Hey guys, I’ve got a couple of questions… First, as many of you are aware, I’m getting ready to start Greg Boyington’s F4U-1 17883. In the process of doing research for this plane I found that many of the early F4Us did not incorporate a tail hook simply because they had been regulated to land based Navy and Marine Corps use. I’ve looked at several pictures of Martha, but I cannot tell, one way or the other, whether or not she had a tail hook. Does anybody have a clue on this one???
Next, I’m getting ready to put my next bird in the que… In keeping with the Boyington theme, I’m looking at doing either his P-40B #21 or #33. I know the quality of the two models I’m looking at must be night and day, but I’m needing feed back on A: Revell’s P-40B at 1/48 and on Trumpeter’s P-40B at 1/32. Pros, cons, ect… If you were to get one or the other would you pick up any AM products, and if so, what… Thanks so much in advance guys… Raymond
It would stand to reason that 883 would have had the tail hook removed as most land based units removed them once deployed to save weight. I have never seen a photo of 883 that would give you a definite answer, but I left it off when I built mine.
As for the P-40, I have a soft spot for the old Revell / Monogram kit. It is priced reasonably, and has some decent detail OOB for it’s age. if you add scratch built or aftermarket details & drill out the exhaust stacks it can be a real stunner. I have never seen the 1/32 Trumpy kit in person so I can’t offer anything pro or con. I would build the P-40 in the same scale as the F4U & display them together.
On a side note, when I was a kid (way back in the 1970’s), I met a local gentleman who was a mechanic in the AVG. He told me that he knew Boyington, and he was a “drunk and an idiot” (kinda took the shine off of that penny for me). He showed me a scrap book of photos that he had taken of AVG P-40’s in various stages of repair, as well as several shots of ground crew & pilots. I sure wish I had copies of those photos now! JB
Can’t help you on the Corsair, but for the P-40, I’d rather get the Monogram kit, rescribe it, and add any aftermarket you want. The Trumpeter kit is over priced and horribly inaccurate.
You can check out the P-40 group build in the “Group Builds” forum to see what folks are building there. I’m building the Monogram, which is a great kit for a 50 year old mold; it’s quick to build. I do wish that the newer plastic they’re using was as good as the older releases.
I’ve got the Squadron-Signal “F4U Corsair In Action” book, and, on page 12, it shows a VMF-214 Corsair undergoing some maintenance outdoors. It’s a side-view photo, and it clearly shows no tail hook. In “Detail & Scale - F4U Corsair Part 1 D&S 55”, page 35 shows another VMF-214 bird with no tail hook. Page 69 of “Warbird Tech Series - Vought F4U Corsair” shows yet another VMF-214 Corsair with no tail hook. So, I would think it safe to assume that none of the -214 Corsairs carried tail hooks, although I couldn’t find a photo of 883 that showed this. Many, many of the other pictures of other land-based Pacific-theater Marine squadrons in these books also show no tail hooks.
If you need any other info on the Corsair, feel free to PM me. I’ve got quite a few books on the Corsair (can you tell it’s my favorite plane?). Good luck on yours!
Thanks for all the information guys! I’ll look around a bit more, but it looks like I’ll build the Revell with some add ons.
JB, I dearly wish I could say that your mechanic friend was mistaken, but from everything I’ve heard and read about Boyington, he seems to be on the money. Even Boyington said that he was “emotionally immature and a drunk” as early as the 50’s, but that WWII was a time when such men were needed (Not that I agree). That said, it appears to some extent that it’s something he regretted about himself later in life. I’m in the process of reading his autobiography with another in the queue written by Bruce Gamble. One thing that has struck me, that I think gets skipped over by those who don’t care for him to one degree or another, is the fact that he genuinely appeared to care about the people who flew with and under him. For instance, he talked about morning debriefings in which the squadron would get up “early” and discuss the good, bad, and ugly aspects of the previous day’s mission, with particular emphasis being placed on the mistakes, including his own, and what needed to be done to improve the squadron. I don’t know how true it is, but I’ve heard that when the squadron would file down the flight line for a mission, he would take the plane in the worst condition; this, so that his pilots would fly the better planes that day. For me, the last line in his book kind of sums it up best: “Just name a hero, and I’ll prove he’s a bum.” In other words, Greg Boyington was a human being, no more, no less. One with a LOT of personal problems to be sure, but I think he did the best he could with what he had… My two cents for what they’re worth… which ain’t much
Devil Dawg, all I can say is wow!!! Thanks for the information, and I’ll have to check into some of those books. I had kind of figured as much on the tail hook, and I was almost willing to roll the dice and not include it. It’s nice to know that what limited information there is on the subject backs me up. So, the tail hook will go in the parts garage. And, oh, by the way!!! The Corsair, is hands down my personal favorite bird of all time, followed closely by the F-15 (probably the F-15C). I’ve often wondered what would happen if two hotshot pilots of equal skill, who were equally adept in their respective birds went mano-e-mano: One in a P-51D, the other in an F4U-1A… Kind of gives you goose bumps, don’t it
Hey Ray, I was wondering the same on my “915” build. I just left it on, mostly because I thought it looked silly without it. Reference a P-40B/C. Don’t forget about Academy/Hobbycrafts kit. It’s sort of inaccurate in the belly but a cinch to build. I hear the newer molded Mongram/Revell P-40s are horrible due to the ancient mold which is 50 years old now. Your best bet is to try to find a circa 1960’s example off E-bay when the molds were newer. You can tell by the plastic which will be a dark green color. It will still need a cockpit which I believe True Details makes. Then there’s the Trumperter kits. I can’t say for the 1/32 scale one, but I did the 1/48 scale one on here last year. It was average at best. Here’s the link to see how I did it…
Wow Joe, that P-40 build was something! I don’t think I’ll do the trumpeter at this point, at least not the 1/32. I like the idea of having both of Boyington’s birds together in some sort of spilt diorama. I may end up with the Revel kit, but heavy on the AM. I’m still looking at this point, but I’ll probably pull the trigger on one in the next week or two. Thanks for all the help, Raymond
