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Dark Blue Killer - Tamiya 1/32 F4U-1D Corsair


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On 9/11/2018 at 5:06 PM, Loach Driver said:

Lots of attention to detail, that's for sure. Looking good.

 

LD.

 

Thanks LD!

 

Anyway, I was able to get a bit of work in this week.  First up - while studying Dana Bell's two books on the Corsair (BTW, these are mandatory for anyone building a Corsair kit or just someone who is into F4U's, they are truly brilliant books), I noted that the later versions were fitted with an emergency bomb release on the left side of the cockpit.    See the below pic from Dana's book:

 

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I figured I'd add this to my cockpit.   Took all of 5 minutes.  

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Looks pretty rough right (my crappy photography skills don't help either)?  You are correct! 

 

BUT - as I noted in the beginning of this build, my outlook is to focus on what will be seen when the model is complete.   In this case, the jettison lever and it's linkage is on the side of the console, next to the pilot's seat.  You'll only be able to see this when looking into the cockpit from a limited angle, nearly straight above.  From any other angle, you will only see the top of the rod and the knob.  I know some folks (god bless them) would go to town on this part but for me, this will work just fine!

 

Moving on, I've pretty much wrapped up the cockpit assembly.  I added some additional sprue wiring under the consoles and in the lower section to busy things up.  I also noticed that once assembled, you will be able to see into the aft fuselage a bit.   I quickly hand painted the area with yellow zinc chromate.  Looking at references, there was a shelf immediately behind the pilots back armor which had all the radios mounted.   I wanted to show something more than just a YZC compartment so I very quickly built the shelf and a generic radio.  Again, it's a horrible job but given the angle of viewing, it will do a nice job of replicating a radio.  Trust me folks!   Here are some pics of the completed cockpit, see if you can find the bomb jettison handle!

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Note the face of the radio and shelf peeking through the opening.   

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That's it for now.  Thanks for looking

Edited by 11bee
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11 hours ago, Slartibartfast said:

The area behind the cockpit was YZC and not salmon?

 

Those decals in the pit really seal the deal!

 

You are correct.  By the time the F4U-1A came along, salmon primer was on the way out.  By the time the -1D was introduced it was gone completely in lieu of YZC.  Too bad, it's a pretty cool color.   I might end up doing an earlier version so I can get to use it. 

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One thing I mentioned was trying to recreate the clutter of the Corsair's cockpit.  By the time the -1D was introduced, the Navy was focused on one thing only.  How to produce these as fast as humanly possible.  New equipment was simply bolted into whatever space was available.  There was absolutely no consideration for ergonomics or aesthetics.  Compare this cockpit to an FW-190 and you'll see what I mean.  The only focus was on building these by the thousands and getting them to the "sharp edge" so they could kill the enemy.    This pic from Dana Bell's book illustrates what I'm talking about:

 

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Note all the electrical wiring, some of which is simply run over the cockpit side console and is blocking access to some of the controls.  Also note that the side consoles didn't even butt up against the cockpit walls.    Again, aesthetics and ergonomics were not exactly a priority here!   Here's my initial work for the fuselage side wall.   Note that I didn't run the electrical cables very far, once under the side console, they are completely out of sight.   I still need to add some more but I'm pretty content with the way things came out. 

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Just realized that the side wall is a bit out of focus in these pics.  My bad...  I'll try to get some better pics up but trust me, it looks "ok".   As always, thanks for looking.

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3 hours ago, janman said:

Beautiful work with the pit! I truly like how sharp it looks. Once again I really feel like I too should get one of these big Tamiyas, cause they simply look so awesome! 

 

 

Thanks very much!   I know these kits are expensive but I can't stress enough - they are worth every penny! 

 

IMO, they are the best scale model kits out there, no exceptions. 

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While looking through Dana Bell's book, I came across this picture.   It's shows the rocket control panel that was fitted to -1D's.   

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For some reason I overlooked this shot when I was doing the cockpit.   I figured I'd have to scratchbuild this but while looking at the Tamiya parts, I realized that they actually included it.  It just wasn't referenced in the instructions.   It's on sprue R, I think it was part 44.  

