RC Giant Scale

Edition: Model Aviation - 2026/08
Page Numbers: 60, 61, 62

Close-up photo of a scale Hellcat cockpit with pilot figure

RC Giant Scale

By Sal Calvagna | rcgiants@optonline.net

GRUMMAN F6F HELLCAT AND HAWKER SEA FURY

WELCOME BACK. The flying season is in full swing; now is the time to show off your latest RC Giant Scale model. This column features a recently completed and magnificent 1/4-scale, 120-inch wingspan Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat and a Jerry Bates 1/4-scale Hawker Sea Fury, both built by the same gentleman, prolific builder Steve Peckham, of Norfolk, Virginia.

The plans-built Hellcat and the Sea Fury are both of stick-built construction that features tried-and-true balsa, light plywood, and aircraft-grade plywood. I hope you enjoy them.

Grumman F6F Hellcat

Let’s start with the most recently completed model, the Hellcat. The wing and fuselage are constructed in two parts for ease of transportation. It was covered using .5-ounce fiberglass cloth and Z-Poxy finishing resin. Steve then primed the aircraft and added rivet and panel line details. He used Warbird Colors, with all of the markings painted using Callie Graphics masks.

The Hellcat is powered by a ZDZ 250 twin-cylinder, two-stroke gas engine with an onboard electric start, swinging a 32 x 12 Xoar propeller. The model sports 7-inch scale wheels on a pair of Sierra Giant Scale retracts. The pilot figure is from Warbird Pilots. The F6F uses all ProModeler servos and is controlled by a Futaba 14-channel radio. Steve states that the Hellcat was completed in only four months, and he considers it his finest work to date.

The Grumman F6F Hellcat was a U.S. Navy carrier-based fighter aircraft used primarily in the Pacific Theater during the latter part of World War II. It was designed to replace the Grumman F4F Wildcat to counter the nimble Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero. It was ultimately powered by the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine, which could produce 2,000 hp—the same engine as what was in the Chance-Vought F4U Corsair and Republic P-47. While not as fast as the Corsair, the Hellcat was easier to fly and to land on a carrier.

The Hellcat made its debut in September 1943 off of the carrier USS Independence, where it shot down a Kawanishi flying boat; however, the following month, Hellcats and Corsairs engaged and shot down 50 Japanese aircraft over Rabaul, Papua New Guinea. Later that month, Hellcats engaged and shot down 30 Zeros over Tarawa, the capital of the country of Kiribati, with a loss of only one Hellcat.

Man standing beside a large scale Hellcat model on grass — Steve Peckham is shown with his ZDZ 250-powered Hellcat.

Workshop photo of the Hellcat fuselage built in two sections — Because the Hellcat is so large, the fuselage was built in two sections for ease of transport.

The warbird became known for its speed, agility, ruggedness, serviceability, and impressive combat record. Sporting six .50-caliber machine guns, it accounted for 75% of all aerial victories in the Pacific, with its overall kill ratio at 19:1. A total of 12,275 Hellcats were constructed in the last two years of the war, and 1,263 F6Fs were transferred to the British Fleet Air Arm under the Lend-Lease Act.

Steve Peckham is shown with his ZDZ 250-powered Hellcat.

Because the Hellcat is so large, the fuselage was built in two sections for ease of transport.

descriptors Mk. I and Mk. II. Today, approximately half a dozen Hellcats are still airworthy.

Hawker Sea Fury

Next is the 1/4-scale Hawker Sea Fury from Jerry Bates plans. The model spans 115 inches and is powered by a Valach 250 radial engine. The Sea Fury uses Sierra Giant Scale retracts and sports a Tailored Pilots pilot figure from England. It’s finished with Warbird Colors paint. Steve built the Sea Fury for another modeler, and the internals were completed after delivery.

Quarter-front view of a large scale Hellcat model on grass — The Hellcat’s front view.

The Hawker Sea Fury was designed during WW II but was not completed until two years after the war was over, with the prototype first flying at the end of January 1946. It was extremely fast for a propeller-driven aircraft—approximately 460 mph—but it was the last piston-engine fighter to serve with the Royal Navy. It saw action during the Korean War in the 1950s. Approximately 860 Sea Furys were produced.