From Dangerboy Hobbies comes a wingfold set for the Hasegawa 1/48 F6F Hellcat. This is the first set from Thom Morton, who runs the enterprise and if this is typical of his work I can only hope that there are more sets to come. The conversion set is enclosed in a sturdy cardboard box. Upon opening it, one is confronted by three large resin pieces individually wrapped in bubble wrap and a small plastic bag with four pieces in it; two free and two on a resin block. There is also a single sheet  of instructions that has five figures (all photos) and step by step instructions.

So, what do you get in the box. Well, in a small bag are two Wing Fold Drop Panels (the small parts that are loose) and two Center Wing/Gearwell Panels (the bits on the resin block). In the bubble wrap are the two Wing Outer Sections and the Wing Center Section. This conversion is a straight swap for the kit parts and no cutting or hacking is needed (Hooray!!!).

As you can see from the image of the parts, they are in the standard buff colored resin. Detailing is really excellent. I imagine that the kit parts were modified to create this set, a standard practice that in this case, worked very well. The areas in the wing fold are very well done as you can see from the image of the inside of the wing root. There is a small amount of flash on a few parts, and there are some mold seams that need removed from the wings. In addition, there are a few air bubbles that I found on the the very thin part of the wing center section, but they are minimal and far less than I have found on other resin sets, most of which are not up the the high quality of this one. Nowhere did I find small blobs of resin in various nooks and crannies that are so common with other resin conversion sets I have seen.

As unbelievable as you might find it. I was able to test fit the wing into the center section to determine how sturdy the construct was going to be. It will be rock solid and only dropping it will cause any problems for the builder. If you look at the wing section on the left in the top photo, you will see a triangular section (circled). This fits firmly into a similar slot in the wing center section (circled). I mean, it is just about a foolproof as one can expect. Frankly, I look forward to doing this conversion. My other attempts at doing wingfolds from other resin manufacturers have turned into a nightmare of frustration and disaster. This one from Dangerboy looks to be a dream!

Review copy courtesy Dangerboy Hobbies  

Nov 2004 update: Please note that Dangerboy is now out of business and their materials are no longer available.

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