 

So anyway, I added this to the cockpit sidewall.

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I also added the instrument panel glareshield.  Only modifications was some sprue electrical lines for the two armament control panels mounted on top.  I'll probably add the gunsight later in the build to avoid it getting broken.   Once done with my mods, I painted it a very dark grey.  I typically avoid using straight black for any parts.   It just doesn't look appropriate. 

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Lastly I dryfitted the cockpit into the fuselage side to see how everything looks / fits.  So far, so good. 

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Cockpit is 95% done.   Time to move aft.   Here I find another example of how awesome Tamiya is.   Most outfits (who I've mentioned before) would pretty much just provide an empty void for the tail wheel bay, maybe at best add some ribs to the interior and call it a day.  Not these guys.   16 parts in total.   They even take the time to replicate the inside faces of all the access panels and provide covers so you don't see the tabs from the horizontal stabs sticking out.  Impressive....  

 

All I did was shoot the entire assembly with Model Master Yellow Zinc Chromate and then used a dilute wash to replicate the grime that is typically present in these spaces.   Still looks too clean, I'll go back and add some more gunk.  

 

I'm really enjoying this build!

 

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Plugging away, with the cockpit mostly done, it was time to seal up the fuselage.   All I can say is dry fit carefully before breaking out the glue.   The tolerances are tight.  I had a couple of issues with the fuselage halves not fitting together, no reflection on Tamiya, it turns out that I had the upper portion of the aft bulkhead just a bit out of alignment.  Fortunately I was able to correct it.   Took a couple of small dabs of putty to address a couple of minor gaps.  BTW - I just started using Tamiya putty and have to say that this stuff is great.   Easy to apply, dries quickly and sands easily. Much better than the Squadron green putty I've been using for years.   

 

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Quite amazing how well things fit.  Tamiya opted to use a universal fuselage for both the birdcage and later versions with the taller spine.  They give you a large section of upper fuselage as a separate piece.  With a lesser outfit, you would have fit issues and have to putty and sand extensively.   With this kit, the piece simply snaps into place and once there, you can't even tell it was separate.  Absolutely amazing engineering here. 

 

I also completed the horizontal stabs.   Tamiya gives you the option of having the elevators in the neutral position or pointing downwards as they would when the plane is unmanned on the ground.  Thought that was a nice touch.  They also made sure the trim tab was offset in the opposite direction.  Good attention to detail here!  Only other thing I did on these parts was to lightly sand down the elevators.   Tamiya went a bit heavy trying to replicate some details on the cloth-covered elevators.   I just wanted to smooth things down a bit.  Took all of 5 minutes and I think it made a noticeable difference (hard to tell in the pics below, you'll have to trust me on this). 

 

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That's pretty much all I've got done.   I decided to bite the bullet and order the Vector resin cowl flap set.  I've seen it used on a couple of builds here and it looks like it will really enhance the interior of the cowling and cowl flaps.   Should be in shortly, that will be the next order of business.   Thanks for looking. 

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Doing some exhausting work.   Get it?

 

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Didn't sweat the paintwork on the exhausts, the only bit you'll be able to see will be through the cowl flaps.  I'll undoubtedly get some GSB on the lower stacks so they will also be repainted (and I'll be cleaning up the interiors a bit).   I painted the fire wall overall aluminum and than spackled on some Model Master Burnt Metal to represent an oily heat-stained firewall.   And then I remembered that none of this will be visible once the cowling is together.  Oh well...

 

I also received the Vector resin cowl flap set.  To me, it's $20 well spent (although I'm old enough to remember when $20 bought you a pretty decent model kit).   Here is what you get:

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The resin is first rate.  Great details and it's real easy detaching the fragile cowl flap and wiring ring from their bases.   Just score with a sharp x-acto knife and the pour stub pops right off.   I need to do some research on the engine magnetos, etc.  Not sure if they are for this version or the early engine on the birdcage Corsair.  

 

Here's the Tamiya cowling and cowl flap.   

