The Grumman F6F Hellcat was designed as a stop-gap upgrade of the lightweight F4F Wildcat, almost as an insurance policy in the event that the F4U Corsair, then under development, did not live up to expectations.
Despite the clear family resemblance to the earlier Wildcat, the Hellcat was an all-new aircraft. The resulting naval fighter was stocky in profile, large, powerfully armed and armoured, and heavy. The Hellcat secured its place in history with a remarkable kill ratio of 19:1.
Being without a robust, high performance naval fighter, the British Fleet Air Arm adopted the Hellcat from the end of 1943. In British service, the F6F-3 was the Hellcat Mk.I, and the F6F-5 was the Hellcat Mk.II.
A total of 1,182 Hellcats of all types eventually saw service with the Royal Navy.
Additional items are required to complete the kits as illustrated.
The following varients can be built from the 2 kits enclosed
Grumman Hellcat F Mk.I GB Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (1937-now)
1844 NAS FN430/6-R/430 (P/O Hannay) August 1944 - H.M.S.Indomitable Extra Dark Sea grey, Dark Slate grey, Sky 800 NAS JV132/E-F/132 (Lt. Blythe Ritchie) May 1944 - H.M.S.Emperor Extra Dark Sea grey, Dark Slate grey, Sky 800 NAS JV131/E-L June 1944 - H.M.S.Emperor Extra Dark Sea grey, Dark Slate grey, Sky
Grumman Hellcat F. Mk.II GB Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (1937-now)
808 NAS JZ796/C7-X (Sub-Lt. Oscar Lorenzo) 1945 - H.M.S.Khedive Glossy Sea Blue 839 NAS JZ935/145-W (Sub-Lt. T.B. Speak) April 1945 - H.M.S.Indomitable Glossy Sea Blue 844 NAS JX814/132-W (Sub-Lt. W. M. C. Foster) February 1945 - H.M.S.Indomitable,Okinawa JP Extra Dark Sea grey, Dark Slate grey, Sky
