I think the Hellcat was to the Wildcat about like the Super Hornet is to the Hornet.
I have read that he Wildcat could hold it’s own with Japan’s top fighters but did have some weaknesses. The Hellcat was superior to them.
I have also read that the P-40 was better than generally given credit. It had a faster roll rate than the zero. I guess that is how fast it can roll around 360 degrees but am not sure.
The P-40 was maligned due to lack of high-altitude performance, but most of that was negated by the nature of the enemy aircraft and the missions. The P-40 is one of my all-time favorites.