1/48 Tamiya F4U-1A Corsair

[zaxos345]

Awesome Carlos!!!

 

John

[cruiz]

Thank you, AFM, John, for your encouraging words.

Back to the Corsair,

 

My ISP decided to gift me eight days of the 80's lifestyle; that is no internet; I used my cell phone to continue working from home during this time, so that I couldn't upload any updates till now.

 

I finished most of the sub-assemblies and primed them; I started painting some of them also.

 

Here are the control surfaces primed and the flaps painted aluminum in preparation for chipping effects. Finding a way to attach them securely for painting was a real challenge.

 

 

I read somewhere that, during the production of the U-1A version, the undercarriage was still supplied on the original gray color of the underside for the two-tone camo instead of white. I don't know how true this is or if it is correct for the version I'm building, but it seems like an interesting detail, so I painted it using  FS36440 from AMMO (A.MIG-241).

 

 

The bomb's body is painted USAF OLIVE DRAB over a pre-shading of blue and yellow to simulate wear; the box fin is painted DARK OLIVE DRAB to represent a newer item; a general weathering will be added later; both colors are from Vallejo.

 

Prime coat revealed many defects that have been taken care of; I used AMMO's ONE SHOT which works nicely and sands fine; it's not as good as Mr. Surface but close enough for me and without the smell.

 

The paints I intended to use for the base camo colors came from Vallejo, 'USN SEA BLUE' and 'INTERMEDIATE BLUE'; somehow, I knew it'd be too much luck if the colors were correct right out of the bottle, so I made a test and play with some mixtures of paints I have at hand; here are the results.

 

 

I'm far from an expert regarding colors, but I try to balance accuracy and the overall aesthetics of the finished model. After comparing several pictures and profiles, I think the best options are the mix of SEA BLUE and MEDIUM blue for the dark color and PRU BLUE with INTERMEDIATE BLUE for the light one (the PRU BLUE alone is also very close); what do you think?

 

This is all for now; thanks for watching.

 

Carlos
 

[cruiz]

I am starting with the paint of some parts and adding details to others.

 

Here is the rudder, painted with a mix of PRU Blue and Intermediate Blue from Vallejo; on previous attempts at pre-shading, I ended up losing the effect under the paint; this time, I could preserve the darker tone between the ribs.

 

 

Maybe I'll lighten the tone a little bit further to add contrast between surfaces of fabric and metal.

 

Landing gear got some scratches with a brush, using a combination of steel over white. I'm still developing this technique so, not entirely happy with the result.

 

 

If you look closely, there is a stencil at the base of the leg; it came from the HGW set for the F4U. I'll put a gloss coat to the gear before adding washes and oils.

 

While moving parts during painting, I broke three bolts of the back armor plate; I don't like having to repair my errors, but at least I now have an excuse to shorten the length of the rest of the bolts, which were too long.

 

 

And finally, I glued the dorsal antenna but replaced the base plate with one made from a styrene sheet that conforms better to the fuselage's shape.

 

[zaxos345]

Very nice Carlos!! 😀

[Night Owl Models]

I am glad to see another modeler paying attention to correct colours and putting the work into test swatches and colour matching. I often spend weeks researching the correct colours and sometimes the model paint makers just get it wrong. If you understand the colour spectrum and complimentary colours its work but you can achieve a more accurate match. Sometimes the decals depict the colour more in modern fighters like the USN advesaries. Great work love your attention to details.

[cruiz]

On 8/13/2021 at 12:44 AM, zaxos345 said:

Very nice Carlos!! 😀

Thank you for the kind words.

 

On 8/13/2021 at 1:17 AM, Night Owl Models said:

I am glad to see another modeler paying attention to correct colours and putting the work into test swatches and colour matching. I often spend weeks researching the correct colours and sometimes the model paint makers just get it wrong. If you understand the colour spectrum and complimentary colours its work but you can achieve a more accurate match. Sometimes the decals depict the colour more in modern fighters like the USN advesaries. Great work love your attention to details.

Hello Dave, I appreciate your comments.

 

A few years back, I was using Model Master paints, and that gave me peace of mind regarding accuracy to a certain extent.

 

Now that I switched to acrylics, I found the variation in colors between brands is broad and exciting; from my point of view, this is positive because, as a modeler, I can choose whatever fits the vision I have for the finished model.

