1/48 Tamiya F4U-1A Corsair

Gallery Article by MaRiO FeRNaNDeZ on Aug 16 2003

 

This is my 1/48 Tamiya 1A Corsair. When I was a little kid, I used to build Models as Toys. This was until I was about 14, where you stop playing with toy planes and cars. Then I gave away to a friend this Revell A-10 (1/48)... and just with showing me how he finished the cockpit, I just HAD to build something... then he showed me ARC and the rest is history .

I once saw this movie where this guy crash-lands in a Corsair with one wheel down in an Aircraft Carrier, where the Corsair had white Wingtips... I just loved it too much. Some years later, attending the U.S.S. Lexington (museum on Corpus Christy) I got me a 1/72 Corsair, but with the Arrow markings for the U.S.S Bunker Hill. I fell in love with the mixture of Schemes (and the Jolly Rogers' Skull, too) and created my idea of a perfect plane: The Corsair.

 

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I told my dad "Could you get me a Corsair?" and he eventually did, Tamiya's Birdcage (not quite Right). Then I got my Apache (which is already here on ARC) and told him "Could you get me Tamiya's 1D Corsair?" and not quite again, he got me the 1A. Close but no cigar. This baby here is the 1A. I was after the 1D Corsair because it already had the Arrows, but by the time I got the 1D they were already painted on the 1A. The Birdcage Corsair sadly, caught a wind gust and flew, breaking the landing gear. It will end up either hanging up or with a stand, wheels up.

Started with the Cockpit, as usual. Painted it Pale green because I didn't have Interior green at the time. Experimenting with the now Classic Chalk/Water/Soap mixture by Steve Bamford, I weathered the Cockpit Walls. 

Using a Silver pen I highlighted the buttons and switches on the Side Panels, and Since the main instrument panel was a decal (No way around it) I used Future on the dials to make the glass look on them. Engine was painted silver but Flattened using Testor's Dull Coat. Again using the C/W/S mix I weathered the engine and Landing Gears and their compartments. Canopy was "futurized" and masked. Then at the hobby club they suggested me to get an Airbrush, and so I did... and Painted the plane Flat Sea Blue. For the Arrows, I masked using a plastic bag and some frisket paper.

I left the plane like that for about a month, did little to finish it (since I don't have a compressor). Then on the hobby club they told me it was the Contest for Props this month, and I HAD to finish it...I added the Chips, the antennas and a little here and a little there and voilá! Done. 

On the Contest, 4th... (I'm ok with that, the top 3 were like WHOA)... I received feedback on the plane that too many chips and stuff, but that's the way I like it (aha, aha... :P) Like I said above: the mixture of Schemes (and the Jolly Rogers' Skull, too) and created my idea of a perfect plane: The Corsair.\

I'll later do my 1D Corsair. But for the mean time, let me stare and drool at this one hahah Take Care people, hope you like it as much as I did. 

MaRiO FeRNaNDeZ

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Photos and text © by MaRiO FeRNaNDeZ