1/32 Tamiya F4U-1a Corsair - Boyington 17740

[jkim]

Some more thinning of trailing edges...


The horizontal stabilizers have been assembled. The tab actuators are separate parts so need to scratchbuild. The stabs are not mirror images of each other but are actually identical to each other.


The main gear struts have been painted. Still figuring out how to weather these white legs. The tail leg was kind of test of different things to see how they would look and I've started to consolidate some ideas on the main legs. Primarily, after painting and a dark wash, I've added some grey chipping using a sponge. Some areas were then dabbed with AK Fresh Engine Oil, which is a new one for me. It is a translucent enamel wash, I believe.

[LyleW]

John, I see this, but I don't believe it isn't real! My eye is amazed.

[speedgraflex]

Apologies for being hors de combat with replies, John, but I support your thoughts completely on your choices. My intention is only to add thoughtful comments to your work. What you stated about choice is precisely how I feel about modeling—interpreting references is one of many special skills a modeler has a sensitivity and affinity for achieving. It is a crucial skill and you have honed this to brilliance.

The AK oil wash is fantastic! What a beautiful addition! Congratulations, sir!

[jkim]

Thank you Lyle and thank you Bruce, for your comments!

I've attached the inner wheel hubs to the main landing gear legs.


The legs are far from being done though. The parts in grey need to be painted. It's a testament to Tamiya that the bits and pieces, which include the hydraulic brake lines, can hold together like this without glue.

[jkim]

Some photos from Dana Bell's Corsair books. In addition to the interesting maintenance platform that was inserted into the oil cooler opening, I think this shows the type of brake dust wear that you'd see on a light-colored wheel hub.


Compare that to this photo of a Glossy Blue Corsair. The IPMS Stockholm article says about these later Corsairs, ""During that period... the overall Glossy Sea Blue finish was carried over to the undercarriage legs and wheel hubs." So we can assume that these hubs are painted in a dark blue. The center cap appears to be a lighter color, possibly silver.


And going back to a photo of 740.


A photo of another VMF-214 Corsair.

[speedgraflex]

PAINT ‘EM BLUE AND SEND ‘EM THROUGH!” - Grumman factory slogan.

John, you present convincing photographic evidence to support your reasoning. Most of my notes are centered around late Corsairs—I do want to build a Korean War era Corsair. However I kept some background notes on early Corsairs, too.

For me, reading about Boyington was entertaining but not what would be called truth. “The tales grew in the telling,” Tolkien dryly observed of his own sagas, and likewise stories about Boyington and these Corsairs grew too, and you are doing a great job here peeling away the layers quite literally. I do believe that this particular aircraft represents multiple replacement repairs, which is one reason why I felt mismatched hubs would be my approach. I think this and the other aircraft he flew most often were piebald with primer spots, and the Glossy Sea Blue was faded to grey and the hubs were blue.

[Medicman71]

The gear really looks nice!

[jkim]

Thanks Bruce! I appreciate the support for my decision-making rationale. I'm not going to say I'm right because I don't know that as a fact. But I have to go with what my eyes are telling me. That's why the rubber portion of the tires is still bugging me. I wish I could put more of an "edge" on the staining to mimic what I see in the photos.

An interesting point brought up at LSP was the kit's representation of max compression of the oleos. Doesn't make sense that an aircraft at rest would be bottoming out. But I'm too far along to do anything about this issue.

[speedgraflex]

I agree with you. I face a very similar issue with the fuselage sides of the A-1. Are these painted black at the factory or unit level or as I choose to believe they were not painted at all. The reason the black areas surrounding the exhausts came later was a design evolution. That’s my speculation. Thanks to Torben I have likely the best set of photos of any plane in black and white I could wish for. Like I wrote, your work with the last two Doras is a testament to how you make your choices from photographic record and in all fairness I feel those are probably the best ones I have seen at 1/32. When I’m stuck I know where to go.

Regarding stance a Corsair definitely sits higher. Did Tamiya flub this? I think this particular one has replacements of one or pieces of one and both undercarriage legs, which were factory ANA 602 exactly how you did it. Yours are some of the best looking most realistic undercarriage legs I have ever seen. Sincerely! My understanding from reading again “tales” by mechanics in his unit was there were two absolute “beater” aircraft and Pappy jumped into one or the other depending on availability.

Here is an example of mixed hub colors. The photo is from February 1944. Solomon Islands. It’s been posted before here I’m sure! The blue arrow indicates an aircraft farther down the line with dark hub caps, also in bright light, no shadows.

[jkim]

Did Tamiya flub it? Possibly. Maybe they used a restored aircraft with no hydraulic pressure left in the struts? But I'm sure they run into that all of the time don't they? Surprising that they would go brain-dead on this.



I don't know if 740 had landing gear replaced. One of the outer wings, yes, but this replacement would not have necessarily affected the landing gear.