BBI F6F Hellcat questions?

dragon53 · Post by **dragon53** » Sat Aug 30, 2008 7:37 am

I have 3 questions about the BBI 1/18 F6F Hellcat:

1. Does the later "Catmouth" version have fewer quality control problems (fuselage seam gaps, etc.) than the earlier "Vraciu" version?
2. Didn't the Vraciu version lack Japanese kill symbols on the right fuselage or was this problem solved later on?
2. If I display the F6F in the flying/extended wings position, would Elmer's Glue hold the wings in the proper dihedral to prevent sagging---or are the wings so heavy they would break the Elmer's bond?

dragon53 · Post by **dragon53** » Sat Aug 30, 2008 4:47 pm

Anyone with answers to my questions?

olifant · Post by **olifant** » Sat Aug 30, 2008 5:01 pm

Dragon, you have been talking about getting an F-6 since it came out. Buy the darn thing!

My Vraciu has no quality concerns. I think it is absolutely beautiful. Mine has kill flags on Vraciu's right side; I can't tell you if it is historically accurate but it looks great. I think the wing dihedral is fine, but if you wanted to glue something I don't think Elmer's is going to do it.

Did I mention buy the darn thing?

dragon53 · Post by **dragon53** » Sat Aug 30, 2008 5:14 pm

OLIPHANT:

Thanks. My intent was to buy all the top US fighters of WW II...and the F6F is the only one left. I got sidetracked by buying a bunch of diecast modern jets.

I just added BBI's P-51 Mustang George Preddy "Cripes A' Mighty" and Franklin Mint's P-38 Lightning Richard Bong "Marge" to my collection---so the F6F is next.

Dauntless · Post by **Dauntless** » Sat Aug 30, 2008 5:22 pm

I just pre-ordered the Vraciu Hellcat from Bad Cat. I guess they ran out like other stores.
I wonder if BBI had to make more to meet demand?

I like it better than the shark mouth F6F.

I'll bet you had to pay a pretty penny for that Cripes A' Mighty if you bought it recently.

dragon53 · Post by **dragon53** » Sat Aug 30, 2008 5:29 pm

DAUNTLESS:

Badcat said the Vraciu F6Fs were found recently in China--like the 21st Century Tiger I's a few months ago. I like the Vraciu for its historical value, but my impression from owner comments is that it may have had more quality control problems than the later Cat Mouth.

Yep---I started collecting models in October, 2007---probably after the BBI Cripes A Mighty was sold out. I literally didn't even know BBI made the Cripes, so I did a Google on it in June and found out BBI did release one. Yep---it cost me a lot, relatively speaking, but I love it---also George Preddy's hometown in North Carolina is 60 miles from my hometown.

PS---I vaguely remember something about the Vraciu F6F only had the Japanese kill signs on one side of the fuselage, so Badcat had to include decals with the Vracius it sold. Is that correct?

Dauntless · Post by **Dauntless** » Sat Aug 30, 2008 9:34 pm

Yeah I ordered one with that special Zero that's coming out.

I don't know about the kill flags having to be on the right side too, or if BCA sends extra ones. I was under the impression that a lot of pilots only put them on the left side anyways. Guess I'll find out when I get mine. I'm so happy to get this version of the Hellcat. I'm hoping I don't have any issues with it.

The Cripes A' Mighty was a Badcat exclusive, and why it's such a high dollar plane now.
They also had an exclusive Pearl harbor Zero, and a Hurry Home Honey P-51. Maybe one or two others I'm not sure.

The PH Zero is outrageously priced now.
That's why I ordered the Kounoike Zero. All the exclusives or limited run planes like this Zero seem to gain tremendous value after they are gone.

dragon53 · Post by **dragon53** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 12:28 pm

DAUNTLESS:

I paid $78.40 ($60 plus $18.40 shipping) for my Cripes A Mighty. I consulted some of the veteran collectors on SSHQ about the price and they said that was a fairly decent price considering it was a discontinued limited edition which originally sold for $50 at Badcat. Plus, it was probably my last chance at a Cripes.