 

In this particular Corsair, I was leaning to emulate the hues of blue of the colorized wartime pictures; now, after looking at several profiles in books and online, I decided to make something similar to those, or an average between them, should I say. In both cases, the reasons were merely for esthetics.

 

I like to read the discussions regarding the accuracy of colors and try to include them as part of my research on the subject. But, in the end, I choose the reference I like the most and work towards it.
 

[Night Owl Models]

Can you post some photos of the references your looking at...just out of interest while I follow along. Perhaps we can discuss your weathering and finishing process. So far your details are exceptional the finish will be a challenge. Are you going for the three tone scheme or solid blue?

Edited August 17, 2021 by Night Owl Models
Update

[cruiz]

12 hours ago, Night Owl Models said:

Can you post some photos of the references your looking at...just out of interest while I follow along. Perhaps we can discuss your weathering and finishing process. So far your details are exceptional the finish will be a challenge. Are you going for the three tone scheme or solid blue?

 

It will be the three-tone camo; this is an example of a colorized picture shared by  Thomaz (TAG); good reference, but I was not fond of the colors that much.

 

 

I opted for the colors in this profile included in the book "U.S. Navy and Marine Carrier-Based Aircraft of World War II" by Detail & Scale; I'm aware that they change, even if the colors were perfect, depending on the monitor used. Nevertheless, this is what I'm aiming for.

 

 

Here is a picture of the painted rudder over the profile on my tablet; it's challenging to get the lighting right to take a picture, but the colors are pretty close in person.

 

 

The goal of weathering is to replicate scuff and chipping, revealing both the yellow primer and bare metal on traffic areas, along with random paint fading. Then, finally, adding fuel, exhaust, and similar stains, together with some dust.

[AlienFrogModeller]

Simply beautiful, can't wait to see this completed! Keep it up, it is very inspiring and thought provoking as well.

 

Cheers

AFM

[Falconxlvi]

Carlos,

  Your work on the control surfaces, canopy, gear, etc., is incredible!   I love how you are just taking your time and not sacrificing any accuracy.  Your Corsair will be one of a kind for sure!   I agree with your color choices based on the refs you posted.   Keep up the great work!

 

Steve

[cruiz]

On 8/17/2021 at 3:40 PM, AlienFrogModeller said:

Simply beautiful, can't wait to see this completed! Keep it up, it is very inspiring and thought provoking as well.

 

Cheers

AFM

Thank you for your encouragement, AFM; hopefully, I'll finish this soon.

 

On 8/17/2021 at 4:21 PM, Falconxlvi said:

Carlos,

  Your work on the control surfaces, canopy, gear, etc., is incredible!   I love how you are just taking your time and not sacrificing any accuracy.  Your Corsair will be one of a kind for sure!   I agree with your color choices based on the refs you posted.   Keep up the great work!

 

Steve

Thank you, Steve; I'm glad you liked it.

 

Here is some progress, but mostly I wanted to share some of the techniques I use in case someone finds them useful.

 

The painted areas have been masked; this turned out more complicated than expected because either the paint or detail is delicate.

 

 

I weakened the glue of the masking tape to minimize the risk of peeling the paint underneath but also used Vallejo's liquid mask to seal the edges, and it also helps keep the foam protections in place.

 

 

Since the bottom window frame is visible inside the cockpit, it was painted yellow before the primer; Tamiya paint was used instead of Vallejo because it is more resistant.

 

 

Part of my weathering process is to accentuate shadows using a dark wash; here is an example of the main gear doors; on the left one, most of the wash is cleaned to represent only shadows and not grime or dirt accumulation, those effects will be added later using other techniques.

 

 

Some parts don't have enough depth to keep the wash; in those cases, I use a sharpened pencil to accentuate the shadows. Here is an example of that, look at the lines between the wood sections and the central support of the bomb rack.

 

 

The parts have been covered with "One Shot" gloss varnish in preparation for the "Black Night" wash, both from AMMO.
 

[Night Owl Models]

Have you considered using a stencil as apposed to decals for your markings Maketar makes U.S. roundels and lettering for that period. Giving your project that custom painted on look would allow for custom fading the marking that would be so sweet. 

