I had, but were these the only changes ?

Now my Eduard boxing's include 2 different cowls and the option of blanking plates for the 1/4 lights. Is all I have to do to get a -5/Mk II use these pieces marked  as not for use in the -3 version ?

Any help would be appreciated as I would like to do both a Mk I and Mk II.

Chris

[NARSES2]

Anyone ?

[PR19_Kit]

Wrong way round Chris, the early F6F-3s, or Hellcat Mk 1s, had the rear quarter lights, whereas the later F6F-5s, or Hellcat Mk IIs, didn't. The IIs had a flat glass windscreen and the Mk Is had a curved one as well as the cowling changes.

[NARSES2]

Ah yes Kit. Not sure what I actually meant by the bit re the 1/4 lights  Both the boxing and my picture of a Mk I show the aircraft to have them.

I'll edit that bit and give myself 500 line 

Apologies for confusion and thanks for the other info 

[Dizzyfugu]

I think there were also (small) differences in the exhaust arrangement. IIRC, the -3 had small, protruding fairings on the cowling flanks (the -5 did not feature them):

http://christophe.arribat.pagesperso-orange.fr/stoff6f.jpg

The Hasegawa 1:72 kit has them as optional parts (as well as the side window panels of the -3).

The antenna mast seems to differ, too - the -3's was tilted forward, as it seems, while the -5's mast was vertical.

[NARSES2]

Cheers Dizzy 

Had a really good look at my Eduard kits last night and I'm fairly sure you can build a -5 from them. You simply use the parts marked as "not for use".  Suits me as I can make a FAA Mk I and Mk II in tandem. Mk I will be European waters based, Mk II Pacific.

[jcf]

All Hellcats, save the first prototype, had Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10 or R-2800-10W(water injection).

[NARSES2]

Cheers Jon. I did wonder what the W meant when I read it in my Putnam's British Naval Aircraft