Working on the wings now. I've done a lot of filling on panel lines, Hasegawa made them pretty big on this kit and the Hellcats I've seen didn't leave me with that impression. I have worked out a pretty quick method of doing the filling. I put down Tamiya tape on both sides of the panel line as close as I can get it, and then I use a dental trowel and spread Mr. Surfacer 500 into the line. Next I take a Q-tip soaked in nail polish remover and wipe off the excess. Next, I pull off the tape and go over the lines with the wet Q-tip once again. It all goes pretty quick, otherwise the Mr. Surfacer gets too dry and does not work down as well. Done right, I don't lose any of the rivets right next to the line I am filling. I have a number of Trumpeter kits that need this treatment, and plan to use it on the Hasegawa 1/72 B-25 too.
The other part I am working on is modifying the wheel wells and flap wells. I am dropping the flaps which are made separately on this kit, but Hasegawa missed the doors that seal to the flaps when the flaps are up, but fold up into the flap well as the flaps are retracted. F6F's had a pretty good flap system The selector in the cockpit had only two positions, full up and full down. On take off when the engine was throttled up air loads compressed a spring in the extension linkage and the flaps automatically went to the takeoff position. This was especially helpful on a wave off, as the airplane went from the full flap landing position to the takeoff position without any attention from the pilot when he advanced the throttle to full power. There are some unfinished areas in the aft gear wells that I have filled with styrene sheet.
