Grumman F6F Hellcat

Kagero has been turning out some very interesting and well-researched monographs on many subjects. In this release, Kagero examines the operational history of the US Navy's air superiority aircraft during WW2, the Grumman F6F Hellcat. Published in both Polish and English, the author walks the reader through the initial design of the fighter through the highlights of its operational history, but starts off with VF-11's experiences just to get your interest.

The coverage includes:

• Sundowners F6Fs
• Nuts and Bolts
• Great Balls of Fire Over Land & Sea
• Zero's Worst Nightmare
• Mount Fuji in Sight
• British Hellcats
• Camouflage & Markings

In addition to the operational history of the aircraft, the title has line drawings of the F6F in 1/48 and 1/72 as well as a nice color photo walk around. Coverage of this part ends with some excellent color profiles of the aircraft.

As is customary for the Kagero series, a sheet of Techmod decals is included representing selected subjects from the color profiles in the title. In a new push, Kagero has elected to provide fewer subjects on the decal sheet in favor of providing those subjects that are covered in 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32. All modelers win with this approach! Note that only the sharkmouthed F6F-5 is presented in 1/32 scale. The subjects include:

• F6F-3, VF-8, 33, USS Hornet, 1944
• F6F-5, VF-17, 59, USS Hornet, 1945
• F6F-5, VDF-1, 8, USS Tulagi, 1944
• F6F-5N, VF(N)-41, 13, USS Independence, 1945
• F6F-5, VF-27, 17, USS Princeton, 1944 'Sharkmouth'

You'll definitely want to add this title to your reference library. You can find Kagero books at your favorite hobby retailer or directly through Squadron Mail Order.

I purchased my copy from Squadron Mail Order.