F4U-1A Corsair 1:144 Jolly Rogers
I sought guidance from modelers of arcair.com since many reference photos didn't have the color I expected. Perhaps my memory of the 1970's American television show affected my choices, but I selected a darker blue over grey and white scheme.
AFV Club offers several build options for different weapons and references indicate that many squadrons had a variety flying at any given time.
I did some mild weathering. Hard to know where to stop in this small of a scale.
There was an option for a wings folded model, but that is a different kit from AFV entirely. And since I already have a hornet with folded wings, I opted for the alternative.
After painting and some weathering, I sealed the model and applied decals. Then I gave it a flat coat and finished the weathering so that it would cover the decals and give it a more realistic appearance.
The decals almost sucked onto the model when applied and I admit I lost a few since they did not allow for much adjustment. I used MicroSol and MicroSet and was pleased to observe the quality results match the contour and panel lines.
I did use a combination of Tamiya black and brown panel line color. If I keep building warbirds though, I might need to source some grey wash as there are a lot of value in that "salty" appearance.
The cockpit is sparse for details though. I added some white to "appear" as instruments and hoped that a sealed canopy would obscure it just enough.
This time around instead of using tape for the belt buckles, I opted to just paint them in place. I think I may add some black/silver buckles later.
Regretfully, a lot of the weathering is washed out against that dark blue top color. But I promise its there.
I eventually came back and added antenna wire. There are a number of positions that could have been chosen. More commonly, I have found, the A1s did not have the forward mast. Oh well.
Lots of weathering on the underside, but you really can't do too much here.
Panel line wash in the wheel well helped the ribbing that is molded to the upper wing surface really stand out.
I used and oily brown wash for the fuel tank. Plain white wash just not realistic in my opinion.
The air wings together.
Interesting scale comparison.
I can't wait to sourcing the next cold war bird for this project. Thanks for your views!
Comments
15 13 August 2023, 01:08
Album info
The fourth build to my Jolly Rogers project is the AFV Club Vought F4U-1A. This build was a bit overwhelming as their are several examples of color schemes and markings for Corsairs that flew the Jolly Roger livery on their cowling. I had intended to stick with VF-17 of the mid-war years. The AFV kit went together very well. I also built a 1C model with the 20mm canon and high velocity rockets. There was some stepping between the wings and fuselage, wing vents and cannon. But this wasn't insurmountable and I think I did well. Hope you enjoy the pictures.