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At least Tamiya replicated the interior structure of the cowling but they left out the prominent lightning holes on the ribs and the cowl flaps are devoid of interior detail.   Since most F4U's seemed to be parked with the flaps open, I really want to show a bit extra.   Here's the interior of the Vector cowl flaps.  Still need to add the actuator and their cables.  Once done, it should be pretty sharp looking.

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Mini update.   I added the Vector ribs to the interior of the cowling.  Hardest part was removing the Tamiya ribs.   I used a chisel blade for my X-acto knife.   It was the smallest size they had but still too wide (due to the curve of the cowling, the edges of the blade were scraping the cowl interior).  I solved that by taking a pair of small pliers and snapping the outer edges off of the chisel blade.  This narrowed the blade down to about 1 cm, which worked fine.   Removing the cast in ribs took about 10 minutes.  After that, a quick pass with some sand paper and we were good to go (note - there are a few scratches still present but once painted and with the engine installed, they won't be visible).   

 

Took another 10 minutes to install the Vector ribs.  I have no idea how they manage to cast these things with those microscopic holes but they are truly first rate.  Vector thoughtfully gives you 4-5 extras.  My locking needle-nose tweezers did the trick for super-gluing them in place.  I just bought these prior to this project and have to admit, they are one of the most useful modeling tools I own.  I can't believe I waited so long to buy them.  Between using them for the cockpit decals and small bits and now for these parts, they are well worth it.  Nothing lost to the carpet monster again!

 

Here's the completed cowl. As mentioned given the viewing angle and when the engine is installed, you won't see everything but I still think they are a definite improvement over the stock cowling.   Compare to the picture of the unmodified kit part in the post above.

 

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As always, any questions, critiques, comments, etc are much appreciated.   Thanks for looking.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Back with an update.   I was dreading building up the engine due to the wiring harness.   I really dislike this aspect of modeling, it's too much like "work" but I got through it.   I used .020 copper wire, painted a diluted tan with some of the copper showing through and then fabricated silver foil wire clips.  The engine itself is a real gem, incredible details and I can't believe all the parts fit together so well (especially the heat shields over the cylinder heads).   I still need to add some final details including oil lines (and the Pratt & Whitney logo that Tamiya thoughtfully provides) and then I can get back to "fun" modeling.   I'm not sure if I'm going to leave one of the cowlings off or not, so there is a good chance most of my hard work won't be visible.   We'll see. 

 

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Thanks for looking!

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Thanks Mr Happy!

 

I think I'm done with the engine.   I added the forward oil pipes between the cylinders (forward only, the rear will be invisible) and an oil drain line on the bottom of the crankcase.   Lastly added the P&W logo and that's it!   I typically don't display the engines on my models but in this case, I'm on the fence.   I may actually leave one of the cowling panels off to showcase a bit of the work.  Otherwise, the vast majority of what I've built will be invisible.  We'll see.....

 

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Lastly, I finished the Vector cowl flaps.   Definitely an improvement on the kit part.   I've got some reservations on how well these will fit though.  Wish me luck on this because if they don't fit properly, neither will the rest of the cowling.    

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Tried to make the interior look oily and grimy.  Still need to paint that single lower panel though.   That's it.  Thanks for looking. 

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Thanks very much Biggu!

 

So I'm calling it done on the motor.  I took some suggestions from another site to heart decided to replicate those tubular "guards" that are present at the top of the cylinder heads.   Their purpose (I assume) is to keep the upper spark plug lead off the hot cylinder.  Problem was, I had already installed the spark plug leads and it was a  major pain to install these around the leads.    Another example of how I get into trouble by not taking my time.   I was in such a rush to get this rather burdensome task completed that I missed these entirely.   If I had caught it, they would have been extremely easy to scratchbuild and they would have looked much better.   On that note, I didn't really sweat the details of these too much.  I discovered by dry fitting the forward cowling that you will only be able to view them from directly forward, and they'll be in the shadows at that.   Even if I opt to leave one of the aft cowling covers off, they still won't be visible, so that made life a bit easier, in that I only had to do a very basic job.   Here's the completed R-2800, freshly delivered from Pratt & Whitney of Stamford, CT, ready for installation.   

