International Scale Modeller

Hello everyone, my name is Ben however I am probably more well know for my Youtube account Slade's Model Arcadia.

I would like to introduce my first ever GB project. It is a Tamiya 1/48 Vought F4U-1A Corsair and will be my first ever Tamiya Aircraft. I recently finished a Revell Bf109 G-10 which was a 1978 and was an absolute Bear of a build. It really sapped my plane mojo so I am hoping this will help to re-kindle some of it back. Having built many of Tamiya's vehicles I was very excited to get my hands on one of their aircraft and from looking at the sprues I can see why.

Anyway without further ado I hope you enjoy my build thread. I am certainly sure I will!
(Before I begin I would just like to apologise to 'onemac' for stepping on your toes slightly for building the exact plane that you are building however, I did the slightly silly thing of choosing my model before looking at what someone else was doing. I hope this will not cause too much of a problem)

The following pictures are of the obligatory un-started variety from the box as well as some more detailed shots of the sprues. The ones following those are of the majority of the paints and tools I will be using (I have only included the primary paints I will be using although I will be using other colours for some of detailed parts). The keen eyed among you may see that some of the tools I will be using are of course the famous Ultimate sanding sticks. This will be my first model using a proper panel line was and also my first using Mr Hobby Aqueous paints.

I would just like to add that as per the rest of the models I make, this aircraft will be entirely brush painted as I do not own an airbrush or have the money to buy one at the moment. I am planning to get one at some point however I will have to make do with brushes for now

Picture 1: Nice box art on this one. I always appreciate a piece of good looking box art.


Picture 2: Decal scheme 1.


Picture 3: Decal Scheme 2.


Picture 4: This kit has the option to have the wings folded which is a nice addition.


Picture 5: How the inside looks upon opening.


Picture 6: Sprue shot one.


Picture 7: One of the two included figures.


Picture 8: Sprue shot two.


Picture 9: Lots of nice detail on the instrument panel and the rest of the cockpit.


Picture 10: Rivet detail one.


Picture 11: Rivet detail two.


Picture 12: Fuselage internal details.


Picture 13: Sprue shot three.


Picture 14: Underside rivet detail.


Picture 15: Canopy sprue.


Picture 16: Decal sheet for the two decal options.


Picture 17: Front of instruction booklet.


Picture 18: Build step example. (Annoyingly instructions come as fold out leaflet instead of a nicely stapled book)


Picture 19: The majority of the main tools and paints I will be using.


Picture 20: First time using these paints. From doing tests on my paint mule they look to be quite good.


Picture 21: Tamiya glue will be my main glue with the Revell only there as a stronger backup option for larger parts.


Picture 22: My main finishing products. This will be my first build with an enamel panel line wash. Looks good from paint mule tests.



If you would like to see a detailed In Box Review of this kit then please see below for a video I did on my Youtube channel Slade's Model Arcadia:

[youtube]DeSVtr6-glc[/youtube]

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I will now dedicate this section to a short but also in depth history of the aircraft including text, pictures and a video or two.

HISTORY: F4U CORSAIR

Picture 23: F4U Corsair in flight.


The American Vought F4U "Corsair" became the stuff of legend in its time aloft during World War 2 (1939-1945), the Korean War (1950-1953) and several French-related Cold War conflicts that followed. The design was attributed to Igor Sikorsky and Rex Beisel and went on to see production totals of 12,571 units with manufacturing ending in 1952 - not a bad total considering the aircraft was initially rejected by the United States Navy (USN). The F4U originally arrived as a USN carrier-based fighter design until difficulties in landing the aircraft on moving carrier decks led to its expanded use as a land-based fighter in the hands of US Marine aviators. While the United States Navy moved on to the equally-excellent Grumman F6F "Hellcat", the F4U continued to make a name for itself in the Pacific Theater - even earning the respect of its Japanese foes as one of the most feared combat aircraft in the region.

Picture 24: Carrier landing action shot.


The Corsair was born from a 1938 USN requirement calling for a new high performance carrier fighter and Chance Vought of United Aircraft returned with their V-166 model. Vought engineers handed their design the then- largest possible engine the compact airframe could handle - the experimental Pratt & Whitney XR-2800 "Double Wasp" of 2,000 horsepower. To this was added an equally massive 13ft tall three-bladed propeller assembly and the inverted "gull wing" arrangement was chosen to help the spinning propeller blades clear the ground and full-length main landing gear legs to be used. The engine was conventionally fitted at the front with the single-seat cockpit at amidships. The main wing appendages were seated ahead of centre while the fuselage was tubular in its general shape. The empennage consisted of a single, short (curved) vertical tail fin with low-set horizontal planes. The undercarriage was of the traditional "tail dragger" arrangement and wholly retractable. Original armament included 4 x 0.50 Browning heavy machine guns. Despite the inherent strong points in the F4U design, the aircraft held an obstructed forward view (due to the wing's location and long nose) and reduced visibility to the rear due to the raised fuselage spine. Pilots commented on the difficulties of cockpit access because of the unique wing bend.

