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US Navy Grumman F6F Hellcat Fighter - Lt. Ray Hawkins, VF-31 "Tomcatters", USS Cabot (CVL-28), 1944 (1:72 Scale)
US Navy Grumman F6F Hellcat Fighter - Lt. Ray Hawkins, VF-31 "Tomcatters", USS Cabot (CVL-28), 1944

Oxford Diecast US Navy Grumman F6F Hellcat Fighter - Lt. Ray Hawkins, VF-31 "Tomcatters", USS Cabot (CVL-28), 1944




 
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Product Code: OXFAC078

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Oxford AC078 US Navy Grumman F6F Hellcat Fighter - Lt. Ray Hawkins, VF-31 "Tomcatters", USS Cabot (CVL-28), 1944 (1:72 Scale) "Why should we have a navy at all? There are no enemies for it to fight except apparently the Army Air Force."
- General Carl Spaatz, Commander of the US 8th Army Air Force, after WWII

The F6F embodied the early lessons learned by users of Grumman's previous fleet-defense fighter, the Wildcat. In June 1941, Grumman lowered the wing center section to enable the undercarriage to be wider splayed, fitting more armor-plating around the cockpit to protect the pilot while also increasing the fighter's ammunition capacity. When the prototype made its first flight, it was realized that a more powerful engine was needed to give the fighter a combat edge. A Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10 engine was installed for added power.

The aircraft made its combat debut in August 1943, and from that point on, the question of aerial supremacy in the Pacific was never in doubt. Hellcats served aboard most of the US Navy's fleet carriers, being credited with the destruction of 4,947 aircraft up to V-J Day. The Fleet Air Arm was also a great believer in the Hellcat, procuring almost 1,200 planes between 1943-45. The Hellcat saw only limited service in the post-war years, being replaced by the more powerful F9F Bearcat. Of the nine F6Fs believed to be airworthy today, seven are based in the USA and two are located in the UK.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a US Navy Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter that was piloted by Lt. Ray Hawkins, who was attached to VF-31, then embarked upon the USS Cabot (CVL-28) during 1944. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 7-1/4-inches
Length: 5-3/4-inches

Release Date: March 2018

Historical Account: "In Support of the Fleet" - USS Cabot (CVL-28/AVT-3) was an Independence-class light aircraft carrier in the United States Navy, the second ship to carry the name. Cabot was commissioned in 1943 and served until 1947. She was recommissioned as a training carrier from 1948 to 1955. From 1967 to 1989, she served in Spain as Dedalo. After attempts to preserve her failed, she was scrapped in 2002.

USS Cabot was laid down as Wilmington (CL-79), a Cleveland-class light cruiser, redesignated CV-28 on June 2nd, 1942, renamed Cabot on June 23rd, 1942 and converted while building. She was launched on April 4th, 1943, by New York Shipbuilding Company, Camden, New Jersey; sponsored by Mrs. A. C. Read. She was reclassified CVL-28 on July 15th, 1943, and commissioned on July 24th, 1943, with Captain Malcolm Francis Schoeffel in command.

Features
  • Diecast metal construction
  • Landing gear in a gear up configuration
  • Plexiglass canopy
  • Spinning propeller
  • Accurate markings and insignia
  • Comes with display stand

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