Revell 1:48 F4U-4 Corsair instructions?

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
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Hey all; I am a relatively new hand at the “modeling arts”…new meaning it’s been only a couple years since I began. I still am pretty casual about it, but getting much better. Supplies are limited around here, but at least I have a background that involves art, painting, and improvising. =)

My issue at the moment is, as the title says, the instruction for a Revell Corsair kit that I bought a year or two ago…I put off building it, since it is very complex compared to the others I have done, with folding wings and landing gear, etc. And somewhere, some time since then, the instruction sheets have disappeared. Luckily, I still have the decals, but I’m nervous about the idea of trying to “play it by ear”…there are a lot of little bits and pieces that aren’t really obvious as to where they are supposed to go, and how they’re supposed to get there and in what order. I probably could pile it together well enough as a “basic” (non-articulating) model, but I was kind of looking forwards to being able to display it “gear down” at times…I never build models gear-down, even when they’re designed to be built that way (which can be tricky…they seem pretty liberal with the actual size of the gear doors and wells, etc…I guess “looks close enough” is good enough.

But that’s neither here nor there…does anyone know where or how I can get my hands on the instructions for the kit? I found this forum doing a Google search; there is at least one other thread on here about the same model. The number on the box is “85-5248”. And there’s also the numbers “7058” ink-stamped on the inside of the box lid. I’m not sure what the significance of that is. The scale is (nominally) 1:48, it’s an F4U-4 with Korean War markings (I can’t recall which units…the picture on the box shows the tail-code “MR” and there’s a large number “14” under the cockpit, and it says “Marines” on the side. And if the thread I saw is correct, it includes a radome that is not intended for use on this model (although it has interesting possibilities…I’ve never built a night-fighter before). Yeah, and it has retractable landing-gear, folding wings, and HVAR’s under each outer wing panel. And four 20mm’s instead of the six .50cals (presumably US “M3” electric ignition Hispano-copies). I like that bit the best, personally. Weapons are one of my other hobbies.

So, does anyone know anything that might help me out? Instructions would be nice, but even if someone has built the kit before and could give me a quick rundown on which little pieces go where, it would be great. Thanks in advance if you can help. And if not, then you can just go and…have a nice day :wink: LOL, seriously.

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I’m pretty sure I have this kit at the house, but I’m out of town at the moment. I wouldn’t be able to get back to you until later this weekend …

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I’ve got the instructions around here somewhere… I’ll get 'em copied and ship 'em to ya if ya want 'em… PM with me with your particulars…

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Hi Johnny,

I happen to have that Revell 1/48 F4U-4 kit with the instructions. If you “start a conversation” with me and send me your e-mail, I’ll send you a copy of the instructions.

BTW, at least for me, while the gear is designed to be retractable, the bays aren’t really big enough to get the gear all buttoned up.

Also, I seem to remember the instructions for attaching the folding wings weren’t very clear about the orientation of the hinges. Double check the alignment before permanently attaching them.

The canopy is two sections, and one of mine was damaged falling off the sprue, so I had to fill with white glue. And the canopy frame is part of the fuselage, so you have these two thin arch sections you have to mate when putting the fuselage side together. I made a real mess of that.

I also had problems with the decals, but that was most likely due to me screwing up the Future and decal sol, and not an inherent problem with the decals themselves.

Paul

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John, are you wanting the instructions from the Revell of Germany Corsair or the old Monogram (now Revell) Corsair???

EDIT: Never mind… I re-read your post and the kit I have is the Revell Germany F4U-5 Corsair… Disregard my post, although I have a couple of the kits, I don’t have a copy of the Monogram/Revell F4U-4 instructions (I bought 'em bagged of Ebay, no decals or instructions)… My fault…

For that kit, if’n you’re wanting to model it “gear-up”, the best way is to cut the gear doors from a piece of sheet styrene and install them as one piece, rather than modeling the kit doors closed. Glue the kit parts together as they would be if closed, then trace around them onto a sheet of styrene, then cut them out and sand to fit… You can scribe the seams into them with an X-Acto…

Also, the “folding wings” are a bear to get right… They’re easily modeled down & locked, but you’ll need to do some sanding & filling on them… The little tab-lock on the bottom MUST be engaged to get them to line up right, so careful you don’t knock 'em off…

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I have a copy of the revell F4U-4 Corsair instructions…if I figure out how to scan them, I’d gladly send them your way. I would not suggest doing the folded wings option. I tried–there is only one single tiny hinge that makes it work. It broke off the first day. [:^)] Unless you are doing some scratchbuilding on the hinge, I’d leave the wings down and use something to reinforce the join there. The attachment point is just a butt-join, and breaks easily.

its a pretty simple build. I got the construction, painting and decals done within a weekend!

