I built several Airfix kits in the 1970's mostly the 1/24 kits. For their time were fantastic kits. Even today, with some work, they can produce outstanding models.
Santa (aka my wife) got me the 1/24 Airfix F6F-5 Hellcat. It is LIGHT YEARS ahead of those 1970's kits! I like to scratch build and have literally taken some Revell 1690's and 1970's kits and tossed everything except the pieces required to build the exterior and scratch built the rest. There will be no need for much scratch building with this kit. The detail is outstanding and quite complete. The panel lines and rivets are very well done, though they, like everyone else, have replicated the fuselage rivets as "flush" ones, even though the Hellcat, like it's older brother the Wildcat, had raised rivets on the fuselage. The engine is a kit unto itself and I will have to do little to it besides some wiring and plumbing. THe dimples in the panels which are characteristic of stressed skin are even beautifully replicated.
I just finished Trumpeter's 1/32 F4F-4 Wildcat and it was indeed an extensive journey of scratch building and correcting. The end result was worth it but it was an awful lot of work for a kit in that price range. This one will be a breath of fresh air.