 

1:48 U.S. Roundels 1943 Red Border 1:48 U.S. Roundels 1943 Red Border (maketar.com

1:48 US Code Letters & Numbers 24 Inch – WWII 1:48 US Code Letters & Numbers 24 Inch – WWII (maketar.com)

 

Cheers

 

Dave

[cruiz]

3 hours ago, Night Owl Models said:

Have you considered using a stencil as apposed to decals for your markings Maketar makes U.S. roundels and lettering for that period. Giving your project that custom painted on look would allow for custom fading the marking that would be so sweet. 

 

1:48 U.S. Roundels 1943 Red Border 1:48 U.S. Roundels 1943 Red Border (maketar.com

1:48 US Code Letters & Numbers 24 Inch – WWII 1:48 US Code Letters & Numbers 24 Inch – WWII (maketar.com)

 

Cheers

 

Dave

 

Hello Dave, that's a good idea; thank you for the links and your interest.

 

Indeed is an option worth considering; what keeps me hesitant about it is the following.

 

How to match the blue in the insignias? not a biggie, just more time to test different paints and mixes.

 

How to avoid the step created by the paint on the stencil's edge? On a previous build, I cut the stencils for the Hinomaru and successfully avoided creating a step because I used a slightly bigger stencil (just a fraction of a mm.) underneath, this

created a uniform separation between the model and the stencil that prevented the paint build-up while at the same time created a sharp edge. I wish I have a Cricut to make this, or maybe I could search for a similar service locally.

 

Recently, I got a set of national insignias from HGW that have the border in light blue (simulating the covered red border), but I think isn't correct for my version, so I'm still open on what to do.

 

What do you think?

[Night Owl Models]

Hi again so I have done some research and colour matching from what I can see and your right, way too many variations to make a definitive choice. If I have to choose for the tri colour scheme.

 

Lower-insignia white FS 71.279

Mid-Intermediate Blue FS 35164-ANA608 71.299

Upper-USN Sea Blue FS35044-ANA607 71.295

Edited September 11, 2021 by Night Owl Models
Spelling

[cruiz]

Hello Dave

 

Interesting color picks; did you have a particular reference for doing so?, or did you make them based on the tests I showed? The two from Vallejo are blue in name only; they have a hint of blue but nothing close to references I could find. 

 

The sea blue from Vallejo could be an option for the national insignia should I get the courage to use stencils instead of decals, as you suggested.

 

Some of the control surfaces are already painted, but I haven't had time to take pics.

[Falcon50EX]

Looking great, Carlos!

With regard to painting the three-tone Corsair colour scheme, I quote the U2 song, "I still haven't found what i'm looking for".... and i've lost count of how many F4Us i've built.

 

You have probably discovered by now, that colour photos of Corsairs in the combat environment are rare; especially so with respect to the 3-tone schemes. There is some great work being done with colourizing B&W photos, and i think more often than not the interpretations are pretty good.

 

What i did, if this makes any sense is, i looked at many B&W photos of Corsairs, examined how the colours faded and chalked and sort of mixed up an "average" colour for each of the three, used it as a starting point and went from there.

 

With respect to painting on the insignia: while you may still be trying to determine the proper shade of Insignia Blue, what you can do in the interim is lay down the insignia white, position the stars, and then continue the rest of the painting, and laying down the Insignia blue surrounds at the very end prior to gloss coating. This will minimize any ridges between the colours (which i think is an over blown problem, really).

 

HTH,

 

david

[cruiz]

Hello David

 

Thank you for your advice; indeed, pictures are scarce, and the ones I could find sometimes are confusing, showing a clear difference between the two blues in some and almost none in others. Still, In general, they will be helpful to make the weathering attractive.

 

Following your and Dave´s advice, I just ordered a set of masks for the insgnias, just in case.

[cruiz]

Hello all

 

Little progress these past days, but I did some experiments; here is an update.

 

The bomb and its rack are ready; I wanted to give the bomb's body a worn look adding scratches using different brown and olive shades of Vallejo's and covered with a coat of glossy varnish from AMMO in preparation for the oils and washes. 

 

Next, a general wash using AMMO's Black NightI PLW followed with random splotches with oils (AMMO's Starship Filth Oilbrusher) to simulate the handling with greasy hands.

 

 

The fin box was painted in a different shade of olive and used a little of AMMO's Dust Oilbrusher to represent a relatively cleaner unit contrasting with the body. 

 

 

The entire bomb was varnished with AMMO's matt One-Shot; since the finish still had a slight satin shine, I applied the ultra matt varnish but only to the bomb's body.

