Kit 503 Wing installs (F6F Hellcat)

[joecrouse]

By following the plans slavishly I am finding that EITHER

The Wing ribs are to long OR the fuselage formers are to close together.

There seems to be almost a 1/8th to 3/16th difference between the wing chord width at the ribs f 1& 2 and the Position of formers b5 and b3. As the Central Wing panel doesn't FIT quite right in the hole made for it in the fuselage. I've probably built 6 of these over the last 20 years (Ive been building kits since i was 10-12) but Ive never quite gotten this right or the parts could conceivably be off but they match the drawing.

[sawingman]

I'm also building this kit and ran into the same problem yesterday. Ended up gradually sanding a little off the LE and TE until the wing fit through the fuselage. Certainly couldn't move the formers!

[joecrouse]

Yea was tricky I THINK I got the right balance going. between the leading and trailing edges.

[joecrouse]

The wing on this is REALLY ugly and I am tempted to completely rebuild it. I suspect though that dark blue tissue will cover an abundance of sins.

[joecrouse]

The aft sections (aft of fuselage former B7)

Does anyone have a detail view of the build that they are willing to share?

[sawingman]

Check out scigs Hellcat build. Great detail of aft section.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1594&hilit=hellcat

[scigs30]

I am trying to figure out what does not fit? I have built 2 of these with no issues with the wing and fuselage.

[joecrouse]

that gave me most of the info i was looking for


I bowed the diagonal stringer a little and sanded the very tiny verticals to be nearly pointed so that it would trailing edge of the fuselage woul transition smoothly from the body of the plane to the vertical stabilizer. (Pics will be posted Soon as I finish the covering)

As for the wing not fitting the wing root on the plans and the opening between the formers is about 1/8 to 3/32nd of an inch off looks like at least 2 people have noticed this issue.
I'm going to buy another kit and do the tail lightening that you did (I did a little bit, not enough I am sure) and will probably build the wings like you did building up the front

[joecrouse]

Completed F6F as a basic flying model. With the lightening I did on the fuselage in the back end (some of which is visible in the vertical stabilizer). I only had to add about 7 or 8, 4.5mm (.177 cal) BBs to get it to balance. Flight testing will be forthcoming when its not 110 degrees out and when I am not ready to die of heat stroke.

[Charles_c]

My F6F Hellcat is still a-building. I had a little trouble getting the wing into the fuselage, but solved it with a little sanding here and there. I had to use a lady's emory board to sand the inside formers just a bit, too. Her's a dry fit.

Charles