Picture 25: The pilots of the early Corsair faced a number of issues while landing on a carrier.


Vought produced two prototype aircraft - V-166A and V-166B to which V-166A received the Pratt & Whitney R1830 Twin Wasp engine while V-166B was given the Pratt & Whitney R2800-2 Double Wasp engine. The USN favored the B-model prototype and placed its contract within months of Vought's submission. In development, the aircraft would be known as "XF4U-1".

When first tested in 1940, V-166B exceeded 400 miles per hour (403mph) and became the first American fighter to reach such speeds. First flight was recorded May 29th, 1940 (as the XF4U-1). changes were soon ordered. New armament was the call and this forced a relocation of wing fuel tanks to the fuselage. In turn, the set back the cockpit some three feet from the nose which generated all sorts of dangers for a pilot. In 1941, Vought was handed a serial production contract for 584 examples (F4U-1) by the USN. However, the initial production-quality airframe did not go airborne until June 25th, 1942. Carrier trials began in September and the aircraft was officially introduced into service on December 28th at a critical point in the Allied push to victory.

Picture 26: F4U prototype designated as the XF4U-1.


The inherent dangers of landing such a high-performance aircraft on a moving carrier deck prompted the U.S. Navy to delay shipboard use of the F4U. Instead, the aircraft was began operations as a land-based fighter with US Marine air group VMF-124 from land bases during February 1943 over Bougainville. In practice, the F4U made short work of the marauding Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighters - the pride of the Imperial Japanese Navy air service - as Zeros proved poorly protected, lacking armour along critical components and self-sealing fuel tanks. Additionally, American fighter aircraft were much improved over the pre-war models available in the initial Japanese assaults throughout the Pacific. Improved training and a better stock of seasoned pilots coupled to a fast and powerful fighter eventually helped to turn the tide of the Pacific War over time. indeed, the F4U proved itself the first Allied fighter to be able to counter the threat of the A6M Zero in the war - she could out-turn and out-dive most any enemy when called upon.

Picture 27: The main foe of the F4U, the Mitsubishi A6M2 "Zero" fighter.


In the following months, the US Marines took on even greater stocks of the new aircraft, such was their impression of the mount. Its versatility allowed it to be utilised to great effect as a ground attack fighter, outfitted with 8 x 5" aerial rockets or up to 4,000lbs of stores. Jettisonable fuel tanks served to increased overall combat ranges and bring the fight to the enemy wherever they would be found. Japanese Army forces grew so accustomed to Corsair strikes and their accompanying dive sound that they nicknamed the American aircraft "Whistling Death" (this sound was attributed to the rush of air at the cooler vents when in a dive).

Corsair pilots managed over 500 air kills by the end of 1943 and totalled some 2,140 enemy aircraft by the end of the war in August of 1945.The highest scoring ace of the U.S. Marine Corps alone became Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington who managed 28 total enemy kills. All of these totals were made possible by the 64,000 sorties recorded by F4U airmen in the whole of the war. Allied pilots eventually earned an astounding kill ratio of 11:1.

Picture 28: Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington sitting in his F4U.


The US Navy began trialling their Corsairs through squadron VF-12 in October 1942. VF-17 was stocked with the new fighters in April of 1943. Early USN use saw Corsairs operating from land bases as well until the kinks and training covered the aircraft as safe from launching and recovering from American carrier decks. Indeed the aircraft was given such nicknames as "Ensign Eliminator" and "Ensign Killer" for its tricky handling when on deck. Otherwise, it remained a powerful and fast fighter, regarded by many (even enemies) as the best naval fighter of World War 2. Such was the value of the aircraft that the U.S. Navy did not give up the F4U in a frontline service role until December of 1954.

While the US Marines enjoyed success with their Corsairs from land bases, the British Fleet Air Arm (FAA) fielded the mount in its initially intended role of carrier-based fighter. To fit aboard the space-strapped British carrier vessels, the Corsair received wings that were some eight inches shorter. British naval Corsair Mk IIs of No. 1834 Squadron were used in the April 3rd, 1944 attack on the German battleship Tirpitz. British airmen grew equally fond of their Corsairs.

