Hi. I am planning on getting a 1/32 scale kit of a WWII F4U Corsair. I am not sure which variant yet. I have had a few bad experiences with the Revell 1/32 kit. Mostly due to the fact that the person who designed the hinge system for the kit is either a sadist, or has been inhaling too much glue fumes. I started wiht a vintage kit circa 1970 or so, which had a major issue. Namely, as soon as the wings were completed and I tried to extend them for the first time, the tiny plastic hing snapped on it’s thinnest part. Ok. I tried again with a slightly newer kit, thinking it may be the plastic. I have seen some plastic get very brittle if exposed too long to cold. New Kit, same thing. By this time I am getting frustrated wasting a lot of time, not to mention finishing supplies (Hey, Green Zinc Chromate enamel isn’t as cheap as it used to be…) I finally tried one last time with another pretty much identical kit from 1997. This was the worst kit yet. The parts and trees all had major flash, the plastic was much thinner, and worst of all, just about every large piece was warped to some extent. It was very hard just to get the peices to fit together, even with heavy duty clamps. And then I tried the wings again. Same thing. As far as I am concerned the Revell / Monogram kits are out of contention for this new build. I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on a good 1/32 Corsair, with decent detail, and either no folding wings, or folding wings that don’t snap off as soon as you open them. I need a low cost kit. I was looking at the 21st century kit, but I have no experience with the company and I hate going in blind. Any info appreciated. Thanks in advance.
I would not recommend Revell / Monogram kits for anything. They are just junk. Look for Tamiya, Hasegawa, anything else. Accurate Minitures, Hobby Boss, Trumpeter, etc., all are good.
Yeh, I remember when Monogram kits were pretty good. Then Revell bought them… They seem to have been going downhill from there. Those 3 kit’s that all fell apart were dated 1970, 1978 and 1997. I think they used the same molds for each kit. The detail level seemed to drop off more and more on each progressively newer kit. And the plastic was thinner with more and more flash and defects.
I usually only buy 1/48 from Hasegawa and Tamya. Their 1/32 are out of my budget. Hobby Boss and Trumpeter are way out of my league due to cost too.
I can’t really do 1/72 kits anymore, I have some neurological problems from an aneurysm, and I just can’t do the small detail work like I used to. Even 1/48 is starting to be a problem, depending on the kit. So I am slowly replacing my 1/48 collection with as many 1/32 kits as I can. I was very disappointed to have 3 almost identical kits all have catastrophic issues. At least I have a ton of spare parts… Maybe I can cannibalize all three to cobble one kit together and this time GLUE the wings in place so they don’t fold.
Not really sure how to help ya if you’re dead set against the Revellogram, but Trumpeter’s out of your price range (Trumpy 1/32 F4U-1D is about $65 on Great Model). There’s probably not going to be anything in the middle ground.
One option - why not just build it and lock the wings folded or extended? If you build them static extended you could add all kinds of bracing within the wings and not have to worry about the fragility of the weakest link.
Yeh. That’s why I asked about the 21st century kits. I suppose I might be able to find a builder kit on eBay. Sometimes you find them real cheap with no decals or something minor missing that can easily be fabricated. I was trying to avoid having to set the wings fixed. For one thing, the fit is horrible, I am going to probably take at least 4 hours just filling, sanding and reinforcing and I am not sure how well that old plastic will hold. I have not been abl;e to get CA glue to hold very well on any of the three kits, so Zap a Gap is probably not going to work too well. Oh well, I’ll see what I can accomplish.
