<> **** DONE: 1/32 Corsair F4U-1A - WW1 / WW2 over Water.

[turbo]

Thanks everybody. Builder, yep everything fits together perfectly so far, very impressed! Finished off the forward bulkhead with a subtle wash and drybrushing.

Also put together the IP. Tamiya provides instrument dial decals which go onto the back of a clear part which then represents the glass. Perhaps the clear part is a little thick but still works pretty well I think. Time to start putting it all together.

 

[fubar57]

Sweet

 

[Crimea_River]

Beautiful work!

 

[Airframes]

I was just about to 'say' exactly that !
Great stuff, nice a clean and neat, too.

 

[Wayne Little]

Not bad at all!

 

[Wurger]

 

[turbo]

Thanks for the encouragement guys

Now I need some help Birdcage Corsairs had a perspex window in the ventral fuse below the pilot. Tamiya has a clear part in this kit (see part Q1 in picture below), but I read somewhere that 1As either had a panel here or the window was painted over.

Can anyone help clear this up for me??

Many thanks,
Kirby

 

[Tony Hill]

Nicely done.

 

[JKim]

Can't help on the window question but I do want to comment on the great work. The cockpit looks fabulous! Have yet to try one of these Tamiya 1/32 kits. Oh... and welcome aboard Turbo!

 

[Capt. Vick]

Damn that's good!

 

[fubar57]

This is from the first book I went through. I look through others later...

​

So I guess the choice would be yours. As modelers like to say, if there are no photos, your choice isn't wrong

 

[turbo]

Thanks for the welcome John, as I mentioned at the beginning I've learnt a lot from the great builders on this site including yourself.

Thanks a lot for the info Geo. It seems from a little more poking around that some early 1As had the window but then they abandoned it during the production run. From Detail n Scale vol 1:

F4U-1s had a window in the lower fuselage, but it was rectangular in shape rather than being oval shaped like the one on the prototype. This window was on some early f4U-1A's as well, but it was deleted during production of that variant. The windows were painted over on some aircraft ( maybe why its tended to remain an obscure detail), and they were not considered useful ( Vought)

This will be a later 1A so I think I'll run with the window painted over.

Quick update on the cockpit aft bulkhead. All went together well although the Tamiya PE belts weren't the best. The metal was very stiff so I had to anneal it to get it to conform then repaint and weather. In retrospect I'd go with something aftermarket here.

I also used the kit decal rather than the Barracuda one for the stencil above the seat to conform to a 1A reference. Unfortunately they're much thicker so required copious amounts of MicroSol and clear varnish to make it blend in.

Next step will be to put it all together...

 

[Robert Porter]

Welcome! And really nice work! Look forward to your updates. Oh by the way in case no one else mentioned it Jan is only allowed crayons and no sharp implements, just in case he asks you. At least this is what I was told.

 

[Crimea_River]

Love the chipping Kirby. Sorry but I don't know the answer to your window question but can tell you that I painted my clear panel on my representation of a FAA Corsair II, which is a -1A. I don't recall if there was a discussion about that though.

 

[turbo]

Thanks Robert, crayons it is!

Andy, well that settles it then!

 

[A4K]

Lovely work mate, and welcome to the forum!

Evan

 

[Wurger]

 

[JKim]

It's great that Tamiya included PE belts but yes, I agree, they are not quite to the level of the aftermarket stuff.

 

[turbo]

Thanks guys and thanks for the welcome Evan.

OK, so finally got the cockpit all together. Tamiya's engineering is fantastic so went together flawlessly. I think the Barracuda decals really add to the pit.

Next job is to finalise the interiors and button her up...

Thanks for the interest guys.

 

[Crimea_River]

I really like how that looks. I caught it kinda late but noticed that the lightening holes on the heel rest supports are providedas just dimples though they should be actual holes through the sheet metal. I don't think it matters though as these won't be seen under the rim of the seat.