Kit: F6F-5N Kit: F6F-5N
Scale: 1/72
Kit Number: SP 109
Manufacturer: Hasegawa
Price: $15.98
Media: Injected Plastic
Decals : Three versions, all in Dark Sea Blue
Accuracy: seems ok to me
Overall: see review
Comments: Those that have built Hasegawa's now around 10 year old F6F kit will not have any surprises. It is very well designed and goes together without a hitch. The interior is quite basic (True Details, are you out there?) and the engine is just a front on which a non-spinable propeller is attached. The only mold mark problems was with the ones on the wheels (Why is there a mold mark there at all?). Recommend replacement with resin from your favorite source.
The only extra pieces of the kit are the new wing radome, exhaust flash suppressors, and the long barrels for the 20mm guns.
The fit of the radome is not up to Hasegawa's standards as mine was not circular at all, but elliptical. It also did not fit at all well and needed putty (as do all my kits!!) to blend in with the wing. The decals were a real surprise. Instead of being rather thickish, they were so thin that they actually fell apart once wetted. Even adding Microscale's decal coating stuff was not helpful. Thankfully, Superscale does a few -5N schemes so all was not lost.
I'd recommend the kit to those who like WWII nightfighters, but be prepared for a little unexpected work and break out the aftermarket decals for this one.