Small Scale Military Headquarters

I have two questions about the BBI F6F Hellcat--Vraciu:

1. Is the F6F Vraciu a limited edition?...If so, how many were released?
2. Did it have a problem with the Japanese kills symbols being left off on one side of the fuselage and decals were included later to correct the mistake?

1st question... who knows, catmouth supposedly around 2000, vraciu, more than that I would think.
2nd question....yes and yes- see BCA-decal section.

By the way, military issue.com still has them for sale for 29.95!!! I got one, had a warranty issue with it, sent it back, and got a good one- no BS. With all due respect, don't ask too many questions, just get one.

MIKEG:

Thanks for the info.
Another question---Did BBI correct the decal problem on later Vraciu Hellcats or do all BBI Vracius have the Japanese kill/decal problem?

They all have the missing kill flags on the right side. No real big problem to me, but BBI did not fix it. The Hellcat is not BBI's best release in terms of QC issues, but it is otherwise an excellent plane with amazing detail

Another thing to watch for is the prop. I received one that looked as if it had been wire-tied into the package while the plastic was molten; the hub was very badly distorted.

BBI sent retailers extra props, landing gear and pilots. I now imagine this was to correct quality control issues that surfaced early on.

Something to be aware of, especially if you leave planes in their boxes for a while.

My Vraciu looks great. The decal looks great after it goes on if you have any experience at all with water slide decals.
If you can find one for $29.95 I'd jump on it if you don't have one already.

mikeg wrote:
By the way, military issue.com still has them for sale for 29.95!!! I got one, had a warranty issue with it, sent it back, and got a good one- no BS. With all due respect, don't ask too many questions, just get one.

I agree. It is a great deal.

Their shipping to California was incredibly reasonable. My plane's box had a tear in the plastic window, but I can live with that. The plane is in fine condition.

GUYS:

I already have the BBI F6F Catmouth and I remember what a pain it is to assemble the wings---that's why I haven't bought the Vraciu version yet.

dragon53 wrote:GUYS:

I already have the BBI F6F Catmouth and I remember what a pain it is to assemble the wings---that's why I haven't bought the Vraciu version yet.

They were hard, but I seriously doubt that you'll ever find the F6F for under $40 with shipping again. If you've got the attic space or even a friend / kid, the price point is worth getting.

That said, it took me about 30 minutes to carefully get the wings assembled ... I've not tried to disassemble my Catmouth yet.

Like I said in a much earlier thread, I removed the wings to raise and lower the gear- which I don't thnk I've ever done more than twice for display purposes, therefore no wear and tear- yet.

dragon53 wrote:I have two questions about the BBI F6F Hellcat--Vraciu:

1. Is the F6F Vraciu a limited edition?...If so, how many were released?

Vraciu was not limited edition per se. It was released to Toys R Us and also to specialty/internet retailers. Then, either late last year or earlier this year, another production run was issued to specialty retailers which is why it is commonly available (for now).

The Hellmouth was a Merit exclusive, and is long gone from distribution at this point.

Just ordered one from Historic Aviation for 30 bucks. Makes a great father in law gift.