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 F6F-3 Hellcat fighter that was piloted by Ensign Gordon Arthur Stanley, who was attached to VF-27, then embarked upon the USS Princeton (CVL-23) during October 1944. Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 5-inches
Length: 5-inches

Release Date: May 2024

Historical Account: "Splash Four" - Gordon Arthur Stanley was a United States Navy aviator and a flying ace of World War II. He was credited with shooting down eight enemy aircraft in the Pacific Theatre flying Grumman F6F Hellcats. As a United States Naval Reserve officer, he was killed in an accident while flying a Grumman F9F-6 Cougar of Naval Aviation Reserve Training Unit, Naval Air Station Glenview, in Illinois.

Stanley served as a U.S. Navy fighter pilot who flew with squadrons VF-3 and VF-27, the latter flying from USS Princeton. He is credited with eight victories while assigned to the latter squadron. On June 19th, 1944, during the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot, Stanley was credited with downing four Japanese aircraft while flying an F6F-3 Hellcat. Following the war, he joined the U.S. Naval Reserve.