Picture 29: A Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Corsair Mk II sitting on the deck of a British carrier.


The history of the Corsair did not end with the final days of World War 2 for the type was pressed into service as a close-support platform during the upcoming Korean War (1950-1953). F4Us excelled in the role despite the arrival of jet-powered aircraft for they could loiter longer and fly lower under greater control than their fast-flying, fuel-thirsty brethren. Attacks came from 6 x heavy machine guns and 4 x 20mm cannons as well as rockets and conventional drop bombs. Amazingly, F4U Corsairs accounted for some 80 percent of US Marine and Navy ground strike missions during 1950. It was not uncommon for the propeller-driven Corsairs to also successfully handle the new jet-powered Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 "Fagot" fighters emerging from the Soviet Union and fighting for North Korea. To the Corsair line was also added specialised night fighter variants which increased the usefulness of the family considerably.

During the First Indochina War (1946-1954), French aviators used the F4U against Viet Minh forces from 1952 to 1954. These were operated from land-based units and provided all manner of support for fighting French forces. Additional service saw Corsairs in action during the Suez Crisis (1956), the Algerian War (1954-1962) and Tunisia (1961).

Picture 30: A example of a French F4U as flown during the First Indochina War.


Beyond production by Vought - who struggled with the American military requirement during World War 2 - the F4U was produced by both Brewster (F3A-1) and Goodyear (FG-1). Marks began with the original F4U-1 (Corsair Mk I to the Fleet Air Arm) and these were followed by the late-first-batch F4U-1A (Corsair Mk II) and 700 Brewster-built F3A-1 (Corsair Mk III). Fighter-bomber forms then emerged as the F4U-1C (4 x 20mm cannon armament) and F4U-1D (P&W R2800-8W water-injected engine) which carried 2 x 1,000lb bombs or 8 x 5" rockets. The F4U-1P was a photo-reconnaissance mount. An experimental night fighter version became the X4FU-2. Another night fighter form was the F4U-2 based on the F4U-1. The final World War 2 Corsair model became the F4U-4 which appeared in late 1944. XF4U-2 was a late-war night fighter which served through VFN-75 and VFN-101.

The F4U-4C were 300 Corsairs outfitted with 4 x 20mm M2 cannons instead of the original 6 x machine gun armament. Additional night fighters emerged as the F4U-4E and F4U-4N. The F4U-4P was another photo-reconnaissance mount. Appearing in 1945 was the F4U-5 which arrived late in the year and thusly missed out on actions in World War 2 altogether. The P&W R-2800-32(E) engine outputted at 2,850 horsepower.

Picture 31: An F4U-4C as fitted with bombs and rockets.


The F4U-N was outfitted with radar and saw production reach 214 units. The F4U-5NL was developed as an arctic warfare variant evolved from the F4U-5N. The F4U-5P was an extended range photo-reconnaissance mount. The F4U-6 was a dedicated USMC ground attack variant which was eventually redesignated under the AU-1 marker. The F4U-7 was a French Navy-inspired development. The F4U-K and FG-1K both served as drones.

Special interceptor versions, particularly to deal with the rising threat of Japanese Navy kamikaze suicide strikes, became the F2G-1 and F2G-2. These were fielded with the P&W R-4360 "Wasp Major" 28-cylinder engine of 3,000 horsepower, nearly fifty percent greater power than the original Corsair product. Slight changes differentiated the two marks though neither ever saw combat in World War 2 with only ten examples emerging from testing and the war ending.

Beyond the United States, United Kingdom and France, the Corsair was in play with the Argentine Navy, the El Salvadorian Air Force, the Honduran Air Force and the New Zealand Air Force. The last known military-grade F4U was retired in 1979 with Honduras while New Zealand fielded the F4U across thirteen total squadrons from 1944 to 1949.

Picture 32: The last F4U. An example of a Honduran Air Force F4U serviced up until 1979.


Here is a nice short video of an F4U Corsair showing a flight demonstration and interestingly the wings folding out before take-off.

[youtube]FQxb-V-rZqA[/youtube]

This is a rather long but incredibly interesting video of the history of the F4U Corsair during WW2.

[youtube]veBLPWiYoOU[/youtube]

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Thank you to everyone who has made it this far on my first GB post. I am really looking forward to starting this build and will post my first update in the next few days or so

Now that's a thorough intro. I'll happily have a seat for this one!