Here is a pic. I dropped the plane from not very far at all, and the wing popped right off! It is toward the left side of this photo, and you can see the broken wing…one of the landing gear had also collapsed.

OWL

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For my own education–Revell/Germany has a 1/48 F4U-5? I didn’t know that they had their own Corsair kit, I thought that there was only the old kit that originated with Monogram. Is it another manufacturer’s kit, that they acquired? I haven’t paid much attention to their catalog.

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Yeah, it’s a completely new kit, at least as far as I know… Could be a rebox of someone else’s, though… I’m not familiar enough with other manufacturers to tell in most cases if it’s a new molding or a rebox… You know, being’s that I’m a Monogram freak…

As for the kit itself, it’s a far cry from the Revellogram Corsair… 9-page instruction sheet, decals for Navy or Marine bird, detailed ‘pit , two-piece canopy, separate flaps, etc… Only thing it lacks is cowl-flaps being opened to make it completely “down & dirty” (Corsairs look best with everything hangin’ out &down, IMNSHO)

Here’s a sprue-view…

I got it off Ebay for a song, 20 bucks shipped… I THOUGHT it was the old kit when I bid on it… Imagine my surprise when it arrived… The seller didn’t have a picture of the box, and I think the reason I got it was that the other folks probably thought as well that it was the Revellogram kit…

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LOL, wow, I had no idea that there was so much I didn’t know about all this stuff! Just from the few things that people mentioned in their replies…what is “sheet styrene” and where can I get it? And decal solvent? Isn’t that what water is for? LOL, I can tell I’m going to find out that I’ve been doing a lot of things wrong. I didn’t even realize that people routinely build parts from scratch…and I thought I was quite clever for transforming my busted up old Spitfire Mk IX into a Griffon-engine, clipped-wing version! And now I find that’s just SOP. Oh well, at least it came out okay…two pieces of sprue, and Exacto knife and a few pictures of Griffon-Spitfires was all it took. That and the long-chord tail that came as an “extra piece” and which I saved for no apparent reason. I highly doubt that it’d stand up to close scrutiny, but it looks good enough considering that the original build was quite sloppy indeed. I managed to smooth the worst rough edges and bad painting,re-installed the horizontal stabilizers un-crookedly, and relocated the carburetor intake to the right spot. But there’s nothing I can do about the sloppy wing/fuselage join or over-glued access flap to the cockpit. And it really needs wingtip fairings…I realized that even “clipped” Spits aren’t just “chopped off”, they have a small fairing to replace the wing-tip unit, which comes in (at least) two types, the rounded factory build ones, or the more squared off ones that usually resulted from Spits that were “clipped in the field”. All I have to do know is figure out whether the monster that I built actually resembles any real mark of Spitfire. I doubt it does, since it still has the deep-profile chin-mounted oil tank. Oh, yes, and the radiators aren’t deep enough for a Griffon Spitfire, unless some were built with the older, thinner radiator units of the Merlin-engine.

Hell, here I am getting sidetracked again. In any case, I appreciate all of your help. And feel free to tell me to shut up and stay on focus, if you should ever feel the need!

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wow dude, you got ADD or somethin?? at least break it up into smaller paragraphs! [;)]

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I’ve scanned the instructions and just sent them in an e-mail. The file is about 5 MB, so if you have trouble getting a file that big, let me know.

Have fun with the build. Keep reading the modeling threads, they are full of great tips on how to do things.

Paul

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That’s the great advantage to the Internet, putting questions and answers together in much shorter time than when I was a lad, and all there was was magazines, newsletters, and visits to the LHS.