 

Experimenting with oils, I applied Dust Oilbrusher randomly over the bomb's body using a sponge with mineral spirits; the matt varnish withstood them well and provided a good foundation that keeps the oils in place once dried.

 

Finally, I brought the bomb and rack together, added the front and rear fuses, and added stretched sprue to simulate the fasteners at the tips of the sway braces.

 

 

I saw a picture where a cable connected the front and rear fuses to the bomb rack; I simulated this with stretched sprue but didn't know how accurate this is.

 

I started experimenting with the tires; I painted them with Tamiya´s XF-85 and varnished glossy; then, I dry-brushed them slightly with a white Oilbrusher.

At first, I thought it was too much, but after varnishing them with ultra matt, the effect disappeared, as you can see with the one on the right.

 

 

The one on the left is weathered using Dust Oilbrusher and mineral spirits over the ultra matt varnish.

 

I tried something different on the resin tires and used a mix of white and Starship Filth Oilbrusers diluted with mineral spirits applied with a sponge to create random stains; after letting them dry, both were varnished with ultra matt; here is the result.

 

 

Later, I will be adding some dusting like on the kit's one.

 

Continuing experimenting, I made a test to represent two-layer chipping using Vallejo's medium; the base is Vallejo's metallic color, but there is a difference between the left and right sections.

 

The method on the left section was this; medium + yellow + make chipping + medium + blue + make chipping.

 

On the right section; medium + yellow + medium + blue + make chipping.

 

 

The results are similar, but I liked the one on the right because it is faster and more controllable; the splinters tend to be smaller and, thus, more in scale. 

On the left, the splinters are more prominent; since the yellow is already chipped, you have less liberty to create the desired pattern.

 

Another disadvantage is the edges of the base color showing under the top color; isolated patches of blue are made between the edges of the base color.

 

I hope I explained myself and someone finds this helpful.

 

On a side note, these past days, I've been watching on youtube a tutorial from Will Pattison on the use of oils for weathering; even if I don't use the same technique at this moment, the work he did on a P-40 is inspiring; I recommend it.

 

Thank you all for your advice and comments; both are helpful and encouraging.

[Night Owl Models]

That's one beutiful bomb...finally someone who pays attention to the arming wire from the nose and tail fuse! 

 

So back to colors...I did some spraying really I/you could go iether way on the dark blue. I think you can be sure the insignia white and intermediate blue are a given.

If your doing a really faded out scheme myself I would choose the USN Sea Blue I have read allot of articles that reference that color in the tri scheme. I really like that bomb can't wait to see what you do with the fuselage...no pressure but we're all watching lol. Please post your step by step process.

 

Take care have a good weekend 

 

Dave

[Falcon50EX]

20 hours ago, cruiz said:

Hello David

 

Thank you for your advice; indeed, pictures are scarce, and the ones I could find sometimes are confusing, showing a clear difference between the two blues in some and almost none in others. Still, In general, they will be helpful to make the weathering attractive.

 

 

Yes, i think this is explained largely by the original BuAer painting specs. Originally, the spec called for the two upper blues to be heavily blended, resulting in a very gradual, and practically seamless transition. Its thought by some that in some cases the intermediate blue was eliminated altogether, and what appears to be intermediate blue is actually non spec sea blue applied over insignia white but in a less-than-fully-opaque manner.

The significance of this is the non spec blue faded and chalked heavily and it could take on a hue that was hard to distinguish from the intermediate blue. This explains the many black and white photos that depict what seems to be an overall monotone blue /blue gray on the upper surfaces. Ira Kepford's #29 is sort of a case of this, whereas other VF-17 planes have more clearly delineated colour separations.

From my photographic research, this heavily blended application is very easy to attribute to Goodyear manufactured planes; good photos exist of freshly painted Corsairs rolling off the lines in this scheme. In the case of Vought and Brewster manufactured ones, the separation of colours has a much more clearly delineated look to it, and fewer pictures exist of newly finished planes with freshly applied paint. They have more of the typical "cookie cutter" paint schemes we grew up reading about, much like the F6F Hellcat.

Strictly a point of trivia, but Goodyear adopted overall gloss sea blue with a non spec sea blue antiglare panel while still building the FG-1A. It seems Vought did not make the switch until F4U-1D production.

 

-d-

[Falcon50EX]

One more....um, suggestion. Based on many Corsair build experiences.