Sorry, but you ain’t gonna like my answer, lol… The Revell 1/32 Corsair is one I’ve built at least 6 times (I’ve never done another manufacturer’s in 1/32), and the BEST way to do it is to first decide if you want the wings up or down, permanently… At least, in my opinion…
One note of caution though. If you decide to do the wings with lowered flaps, you’ll be in for even MORE work as the flaps don’t fit worth a damn after you cut them out, so you’ll either have to replace them, or spend almost as much time rebuilding/repairing them as do on the wings…
If you decide to go with “Down”, the best way to do it is forget all the internal hinge crap and sand/scrape way the ridges for the little flat straps that’re supposed to support the outboard sections… Then cut some “heftier” ones from flat styrene sheet stock and glue them into position, one foreward of the flaps and one aft of the wing’s leading edge curve on the upper half, and one about 1 1/2 times that length and glue it into the middle of the lower inside half… I made my uppers (sorry. no pics) about a half-inch wide and about an inch long (I measured with “Device, Measuring, Eyeball, M-1A1”). You should try to end up with a flange that has about 3 1/2 inches, in length, of glueable surface.
Here’s the wing-joint after glueing, but before filling:
You’ll need to do some sanding for a tighter fit… Sand a little, dry-fit, sand a little, dry-fit, repeat until you’re happy with it, then glue the wing in place. You’ll probably sand off a little too much here or there, so be ready to putty a bit… I’m happy with this joint, though I think I’ll add a little putty to the bottom side…
If you decide to build them in the “Up” position, they’re MUCH easier to do, since all you really have to do is assemble the parts per the kit instruction (leaving the “tabs” out) and just encrust the two internal ribs with some “fiddly bits” of the mechanism that you can make from sprue and scrap, along with some solder hoses and cables:
Granted, all this may seem like a lot of work, and it is if you want a “Shake &Bake”-type of build, but the Revell bird really is worth the extra work, especially when you consider the cost… My method will cost you about 50 cents in parts & materials… As for the labor, well… Dunno about you, but my time is my own, lol… I’ve always built them with the wings down, just because I don’t care for them folded, even though it’s more work… Although, I must say that just writing this post took about as long as doing one wing… When all was said and done, I don’t think I spent much more than 30-45 minutes per wing during construction, not counting drying/setting time…
Wish I could say this was mine, but below is a picture of Shep Paine’s 1/32 Revell Corsair, and you can see that it will build up into a really nice replica of the “Whistling Death”…
Ok… I’ll bite… Why, exactly, are they all “junk”? Most of the guys here, those that’re over 40 anyway, have built those kits a good portion of their entire modeling lives and still buy 'em… I know I do, and I know that at any given time someone’s on the forum right now with a Monogram/Reell kit in progress on their bench… And don’t say stuff like , “They got raised panel lines” or something like that… Be specific as to why they’re all “junk”… You know, like “innaccurately shaped cowling on the P-51D”, “out of scale parts on the B-29”, “warped parts in the P-39”, “poorly wrtten instructions for the F-86”, “Out of register decals on the Ju 52”, etc…
I’ll bet ya that I can tell ya more good things about any Monogram aircraft kit you care to name (and that I’ve built) than you can find wrong with it…
Amen! I for one am tired of Monogram bashers. I realize that some of the kits do not fall together but they look like a Mustang, Sabre or Thunderbolt should. Pretty funny no one else has a B-17, 24, 29 in 1/48. The B-52 is still the best one available in 1/72. Yes it is a D but, that it what they had back then. They don’t cost $50.00-$100.00 bucks and they build up pretty nicely. I have been building them for better than 40 years and will continue to do so. Just my [2cnts] and yes everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Don’t let that Revell Corsair take ya out, Sparrow… If you tr it ONE more time, and take some help that’s freely offered, I’ll betcha real money that you can pull it off… One thing about that kit I forgot to mention… You said you bought a rebox or re-release that was from back in 97 or so, and it had a lot of flash… That’s because the original molds go back the 60’s when it was boxed as Ira Kepford’s VF-17 “Jolly Rogers” bird, and then released again as Pappy Boyington’s “Lulubelle” after the TV show “Baa Baa Blacksheep” was first aired (along with the Zeke kit that was also from the 60s), then Forrest Gump voice) released AGAIN… As Ira Kepford’s aircraft… AGAIN…
So the flash is simply from the age of the molds… They’re not gonna get “better”, but you COULD get lucky and find one of the EARLY releases that was actually shot in the 60s/70s when the molds were new…
I recall reading a build-log of it somewhere not too long ago, and the modeler said EVERYTHING was bad on it, it had a worthless cockpit, etc, then went on to say that he also won several trophies and at least one IPMS Regional with it… SO… You make the call…
EDIT: I found part of blog in my own computer of all places… I’d copied and pasted the text into ‘my documents’ and I don’t know why…
Here’s what he said about the cockpit:
I disagreed with him here, since that 'pit isn’t “worthless”… It just needed help and some corrections with details, which he undertook, and he used the kit’s panel and side-panels. I did too, as well as the seat (re-worked and modified), stick, and rear bulkhead.
