Here goes another WIP build. This time it’ll be a 1/48 Tamiya F4U-1A Corsair.
I plan on dressing her up in VF-17 Jolly Roger livery, specifically Ira “Ike” Kepford’s “White 29”. I haven’t picked them up yet but the decals will be the Techmod offering. Other than the decals and an Ultracast seat, this will be an OOB build. As usual, I welcome tips and constructive critisism (or any critisism, for that matter).
Just got started tonight, and I already have a question. I’ve seen -1A’s built both with and without the small square window on the belly under the cockpit. Which way is accurate? And just for curiosity sake, what was that window for?
The window of which you speak, was i beleave used as an aid for carrier landing’s. Most pilot’s had it painted over tho.
Oh boy!! My favorite [:D] Good choice on the seat and decals. Can’t wait to see some pics[tup]
I’ve heard that the window on the bottom of the plane was actually a bomb window, like what you’d find on a Ju-87. It was very ineffective, however, and almost everyone had it painted over. If it broke, I’d assume they just patched it up with some aluminum sheet.
Good info. I’m doing the same bird in 1/72. My refs also show the wheel wells/inner gear door surfaces painted white. Looks cool, but is it accurate?
Ok, makes sense. Any idea if Kepford had his painted? I’m considering leaving it clear show off some of the interior detail, but then again, it does kindof out of place. Oh, what to do![%-)]
Oh, yeah! Just for fun, check out these videos. Makes me want to run out and buy a real Corsair! But then I’d need a hangar to put it in, and a pilot’s license…
I’ve been researching Kepford’s -1A, as I picked up 21st Century Models kit and hope to start building it tomorrow.
Best I’ve been able to tell, the underside window was dropped on the -1A, based on reference pics I have in some Corsair books. They aren’t real clear to distinguish if it was painted over or not there, but some text references indicate that it was dropped fairly quickly.
I’m also trying to figure out what color the prop hub was. In Tom Blackburn’s autobiography (CO of VF-17), he says they painted the prop hub and first few feet of the prop blade by division within the squadron- red, white and blue. I’ve always seen most of VF-17’s birds built as red- which is what Blackburn would’ve had. But not having seen a color pic of Kepford’s bird, I wonder if it was blue, as it would’ve been in the third division (based on numbering). Anyone have any references on that? One pic I have seen seems lighter than blue, darker than silver… so maybe it was red… it’s so confusing! [;)]
Blackburn did say that as replacement birds came in, and as repairs were made, the practice of painting those hubs was dropped for simplicity. So by the time Kepford’s bird had all those victory flags… who knows what it was?
Anyway- be interested to know if someone had some color pics.
OH. NO. I have become a rivet counter! Ahhhhhhhh!!! [:(!]
LOL
Here’s one for the experts (and “rivet counters” [;)])…I’ve read a kit review and the author said that there are three decent pictures of Ira K.'s #29 out there. I found this one doing a google search, but I was wondering if any of you know where I can get the other two?
Oh, by the way, my office is pretty much painted and futured, just need to splash on a wash and some clearcoat and assemble. I’ll post a pic when it’s done.
Nevermind, I just answered my own question:
Those photos are great Geoff!
Notice the one at the bottom of the page- the back of the prop is so worn it’s down to the bare metal!
Thanks for posting that link.
Mike-
My references show that the inside of the wheel wells and gear doors were painted in the same color at the same time as the rest of the bottom of the aircraft. Some of the early F4U-1 (birdcage) Corsairs had the salmon color inside, but not exactly sure when that practice was discontinued. I still haven’t found a definitive answer to the colors of the tailwheel bay, some say same as main wells others say interior color. Here’s a good link I found at IPMS Stockholm:
http://ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2004/05/stuff_eng_interior_colours_us_part3.htm
Not sure if that helped, or made it worse. [sigh]
That does help me very much. Thanks buddy! [tup] White it is then!
Wow, apparently, I need to change my game plan just a little. Initially, I was going to follow Tom Cleaver’s (http://modelingmadness.com/reviews/allies/us/cleaverkep.htm) recommendation’s and paint the wheel wells, inner doors, and engine cowling zinc cromate yellow. But now, after looking Mike’s very cool link, I have to go with white on the inner engine cowling and inner wheel well doors, and yellow zinc for the wheel wells. Unless I didn’t read that right. Anyway, I think that would look the best.
Thanks Mike!
Glad I could help, guys.
Your welcome Geoff, but that was Frank’s (Daywalker’s) link. [;)]
…and I really can’t wait to see how your build progresses. The markings for Kepford’s mount came with my kit (the 1/72 version of yours) and I was really tempted to go that route, but all those bomb markings, the bomb itself, and the red spinner on the VMF-111 bird (the one on your box cover) looked too wild for me to pass up. [:D]
Another thing on the colors… every color pic I’ve found that appears to be WWII period, or an untouched pic of a surviving, unrestored bird, the cockpit seems to be a darker green, something closer to a medium green shade.
Take a look at these:
http://www.bentwings.com/fg1d/photoset5.htm
Does that look a bit darker than ZCG? Seems like if you account for aging, it would be more medium green. (Or maybe my eyes are getting old… [;)])
I read somewhere that the salmon color was only used on some of the early -1 versions. Can’t recall where I saw that though.
Frank and Jon, the links a great. The color photos show the pit colors very well, with some aging of course.
Roy
or the WB was not corrected in reference to the light source. I think it may be a common problem - colors may be a bit diferent than occured on the picture
Greg
Ok, I guess it’s time I posted a pic of my progress. This is the cockpit with the Ultracast seat, pretty much done except for joining the two sections. The instrument panel decal is off a little but I didn’t notice this until the Micro Sol had already wrinkled it up. Oh, well, nothing I can do about it now.