 

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As a side note, the R-2800 was considered one of the finest air-cooled piston engines ever developed.  It powered pretty much every radial-engined US WW2 fighter and was used post- war in a range of airliners, including the DC-6.   

 

Now that I'm finally done with the engine, I can move forward to more enjoyable parts of the build.   Next up is the lower fuselage and main landing gear bays.   Plenty of opportunities to add some small bits of detail in the wells,  just a shame that the USN opted to have the bays painted the same as the exterior, Gloss Sea Blue.   This won't allow as much of the detailing to be visible.  This was a part of the USN's obsession to simplify all aspects of production.  Why bother painting the wheel wells white or any other different color when you can just shoot them GSB when you are painting the rest of the exterior?  Saves a few dollars on paint and a few manhours on labor.   

 

Here's the basic lower fuselage sections, which will be the starting point.  There are around 9 separate steps required to complete this assembly.  Just another indicate of how thorough Tamiya was.

 

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Note the massive main spar (outer sections are not painted since they will be finished in GSB).   Looks like it could be part of a bridge, not an aircraft.   Just another example of how rugged the Corsair (and it's rival from Grumman, the Hellcat) were built to withstand the hard flying that is part of carrier aviation.  Compare to the light-weight British Seafire.  Undoubtedly the British aircraft was more maneuverable but it was totally under-designed for life on a carrier.  

 

Anyway, that's my update for today, thanks for looking!

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Thanks Geoff!   So I'm moving on with the lower fuselage / wheel bays.   Finished up the oil cooler assemblies and started the basics for the MGL bays and wing fold (yes, I opted to do the wings in the folded position because - A) takes up much less space  B  ) that is how they were parked on their carriers  C) it will allow the rockets to be shown in more detail and D) I get a chance to show all the intricate parts present within the wingfold area).  

 

I have to admit that some of this probably won't be fully visible when completed but it's fun putting it together regardless and gives you a better understanding of how the real thing works.  Only thing I've done so far beyond just gluing and painting the kit parts is to drill out some lightning holes in the MLG bays (see pics below).  Makes it look more realistic and that's where some of the hydraulic lines I'll be adding get routed through.   I also drilled out another hole in the wing fold hinge assembly.   Other than that, I shot the parts Gloss Sea Blue using Colorcoats enamel.  This stuff airbrushes wonderfully and according to the experts, is a very good match for the WW2 version of GSB (most paints out there represent the later, post-war version of GSB which is a bit darker).  I'm looking for weathering ideas for the wheel bays so if anyone has some pics that show grungy GSB wheel bays, send them my way.  

 

Some pics:  

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Note - I'll be overpainting the zinc chromate in the wheel bays.  Still have a lot of details to add to the wingfolds and wheel bays.

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Edited by 11bee
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The project (slowly) continues.   I assembled the engine cowling  It was a bit dicey due to the Vector cowl flaps.  Their resin flaps need to mate precisely with the Tamiya firewall.  For the most part it was ok but given that the cowl flap assembly isn't very rigid, it took a fair amount of dryfitting and some cleanup work with an Xacto knife to get things adjusted.   Just take your time and you'll be fine.    I still haven't figured out if I'll leave some/all of the cowling off.   Be a shame to cover up that engine that I worked so hard on.  Right now I'm leaning towards leaving off just the lower cowl section.   Anyway, that's all I've got for this update.    Sorry for the crappy pics, I can only take closeup photos in natural light and today it was pretty overcast.  

 

 I painted the front cowling and flaps prior to installation, just to minimize masking issues later in the build.   Really like the way that Colorcoat GSP sprays.   

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Personally, I think the Vector structural bits inside the cowling add quite a bit.  

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Backside of the cowl flaps. Note that I knocked a couple of the linkages off (at the very top of the flaps) during the assembly.  I'll be adding those parts back on shortly.  

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Underneath.  Not happy with the color on the exhausts.  I'll be repainting these once I figure out a mix that looks better. 

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