Tamiya 1/48 F4U-1A Corsair by Brett Green

Tamiya's 1/48 scale
Chance-Vought F4U-1A Corsair

by Brett Green

Chance-Vought F4U-1A Corsair

Tamiya's 1/48 scale F4U-1A Corsair is available online from Squadron for only USD$25.99!

Description

Here is my Tamiya 1:48 scale F4U-1A Corsair built straight from the box. This is still a great kit nearly 20 years after its release.

When I was planning the forthcoming “How to Build Tamiya’s 1:32 F4U-1A and F4U-1D” book, I really wanted to build a severely faded and weathered tri-coloured RNZAF F4U-1D from the new large-scale kit. However, considering the camouflage and configuration of the second model in the book, I thought that I should actually build my 1:32 scale -1D as a Glossy Sea Blue example with folded wings, rockets and the two large drop tanks in the interests of maximum diversity.

Furthermore, it seems that all wartime RNZAF F4U-1Ds were early versions that did not feature rocket armament and were fitted with the -1A style of canopy with the horizontal frame on each side.

With the 1:32 scale model complete, I decided that I could squeeze a bonus 1:48 scale build into the book, which was really no more than an excuse for me to paint that weatherbeaten New Zealand finish.

I built the kit entirely from the box, making no attempt to improve or correct any of the few shortcomings. I used the kit decal harness, cut from the decal sheet and glued to the seat along with its paper backing; as well as the kit’s decal instrument panel overlay.

I based the war weary camouflage on a wartime photo.

The paints are mainly custom mixes of Tamiya acrylics, and the decals are from my nearly 20-year-old Aeromaster special release, “The Royal New Zealand Air Force in WWII”. Cutting into the decal sheet felt a bit sacrilegious.

Thw upper wing roundels were masked and oversprayed with a faded blue-grey shade.

The only deviations from the instructions were the addition of fishing wire aerial wires and cutting off the arrestor hook.

Construction of this model will appear as a bonus Chapter in the forthcoming book, "How To Build Tamiya's 1:32 F4U-1A and F4U-1D Corsair", which should be available at IPMS UK's ScaleModelworld in November.

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