Not a great picture, but you can see the foot-channels that I added there instead of the floor, stringers at the bottom of the fuselage, as well as the linkage for the stick, pedals, throttle quadrant with throttle, mixture, and prop levers, trim wheel, wing-lock,flap lever, and breakers… Everything in the cockpit came from the kit, or was stretched sprue/styrene rod/strip, sheet, or solder & electical wire… Except for the picture of the gal on the panel (hard to see)… That’s a pin-up gal cut from an ad for nose-art decals doubling as the pilot’s “girl back home”… Of course, if you want to go after-market (and up the cost) Verlinden makes a resin cockpit for this kit. I’ll keep plugging away at this one for a few more months probably… I got a “Black Sheep” diorama planned for it, but no where to put the base right now… Gotta wait for the cats to break one of my other big ones, I reckon (They average a “kill” every every couple of months)…
At any rate, I’ll wander off back behind the little animals again, and leave you to ponder what you ant to do next… But if you decide to tackle it again, feel free to PM me with questions you have or to ask for any tips/advice on the Revell Corsair, should you decide to build it again… Like I said earlier, I’ve built it a bunch of times since it came out in the 60’s and I’m kinda familiar with it…
Also, in regards to the 21st Century Toys F4U mentioned earlier, I stumbled across a box review here:
For ten bucks, and if you HAVE to have a Corsair in that scale, it looks ok, and weathered-up nicely, would look pretty good on a landscaped Pacific base or flightdeck section… The pilot figure sure beats hell outta the Revell version, lol… For ten bucks, I might even buy it…
I have to agree. I am 51 and Revell was the only game in town when I was a kid and have many fond memories. I exited the hobby around 18 with military, family, and life redirecting my attention. I got back into the hobby about 13 years ago. I was shocked at what was available and very pleased. I dove into Dragon armor and eventually migrated totally into aircraft. I got caught up in the high end stuff like Tamiya, Hasegawa, eduard, etc. Recently, I find more and more Revellogram kits making there way into the stash. I don’t want to repeat everything Hans stated because he is spot on and I fully concur.
As with any company, there are good and bad kits. Revell is no exception. So, I wouldn’t abandon them, after a bad experience. For instance, I am not huge fan of Kinetic, after my horrible experience with their 1:32 F-86…it was a crappy kit. But their 1:48 F-16 is exceptional. Based on that, I just ordered their EA-6B. I also pre-ordered the Revell B-17G coming out and it looks like a winner…and the price is an outstanding value. BTW, I still think the Revell-Germany F-15E is one of the best out there.
The Trumpeter 32nd Corsair is a demon out of hel* and I nearly swore off of Trumpeter/Dragon kits for life because of it. There’s not enough money in the world to make me build another one. I highly recommend avoiding it and would much rather work up a Revell kit.
I too built the 1/32 Corsair as well but for some reason I never had any problems with the wing hinges. But definitely the outer wings are pretty heavy though.
