Hellcat Speed 400

Built in 1995, the F6F Hellcat was my first electric warbird design.  The prototype flew amazingly well with a modest Speed 400 powerplant and spawned a whole series of follow-on designs, all built to the same formula.  Plans and construction notes for the Hellcat are available for $15 including shipping, and vacuum-formed canopies are available for $10.  You can order by mail or click here for fast, convenient on-line ordering.  This design appeared in the July, 1997 issue of Model Airplane News.

CNC-cut foam wing cores are available from FlyingFoam.com.  E-mail them for price and availability. 

Scale:  1/17 Span: 30" Length: 23" Wing Area: 170 SQ IN Weight RTF: 18 OZ

Here's where it all began.  The original Hellcat prototype was built in 1995.  The prototype was covered with silkspan and painted with Floquil Military paints and debuted at the KRC Electric Fly in 1996.  At the time, Speed 400 size scale warbirds, particularly beefy radial engine subjects, were almost unknown in the US, and this historic model is now in the museum collection of the Academy of Model Aeronautics.

Detail from AutoCAD plans.  All formers, templates and body panels are shown full-size.

Click for additional pictures.

The Hellcat Speed 400 was featured as a construction project in the July, 1997 issue of Model Airplane News. It's a moderately easy to build warbird of balsa and foam construction. Originally designed for a 6V Speed 400 motor on 7 or 8 cells, but it can also be powered with a 400 size brushless motor for even more impressive performance.

Recommended flight hardware:

Brushed Power:  6V Speed 400 motor, Graupner #1328 prop adapter, Graupner 6 X 4 prop, 20 amp BEC speed controller, 8-cell NiMH battery or 2200-2S Lipo pack, micro radio gear.

Send E-mail to Jim Ryan