Model Airplane International – September 2019

with the cockpit. Compared to many WWII
fi ghters, the Hellcat’s ‘pit is positively palatial
and that is translated well by Airfi x who offer
virtually all of the major structural components,
bulkheads, seat, and instrument panels found
in the original. Some effort has also been
made to replicate a few of the internal wiring
looms and pipework, which though welcome
are not entirely complete, some additional
work with rod and wire being a worthwhile
endeavour to complete the picture. Dig a little
deeper and you will fi nd the option of a clear or
grey instrument panel. I have to admit to being
a little stumped here, as I couldn’t really see
why a clear option was on offer as the decals

were designed

to sit on top of the

bezels, thus negating its

usefulness. I guess that you could apply them

to the other side of the panel so that each

instruments could be seen through masked

faces, but as the overlaying panel was too

deep to be able to see them once done, this

seems pointless. As it was, for this build I laid

the decals in place, added the overlay and

then fi lled the openings with Kristal Klear to

complete the job. Like I say: odd...

The seat is multi-part and very nicely

detailed. In order to complete the picture,

the kit includes four, individual, plastic seat

Issue 170 - http://www.modelairplaneinternational.com 67

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The completed cockpit fl oor and rear bulkhead. This part of the model was a lot of fun to paint, plenty of time
being taken to impart light and shade across its surface.
Unashamedly over accentuated, I really like the way it looks,
both in this shot and within the fuselage!

As you can see here, not only was the cockpit fl oor painted

following the steps described for the seat, areas of the fl oor

were also masked to allow lighter shades to be sprayed on to

further lift the detail. This is particularly apparent around the

panels in front of the rudder pedals and on top of the structural

members under the seat.

The seat has been fi xed in place and

the seat straps carefully dropped into

position. Even from the box, the cockpit

is stunning once complete.

The seat straps in place. These were painted in much the same way that I would paint a fi gure, with a layer of Tamiya acrylics being overpainted with either Vallejo or Games Workshop colours

to deal with the details. In this case the straps were airbrushed with Tamiya Khaki and then highlighted with Deck Tan. Once dry, a wash of Raw Umber was applied around the buckles and then

blended in. Happy with that, the texture of the straps was added with Games Workshop Rakarth Earth lightened with White Scar, the paint being applied around edges and across the surface of

the straps to create the illusion of a weave pattern. Buckles were then painted black and highlighted with an aluminium paint, in this case, GW Leadbelcher. The parachute pack was painted in an

identical fashion and then decals applied before spraying everything with a layer of Vallejo Flat Varnish.