Dauntless · Post by **Dauntless** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 1:43 pm

That's an excellent price. When they come up on ebay if they ever do now it's a lot more than that.

dragon53 · Post by **dragon53** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 2:06 pm

DAUNTLESS:

The only Cripes I saw on ebay were already sold out---but they were $73 (shipping included) from China.

dragon53 · Post by **dragon53** » Thu Sep 04, 2008 8:40 am

post deleted

dragon53 · Post by **dragon53** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 6:01 am

My F6F Cat Mouth arrived yesterday and I have the following problems:

1. My fear of flopping wings was realized. I used Elmer's Glue to hold the wings in the extended/flying position and it appears to be working so far.
2. Most of the wing flaps flop, too, so I'll glue them also.
3. Like my other BBI planes, everything is a tight fit--the drop tank peg broke off as I was trying to insert it, so I might leave it off. The pitot won't fit in, so I might have to file the peg down.

Question: Did anyone remove the F6F antenna wire or did you glue it into place as stated in the instructions?

Dauntless · Post by **Dauntless** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 7:07 am

Well, I'm pretty close to saying I'm not a fan of the folding wings. I don't have my first Hellcat so I can't make a 100% assessment. But after reading your post.

This seems to be a problem with all folding wings for everyone. I had heard that the 21'st Avenger has a serious problem with drooping wings. I haven't taken mine out of the box so I don't know.

Is there a fix for this problem without gluing the wings in position?

dragon53 · Post by **dragon53** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 8:00 am

DAUNTLESS:

About 1/3 of the reviews I've seen on the BBI F6F said they had no problems with flopping wings. But check out the owner comments on Badcat---most complained of floppy wings.

Did anyone cut off their F6F antenna wire?

dragon53 · Post by **dragon53** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 6:25 pm

Any suggestions for a good glue to keep the F6F wings in place in the extended/flying position?
My experiment with the F6F and Elmer's Glue wasn't successful---the glue bond between the wings is good only if the F6F is not moved. The only advantage Elmer's Glue has is that excess glue that oozes up from the seam between the 2 wing sections can be wiped up with moistened paper.
Other than Testor's cement, are there any other glues I can try?

Folkwulfe · Post by **Folkwulfe** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 10:43 am

One of the problems (discussed before) with the "flopping wings" on the BBI Varciu Hellcat was caused by a simple problem....people were NOT snapping the wings in completely during assembly. The square "spar" attached to each wing slides into and snaps into the wing center-section. If you can easily remove the wing by pulling on it, it isn't snapped in completely. I found this out when I first got mine. Be careful because the hinge is right there and can be damaged easily. Push the wing in as straight as you can and you should hear a loud click when it seats completely. That little extra length is what is causing the majority of sagging wing problems.

dragon53 · Post by **dragon53** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 7:51 pm

FOLKWULFE:

Thanks.
To clarify the "flopping wings", the wings are perpendicular to the fuselage (looking from the front) with no dihedral (wings don't angle up slightly) and there is small but visible gap between the 2 wing sections when the outer wing flops.

When I push the outer wing into the inner wing, all surfaces meet and are flush--but when I let go, the outer wing flops a little which creates the slight gap between the 2 wing sections.

Maybe I'm being too picky, but the slight gap bugs me which is why I'm thinking of gluing the 2 wing sections together.

Folkwulfe · Post by **Folkwulfe** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 6:11 am

Dragon53: Exactly the same problem I had before I found that the spar snaps into place a little farther inward that I originally thought. Try folding the wing and pressing directly at the hinge. See if it will snap into the center section a little farther. It may take some pressure to do this though, so be careful.

dragon53 · Post by **dragon53** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 9:21 am

FOLKWULFE:

Could you clarify/be more detailed about what you mean when you say "Try folding the wing and pressing directly at the hinge. See if it will snap into the center section a little farther." ?

When I insert/push the wing sections together, they are perfectly flush and won't go in any further. When I let go, the outer wing flops which leaves a slight gap in the wing seam.

Thanks for he help.