It's easier to do the blue/white separation along the fuselage sides if you paint the model before attaching the flaps, and if possible before mounting the horizontal stabilizers. The blue that wraps around, beneath the stabilizers can take a couple of different forms, and Vought application of the colours was definitely more "fuzzy" than Grumman's treatment on the F6F.... if that makes any sense.

-d-

[cruiz]

Well, things keep becoming more interesting each day.

 

On 9/17/2021 at 10:07 PM, Night Owl Models said:

So back to colors...I did some spraying really I/you could go iether way on the dark blue. I think you can be sure the insignia white and intermediate blue are a given.

Thank you, Dave, for taking the time; the two samples at the right are similar, just a little lighter than mine; now I have a good idea of how color 71.091 will look.

 

If I understand you correctly, 299 and 295 will be your choice for the intermediate and dark blue? That changes my concept on the camo because I fail to see the blue on them compared to profiles and colorized pics of the time, but it may very well be the correct one; the model will look fabulous in those colors for sure.

 

On the other hand, 091 seems to be the correct color for the markings, or do you think of it for the upper color?

 

On 9/18/2021 at 11:21 AM, Falcon50EX said:

Yes, i think this is explained largely by the original BuAer painting specs. Originally, the spec called for the two upper blues to be heavily blended, resulting in a very gradual, and practically seamless transition. Its thought by some that in some cases the intermediate blue was eliminated altogether, and what appears to be intermediate blue is actually non spec sea blue applied over insignia white but in a less-than-fully-opaque manner.

Hi David, that's quite an exciting piece of information; thank you for sharing. Now I understand what I see in all those pics; fortunately, I have a picture of the subject I chose (VMF 111 No. 122), and the two blue colors contrast and have defined boundaries; this fits with a Vought built plane. 

 

Since I didn't know what BuAer stands for, I google it and found this blog with an explanation for it and more information on the subject.

I will install the flaps at the end, and only the fixed portions of the stabilizers are attached now.

 

http://www.gmodelart.com/2020/04/plane-colors-and-camouflage-su-navy.html

 

Thanks to both, and please keep commenting on the matter; your knowledge is valuable for me and undoubtedly for others.

 

Regards

 

Carlos

[Night Owl Models]

Ok so I have become obsessed with your build so much so I dug out my F4U kit I was going to use for the under water wreck when I changed my mind and went to the Hellcat. So here is a section I was intrigued to try mimicking that chalky worn faded look. I did read several other F4U builds. I don't know how far along you are but here is the result. I hope I can help you get a better look seeing your previous painting I am sure it will be better.

Base coat entire model 71.279 Insignia white

Cut in 71.295 USN Sea Blue

Cut in 71.299 Intermediate blue

Wet model with mist coat 71.161 thinner

Apply salt let dry

Apply random 71.299 over 71.295 top

Apply random 71.295 over 71.299 middle

Apply 50/50 mix 71.001 white/71.279 Int white over 71.279 base

Let dry then rub salt off

Light random apply of 73.101 pigment powder

Random weather spots 73.120 and 73.123 pigment powder 

Highlight panel lines ect

Two coats of Ultra Matt

 

I am going to trial the roundel mask later this week.

[eagledocf15]

Any updates? This is looking great!!!!!

[cruiz]

On 9/25/2021 at 5:56 PM, Night Owl Models said:

Ok so I have become obsessed with your build so much so I dug out my F4U kit I was going to use for the under water wreck when I changed my mind and went to the Hellcat. So here is a section I was intrigued to try mimicking that chalky worn faded look. I did read several other F4U builds. I don't know how far along you are but here is the result. I hope I can help you get a better look seeing your previous painting I am sure it will be better.

 

That's a great paint job, Dave; the white base and the mixed intermediate blue did bring down the sea blue to a correct hue.

 

I haven't used the salt technique; I think I can emulate that chalky look with some post shading and oils; I'll use your work as a reference for sure; thank you for sharing and taking the time.

 

The masks for the roundels are still in transit from the UK.

 

On 9/28/2021 at 4:39 PM, eagledocf15 said:

Any updates? This is looking great!!!!!

 

Thanks for your words, eagledocf15; I've been busy with work and other unexpected events, so little progress these past days.

 

The rudder has the decals on, but I have to rework the rest of the control surfaces; I messed up the paint on the elevons and retouched some cracks on the flaps.