TopNotch 24-i008 1/24 Hellcat I FAA 800 Sqn "Lt Blyhe Ritchie" Insignia Masks

Hellcat Mk I JV132 of 800 NAS was flown by Lt B Ritchie, HMS Emperor, central Norway, 8 May 1944. Lt Ritchie gained 4 victories whilst flying Sea Hurricanes with 800 NAS in 1942. He was still serving with the unit in mid-1944. The squadron had by then re-equipped with the superb Hellcat, but the type had little opportunity to test its mettle against Luftwaffe fighters. One of the few times that the Grumman fighter encountered German aircraft came on 8 May 1944 when Ritchie was flying this aircraft on a sweep off Norway. His unit was attacked by Bf 109s and Fw 190s from JG 5. In the brief combat which ensued, one of the Fw 190s fell to Ritchie's guns, which took him to acedom. Six days later he was again in 132 when Emperor's Hellcats attacked a formation of He 115 floatplanes, and the Scot shot one down and shared in the destruction of another with fellow ace Lt Cdr Stan Om. These were Ritchie's final victories.

This mask set has been designed specifically for use with the Airfix 1/24 F6F Hellcat. Use the Kit decals for stencil markings.