The airframe on Hobbyboss’ 1/48 Hellcat Mk. I is mostly finished. I still need to do some final seam work, add in Mr. Surfacer in a few places, and of course hang the engine and cowl on the front end.
This is not a bad kit to build at all. It fits pretty well, and there isn’t really much drama. If you’re going to build in wings down, I recommend fully building the entire wing and then joining it to the fuselage. It all fits, but it is a bit fiddly, with quite a few parts.
The biggest criticism I’d heard for this kit is the width of the cockpit opening. I compared it to an older Eduard Hellcat, sitting on my shelf, covered in dust. The Hobbyboss kit’s opening is significantly larger- more than a scale foot. It does look a bit comical. If you’re a Barney Builder like me, it’s not going to be a problem. But if that kind of thing bugs you, I’d recommend heading towards the Eduard or Hasegawa kit.
Maybe this was the “plus size”version? 🙂
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