Rogo · Post by **Rogo** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 1:52 pm

Hi Dragon,

I recently assembled my S1 Hellcat so a few notes...
1. I found that while attaching the second antenna line from the fuselage to the mast, there wasn't enough room to thread the line through the mast eyelet. Too much space was taken by the line to the tail so I put a small drop of Elmer's glue on top of the mast eyelet and draped the line over it and, keeping the line tight, taped the waste end of the line to the other side of the fuselage until the glue dried thoroughly. Then I cut excess line at the mast eyelet and removed the tape.
2. When attaching the outer wings, I folded each outer wing at the hinge so that I could get my thumb firmly on the end of the I beam connector. This way I could insert the I beam with plenty of force into the wing center section until it clicked and would not go any farther. When finished, I have one wing that is completely flat and the other with just a very slight hint of droop. I hang my planes up and I noticed that if I were to try and glue the wings up to get any dihedral, it would open a gap on the bottom which would be much more noticable. So I am leaving it as is.
I certainly agree that the wing fold feature did not work out well for the Hellcat or Avenger. I would much rather have seen the plane designed and built with proper dihedral rather than the cumbersome wing fold.

The only time I have glued wings up (BBI Zero), I used CA Gel. It is holding fine. Just be aware of potential fogging of the paint finish as the glue dries. I also had to get the glue line deep inside the joint so that it would not push out to the surface.

Rogo

dragon53 · Post by **dragon53** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 4:36 pm

ROGO:

Thanks for the info.

3 question about glues---I'm concerned that after I insert the wings, some glue will ooze up from the seam joint (with Elmer's Glue, I could wipe the glue ooze off with moist paper), so:
1. Is there any glue that allows me to wipe off the excess glue that oozes up before it dries?
2. Will that glue give a strong bond after it dries?
3. How does CA Gel compare to Testor's model glue?

Folkwulfe · Post by **Folkwulfe** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 11:39 am

Dragon....I'll try and get you some pictures of exactly what I'm talking about, but it will be later this evening at best. There are a couple of problems (mostly minor) with the BBI Hellcat and I'll try and show them all. As for the 21C Avenger and her sagging outer wings, there is an easy fix that is real hard to spot unless you know the Avenger very well. Mine is hanging in my office right now and the sag is gone. Once you extent the wings and "lock" them into place, pull up slightly on the wingtip. There is a small triangular door on the lower surface at the hinge-line that covers part of the hinge itself and it swings closed towards the wingtip (meaning the hinge-line for the door is closer to the gear well). Put your thumb on the unhinge side and pop that edge of the triangular door up into the opening and it will hold that long and heavy wing alot closer to where it's supposed to be. The only time the triangular door is open is when the wing is folded, so it doesn't appear out of place. Mine looks just fine.

As for CA Gel glue, it's most ofter called "CA Thick" and is just as the name implies. Just remember that with CA....a little goes a long way. It cures slower than other CA glues and can sometime "frost" surfaces near where the CA is applied. This is caused by chemical vapors coming off the glue during the curing time and most of the time can be averted by simply placing a small fan to blow on the glued surface for a couple of hours while curing....it blows the fumes away and no "frosting" left behind.

dragon53 · Post by **dragon53** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 5:37 pm

FOLKWULFE:

Thanks. I look forward to your photos so I can see what you're talking about.
Also, if it makes any difference, I want my F6F to have the landing retracted/up in addition to the wings extended/flying.

As for glue, it sounds like Testors is the best choice for the F6F, if I can't lock the wings up myself.

GooglyDoogly · Post by **GooglyDoogly** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 6:17 pm

Just buy regular ol' super glue/krazy glue at your local store. That's basically what's CA glue is.

Testor's modeling glue will melt plastics, and it might not be enough if you're gluing such a large area that has some tension in it.

dragon53 · Post by **dragon53** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 6:36 pm

GOOGLYDOOGLY:

I've already ruled out Krazy Glue because it dries too quickly. When the 2 wing sections are connected, they have to be constantly adjusted to be connected correctly with seams fitting together properly, dihedral, etc.