Sheet styrene is just that, it’s styrene plastic extruded into sheets around the size of letter-sized paper or some smaller writing tablets. It’s available in various thicknesses. The two main manufacturers are Evergreen and Plastruct. Plastruct also has embossed sheets, for example, with brick patterns, or clapboard patterns. You should be able to find it at any good hobby shop or model railroad supplier. Hammer will also tell you that if you go to your local hardware store, look for the little generic “For Sale”, “Keep of the Grass” and other such signs, those are often made from styrene, and they’re a lot cheaper by weight and quantity than the packages you’ll get at the hobby shop.

Also, you can order online from Evergreen (http://www.evergreenscalemodels.com/) and Plastruct (www.plastruct.com)

Water dissolves the adhesive that holds the decals on the decal sheet. Decal solvents help decals settle onto the relief of your surface, by dissolving them enough to deposit the color film over the bumps and valleys in the surface. Another tip from Hammer-distilled vinegar will work just as well as purpose-formulated decal setting solutions. I haven’t tried that one yet, myself.

For us old-timers (I’m vintage 1964) scratchbuilding was the only way to detail the average kit available to us back in the day. But even in this golden age of short-run kits, resin parts and photoetch, it’s still very popular to add some detail on your own. It sounds like you enjoy it, too, so, so much the better, that’s what it’s all about.

Enjoy that Corsair! I build old Monogram and old Revell kits, out of nostalgia, though I don’t turn my nose up at today’s kits. I like Monogram’s 1/48 aircraft, they have just the right balance of detail and simplicity that let a basic modeler like me build a decent-looking representation of the real thing. And the 1/48 multi-engine bombers are still the only game in town for those subjects, and the figures are great, too.

Best regards!

Brad

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And thanks, Hammer, for the info on RoG’s F4U kit! (in my best Johnny Carson voice) I did not know that!

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Hans it is probably the Hasegawa kit since the Tamiya and Monogram kits both have folding wings.

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I’ve got another followup question about the RoG kit, now, too, after browsing their website. Is this kit in 1/72 or 1/48? When I searched RoG for F4U kits, the search returned only a kit in 1/72 scale. Of course, if the RoG kit is 1/48, it’s just not up on their website yet.

And of course, I know that the older kit, originally Monogram’s, is in 1/48. That’s the one with the operating features (folding wings, moveable landing gear, spinning prop) and the canopy framing molded to the fuselage. That’s what made me think to ask about the RoG kit, that if it’s a 1/48 kit, it might have come from another maker’s catalog.

Regards,

Brad

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Yeah, it’s 1/48…

Thanks, Mike… Like I said, I don’t know much about other manufacturer’s and reboxing… Especially Hasegawa… They’ve ALWAYS been too exspensive for my taste so I’ve never built any of their stuff…

Here’s a link to a shop, Baron…

http://www.internethobbies.com/rege1vof4cof.html

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Thanks, Hammer! That’s very interesting; I’m still curious about the kit’s origin. I wonder if they reworked the old Monogram kit, too, in similar fashion to the way the P-51B/C was redone for re-issue. I’ll have to add this one to the wish list.

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I did some searching for a review of it, and found it is, indeed, a rebox of the Hasegawa kit… Reworking the old Dash 4 molds wouldn’t be worth the effort… New molds for the fuselage (have to lose the molded-on canopy frame), canopy (the Dash 5 has a flat panel in the center of the windscreen), wings (Dash5 doesn’t have the fold-joints and the flaps are dropped), stabs (two-pices on the Dash 5), engine/cowl assy (cheek intakes on the Dash 5), the cockpit (ain’t one on the Dash 4), etc… Even the tires wouldn’t work, since the Monogram tires are undersized in thicknessto fit into the wings… About the only thing that’s “swappable” between the two is the prop & decals…

Here’s an example:

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Gal8/7601-7700/gal7654-Corsair-Sprenger/00.shtm

The guy had some decal silvering issues, but it’s still ok…

I’m not sure about the Revell B/C Pony… I’m actually hoping it’s still the original B-model from Monogram… That one, along with their P-40B and Kingfisher were the among the first kits to come out when Monogram decided to make models instead of toys… I think the P-40B was actually the first one to be released, but I’m not sure…

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Thanks for the research, Hammer! I suspected it was someone else’s kit. The P-51 is supposed to be a retooling of the original Monogram molds, though, to replace the raised panel lines with engraved lines. I have to get one of the new kits, though, and compare it to an old kit that I have in the stash. Photos can only go so far.