You have some good points. I started at age 4, back in 1968. I stopped when I was in my early twenties, and didn’t start back up until about 2 years ago. I lost all of my old kits and had to start from scratch, so many of the kits I am doing (At least the old ones) are kits I have done before. When I started, the choices were limited. We had Monogram, Revell, Airfix, MPC, AMT and Testors. All of the other brands were rarities, and our hobby shop didn’t stock any of the few Japanese kits. At that age I probably couldn’t have afforded them anyways :). I have seen some real boneheaded kit designs, like the hinges on the Corsair. I had never done the 1/32 scale when I was younger. I did do a couple of the scaled back 1/48 kits which worked great because the wing ends were not nearly as proportionally heavy. I think I can probably cobble something together from the three kits. Wing’s down will probably look best although I hate to cover up the detail painting I did on them. Oh well. I remember a few notable disasters from my early years which was worse than this. The Revell/Monogram 1/48 F100 Super Sabre was one. The nose extension never fit right and always took an hour to get to the right shade. And the F106 Delta Dart kit that you can get a dime a dozen now had major problems. In the newer kits, I don’t like R/Ms take on the F18 and some of the later F14 kits. I refer the seam to be center line. But now they make it run down the side of the kit to allow for the two piece fuselage. It never fits right and you waste a lot of time fixing it. The newer brand kits also seem to be off a higher general quality with a few exceptions (Kinetic, Starfix, Newer Lindberg kits, ect…) Although I was depressed to find that the Italeri 1/48 F4 Phantom kit is identical to the Testors kit. I guess you take the good with the bad and do the best you can.
Yeh, that’s why I said I thought they were from the same molds. I wish they would retool the molds, clean them up, lower the panel lines, and even though ti may not be technically accurate, make the hinge a bit thicker or include metal ones so they…Hmmm, metal ones so they don’t snap… Now I have an idea… I might have just come up with a use for those tiny little cutting wheel dremel tool remains you always have a ton of after a project…
Heh, back in the 60’s, my “hobby shop” was a spinning rack at the grocery store and I could get Testor’s paints (the 1/4 oz bottles for 19 cents) at the drugstore… The “grocery lady” wouldn’t sell model paint or glue to kids, lol… But the Pharmacist would… Of course, he was my Scoutmaster too, and a former C-47 “Hump” pilot… Only had Monogram and Revell to choose from for aircraft, AMT, Monogram, and Revell car kits … Never saw a Tamiya kit until we moved off-base when Dad retired in '71, and then I found a REAL hobby shop in Bastrop, but getting there was a rarity because it was too far to ride my bike to, about 30 miles, and I’d never maje it back before the folks got home, lol… Thought I’d died and wet to model-kit heaven, lol…
Yeh. Our shop wasn’t big, but the owner was the best. I worked for him for a while before he died. I never did manage to save up enough for that ginormous Blue Devil motorized destroyer kit. lol.
Let me see…
The instructions and I didn’t get along. Not very clear to me and there didn’t seem to be a real order to things, just the application of 50 parts in one single step. This is a Trumpter thing, they do it with all their kits, I think.
The sprues are a nightmare. Picture an ignition harness ring with a dozen very heavy attachment points with gates that are thicker than the part you are trying to retrieve.
You think the Revell hinges are a beeotch?? Wait until you see the Trumpy parts. PE (stamped steel?) parts that are supposed to be sandwiched between styrene while a piece of copper wire is supposed to serve as the hinge. Hated those darn things.
There are many kit inaccuracies if that kind of thing is important to you. For instance, the cowl flaps are completely wrong and have a gap toothed appearence that is absolutely dorky. The kit exhausts are toylike and need a serious rework.
I had fit problems with the folding wings and glued them solid. The kit design is such that it’s hard to get a good fit along the line where the wings fold. The join is weak and adding strength to the area is a PITA after the fact so plan ahead.
There are ejector pin marks in the most unfriendly of places to correct.
If I cared to relive the nightmare the list could go on. I’d recomend you cruise the sites and read reviews of the kit. If you read carefully you’ll see where the builder had problems.
The kit, in my opinion, isn’t for the weak of heart and is over priced for the inaccuracies and headaches it causes.
Finally, I think my kit was cursed. Nothing went right. All the way up to the point where I dumped a just opened new bottle of Tamiya extra thin and fried a wing. I eventually whipped it, fixing things, ignoring things and adding my own pop can cowl flaps as I went. it was a gift for a good friend and he was happy, none the wiser. but I swore I’d never build another one.
