Pappy Boyington F4U

[Eighth_Air_Force_Pil]

Looking to build an F4U for my dad for fathers day. He’s always been interested in Boyington and his ‘Black Sheep’, so I’m looking to build him a Corsair for fathers day…just one hitch, I can not find any decals for Boyington. Anyone know whether or not the Tamiya kits supply these decals?

[stikpusher]

There are plenty of Boyington decals around. Most are for his “photo op” F4U that he never flew, 86/Lulubelle. Superscale, Aeromaster, and I am sure many others have this one on several sheets. I think it was Cutting Edge or another company that did several F4Us he was known to have flown. Just check your favorite online hobby shop search for 1/48 F4U decals and go from there.

[Handsome_Rob]

Cutting Edge has a Black Sheep set but I can’t find it anywhere for sale. You can see the sheet in a number of reviews and with enough googling you could probably find this set for sale. Here is the link to the reviews, http://modelingmadness.com/others/decals/leece48226.htm

There is also a resin figure of Papy for sale too. That might be nice for a dio for your dad.

What kit are you going to build?

[Eighth_Air_Force_Pil]

I’m going to build the Tamiya F4U-1D I think. I’ve looked everywhere for Boyington decals, (not lulubelle) and I can’t find anything at all…thinking about paying someone on here to make a set for me if I can’t find any. I’d pay a good price for a set.

[jb4406]

I used dry transfer numbers to model #883, the F4U-1A that he was photographed in shortly before he was shot down. You can find these in the model railroad section of most hobby shops, as well as online. There are several sizes on each sheet, so you can use them in many scales. I’m still using the sheet that I bought appx 12 years ago!

[Hans_von_Hammer]

Ditto, what he said…

The famous “Lucybelle/Lulubelle” Corsair was actually a Corsair that was based on at New Caladonia… Like Stik said, it never got any combat hours on its clock. The kill markings were hurriedly applied (that’s why some are upside down). as was the name and Boyington’s stencil… It was just for a publicity shot…

The name is still argued about, but “Lucybelle” seems to be the actual name… Pappy was involved with a gal named “Lucy” in Seattle once upon a time…

From “The Black Sheep”, by Bruce Gamble ( A “must read” for Pappy fans and VMF 214 model freaks, BTW)

Those scheduled for flights piled onto a vehicle–often a sagging, overloaded jeep, perhaps a larger weapons carrier–for a ride down to the flight line. The pilots did not have preassigned Corsairs. No one, including Boyington, had a personal airplane. Instead the jeep rolled down the line past the revetments, where an enlisted plane captain waiting by each Corsair signaled either “thumbs up” or “thumbs down.” In the dark he used a hooded flashlight. If the signal was affirmative, a pilot jumped from the jeep and climbed in; if the plane was grounded, the jeep simply rolled to the next plane in line.

Bruce Matheson later remarked on the informalities.

“Off you’d go with no idea what the tail numbers were, whose squadron [the aircraft] belonged to, nothing. They were just airplanes, there to be flown. Looking back on it, the absence of record-keeping was unbelievable. We kept our own log books. There were no Yellow Sheets. There was no such thing as writing down anything, when you came back from a hop, which had to do with maintenance. When you came back, some young kid naked to the waist would bring you in, put chocks under it and say, “What about it?” You’d say, “It’s okay,” or “fix the radio,” and walk away from it.”

Boyington in “883”…

!(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/HansvonHammer/Aircraft Profiles/F4U Corsairs/pappycorsair883.jpg)

It was said that he was quite hung-over when this photo was taken… [t$t]

!(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/HansvonHammer/Aircraft Profiles/F4U Corsairs/Boyingtonin883.jpg)

VMF 214’s aircraft were heavily weathered… The ground crews didn’t concern themselves with washing or repainting planes at all… If there was battle-damage that didn’t hit anything vital, sometimes a scrap piece of aluminum sheet, removed from wrecked aircraft, was just pop-riveted into place, and a little paint slapped on it… That is, if it was one the fabric… If it was fabric, sometimes “100 mile an hour” tape was used…

As you can see, there isn’t much in the way of decals needed… Just the National Insignias, and some dry-transfer numbers…

[Hans_von_Hammer]

Another “wrong” F4U for Pappy…

This one’s in the US NAval Museum at Pensecola… They shoulda known better…

!(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/HansvonHammer/Aircraft Profiles/F4U Corsairs/BoyingtonF4UNavalMuseum.jpg)

[dmk]

I’m going to build the Tamiya F4U-1D I think. I’ve looked everywhere for Boyington decals, (not lulubelle) and I can’t find anything at all…thinking about paying someone on here to make a set for me if I can’t find any. I’d pay a good price for a set.

Keep in mind, Boyington flew F4U-1s (birdcage variant) and F4U-1As, but not the F4U-1D… I believe you can convert the Tamiya -D kit to a -1A though. Don’t use the belly pylons, use the different canopy on the kit sprue, paint over the window on the belly and fill in the step on the wing. I’m not sure if there were other differences.

Edit: found this link that may help:

http://www.zone-five.net/showthread.php?t=6942

[Alley_Cat]

Looks like most everything is already covered. Make sure that you do not use the rocket stubs or whatever they are called on the F4U-1A. Do use them for a -1D. Also, check the references for the presence or absence of the mast on the right side of the forward fuselage. And if you are going for accuracy you will need to remove the small air scoop near that mast location as it is not on the -1A or -1D.

I am also building a Tamiya F4U-1A into a -1D. Fortunately the parts are in both kits to do either one.

Good Luck!

[Eighth_Air_Force_Pil]

I am actually going to use a 1A instead of the 1D kit… I still can not find the decals for pappys 740 or 883, but I plan on using my wifes cricket to cut out stencils and paint the numbers on. As far as I know neither a/c had any type of markings other than a/c number on the fuselage. If I am wrong in this thought, someone please provide me with a photo! I’m desperate.

Can’t tell you all how much i appreciate your thoughts on this build!!!

[Alley_Cat]

Sorry, I could not find a definitive photo, but it does appear that F4UI-1A aircraft had two bits of small black data on the tail. On Navy corsairs, painted in small black letters and numbers on the vertical tail, about half way up is the word “NAVY” and below that is the Serial Number (or is it the Bureau No.?) of the aircraft. On the rudder in the same font and color at approximately the same height is either “F4U-1A”, “F4U-1” or the S/N repeated. I have seen photos that show all. On F4U-1D aircraft I have seen photos that show “F4U1D” on the rudder. The decal sheet I have for the Marine Corps 86 “Lulubell” (SuperScale 48-38) has the word “Marines” above and “18086” (the serial number) below on the front tail, and F4U-1 on the rudder. This aircraft was an F4U-1A though. Most likely a SuperScale/MicroScale error.

So personally, lacking photo evidence I would just use what is on the decal sheet if you can find it. If not I would put this at these locations (assuming aircraft 883):

Front tail (center justified):

MARINES### 17883

and on the rudder:

F4U-1A

Here is a link where you can see the size and locations:

http://acepilots.com/images/lulubelle3.jpg

More info here:

http://acepilots.com/usmc_boyington3.html

The artwork looks just like the photos, the printing is too small to make out. This might work in your favor though

Hope this helps more than hurts.

Good Luck.