"All available fighter pilots! Man your planes!"
- Message barked into the squawk box of the Essex' ready room when the ship's radar had detected three large groups of incoming Japanese planes during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, October 24th, 1944

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.

This particular 1:32 scale Grumman F6F-5N Hellcat fighter was attached to VMF(N)-541 "The Bat Eyes", which was deployed to Falalop Island, Ulithi Atoll, during May 1945. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 16-3/4-inches
Length: 12-1/4-inches

Release Date: September 2016

Historical Account: "The Nose Knows" - One of the best kept secrets of WWII was the Ulithi Atoll of the Caroline Islands. Early 1945 saw almost 200 battleships, cruisers, destroyers, carriers and hundreds more supply ships anchored there to make it possible for the U.S. to advance across the Pacific toward Japan. On May 30th, 1945, Falalop Island became the new home for the VMF(N)-541 "Bat Eye Squadron" protecting the fleet anchored there. Morale became so low that the 541 was the first war time Marine unit permitted to paint nose art on their aircraft.