Small Scale Military Headquarters

On the Badcat site there is a good review of the new BBI Hellcat. They have a production version, and a really detailed review of the plane. Looks like a winner!

Wow, the pilot is all new with the Hellcat, I can't wait to see this plane!

Badcat listed the pilot as new, but it looks like the Corsair pilot to me. That is ok, he is a great looking pilot.

Might have to get one from them.

Looks better than before, I love the dirty weathered look.

The canopy is still not fixed though.

I wonder if they will fix that canopy problem on future runs, and if they will make replacements available? I wonder how they missed that canopy detail in the first place?

Sabrefan wrote:I wonder if they will fix that canopy problem on future runs, and if they will make replacements available? I wonder how they missed that canopy detail in the first place?

I agree.

Does anyone know if the Hellcat model will be at Toys R Us about the same time it hits the online retaliers?

BadCat says they have a 1-2 month exclusive, so it should be in TRU around October or November. Or knowing the TRU distribution timing, March '08.

The windscreen error doesn't look so bad when the main canopy hood is closed

Apart from that, the new BBI F6F looks fantastic! The paintscheme is amazing and this will be a welcomed addition to my 1:18 naval air arm

Yes it is a beautiful model. Looking forward to parking it next to my Corsairs. And the new Admiral Dauntless will be icing on the cake.

I think mike said that the windscrean will be fixed.

Hot Damn...That Hellcat is one very nice piece of work. I don't think one of these planes has really ever captured my attention with details alone. I think it sets a very high standard for what comes later.

Now, would you guy quit griping about the canopy????!!!!!!!!! Sometimes I think y'all forget that you are dealing with stuff 1/18th the size of real, and then you nitpick something that just isn't possible. For instance, have any of you ever thought that the thickness of the plastic canopy is probably as wide as the canopy framework would be in this scale?? Remember, with the high degree of polishing on the mold that is necessary to get clear plastic windows, it's one place where you can't mold on too many details before you defeat your purpose. And a different cavity for a canopy frame would be a waste of money.

Plane Nuts The bigger the scale the more you noticed defects.
If they don’t fix it right away. I might have to wait till they do, I sure hope they fix them the first time.

VMF: I know you are passionate about this one, being one of your favorites... But I don't see how they can fix it. To paint on a little blue band would make it look even worse when the canopy is closed up. And they certainly aren't going to make a separate frame for the canopy to get it to look right in this scale. It's a fifty dollar TOY, and even though there are some compromises, we are getting a tremendous amount of detail on this plane that makes it easy for me to overlook something minor I would have never noticed except for the stink made around here!

Plane Nuts

aferguson wrote:Mike wrote:

"for all,
actually I caught you all sleeping, there are actually two faults with the images and I'm surprised you did not jump on it...I'll assume you were all so "wowed" by it that you missed it.

Anyway the screen will be fixed in production to include the extra bracing.

So I guess we need not worry.
btw to me they are not toys.

To be completely honest, the more I look at the canopy, the more I hate it. It almost looks like somebody put a Wildcat canopy on the Hellcat. I don't get why they got it so wrong. Sorry for being anal, but after all of the planes that have been released, it is disappointing to see such a flagerant foul.... I mean, they get everything right on the fuselage and wings and mess up the canopy completely....and on the Hellcat, the canopy is everything.....





-Ski

I don't get what all the carping is about. It looks like there is an extra bit of painted caging in the forward section of the canopy. If that's it, it could be worse.

at the risk of looking like a retard, i have to ask: what is it that's wrong with the canopy?

http://www.hsgalleries.com/gallery04/f6f3lc_1.htm

I kinda don't see the canopy tragedy either - is it that little bit that is painted at the top front? If that's it, they could just change the paint mask to make that curved bit you would think.

Is it because they didn't paint this area crudly circled in red?


Or is it because the entire canopy seems...chubbier than expected?

Meh, I can live with that. I mean, no one seems to care about the numerous major glaring flaws on other XD vehicles like the *tiger*, but we're gonna dog-pile on a Hellcat because of the canopy?

They left of the frame work on the rear of the forward windscreen. You have to look at the rear of the forward windscreen with the canopy open.

Yes, I had not looked at your picture. The area you have circled in red should have framework.

I'm surprised you guys don't see it. The Hellcat has the same problem the P-47 and P-40 had. The canopy and windshield have the wrong shape. It screams at me every time I look at it.... Its way too big.




I fixed the P-47 I have years ago. I won't be able to do the same for the Hellcat unfortunately.....



-Ski

too big canopies are a way of life with 1/18. It's to ease putting in the pilot figures. It's that or undersize figures again, i'm afraid.