(And don't worry too much about building the same kit, it happens. Myself I try not to look at the other build until I finish just so I don't second guess myself along the way--"wait, am I doing this because the other guy did?" etc. Just a thought.)

Thanks Lysus. It took me about half the day to complete so I am glad at least one person like it so far

I like it too Ben

Update 1: Priming

This step might be a little controversial however this is how I have always done and like to do my models. Having used a number of rattle can primers I have found that the one I like the best is the Citadel Chaos Black. It is certainly not the cheapest but I find that it gives the best effect. Sadly this can was very low on paint and I did not have another so I did go a little light on the black. However, I am not too fussed about having little pieces of grey sprue showing here and there.

I like to prime my models outside as it gives the best ventilation and with a little breeze the paint can dry very quickly, this is obviously not possible however if it is wet outside. I actually have what I call my painting tree in the garden. It is basically a rather large tree stump from the remnants of a tree we had cut down a few years ago.


Picture 1: Before priming.


Picture 2: Priming the sprues on my painting tree.


Picture 3: Allowing the primed sprues to be air dried.



For the next update I will have started building and painting parts of the cockpit. Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more updates soon

That is a great intro and an astounding kit of a plane have loved since a kid
I will pull up a seat and watch your progress
I like the Chaos Black paint as well...and ya it ain't cheap!!!

Notes: Your photo of "Cpt Boyington" is Robert Conrad from Blacksheep Squadron TV show not the real Pappy.
In the you tube video, it credits the British Royal Navy for discovering how to land those suckers on carriers...had to do curved approach so the pilot had more time to see the landing site. Interesting

Hello Scott. Thanks for the correction. I have amended the picture to one of the real Boyington.

That documentary was incredibly interesting. I too did not know that fact about us Brits and the F4U.

Hi Ben - hope yours goes together better than mine does! I think I'm the only bloke that can take a Tamy kit and make it ill-fitting

Excellent comprehensive start

Al

Very nice Ben/Slade. The Corsair is my favorite plane. I'll be following your build. Starting off great. I would like to see how the Mr Hobby Aqueous look like brush painted.

Update 2: Step 1 - Cockpit Assembly - Part 1

No real problems so far, as is usual with Tamiya kits its has gone together very well. One thing to note is that on the back of the bulkhead there is an ejector pin mark which cannot be seen but gets in that way when gluing the side instrument panel to the bulkhead. Some sanding and scraping of the pin mark was required to get the panel to fit. Not a big problem just something to be aware of if you make this kit.

I am very happy with how it is turning out so far. I may have gone a little heavy with the chipping but I am happy for now. I am really liking the Mig Ammo Black Night Panel line wash. It flows quite well even on a non gloss coated surface.

Picture 1: The parts required for teh first step have been cut off the sprue. They just needs some clean up, then painting can begin.


Picture 2: This is showing the first step from the instructions.


Picture 3: This is my very meagre work bench. It is just my computer desk at the moment. I am planning to get a proper table at some point


Picture 4: These are some of the main colours I am using for the cockpit (Mig Ammo Matt Aluminium and Mig Ammo Black Night Panel Line wash are both missing from the pic but I will also be using them in this step as well)


Picture 5: This shows the base colour of the cockpit. It has yet to be weathered and given a wash


Picture 6: The seat has been attached to the bulkhead and has been given some generous chipping and a light wash.


Picture 7: The side panels have been glued to the bulkhead, painted and weathered. This is part 1 of step 1 complete including the seat belt decal (It would be nice if the seat belt could have been long enough to wrap around under the seat)


Picture 8: Different angle.

Hey Ben, great build thread mate, looking forward to seeing this come together

Looking handsome Ben

Update 3: Paint Tests

I was originally planning to use Mr Hobby Aqueous however I usually use Mig Ammo paints so I decided to buy the equivalent colours from Mig just to do some tests. It is quite hard to get good pictures however it would appear that the Aqueous might be better to use. All of my tests are done on black primer and there are two coats of un-thinned paint done for each colour.

Doing lots of tests with other colours it seems to me that it is not necessarily companies that have good and bad paints, it seems to depend on the colour you are using. In the case of the colours for the Corsair which are quite dark it would appear that the Aqueous colours are better however, if you look at the other paint tests at the end of this post you will see that the light blue aqueous colours are not that great. Then look at the Mig Russian Green paint set and you will see that the colours are very good.

This could be do do with how old the paints are. Maybe some of the paints from the same company are made slightly differently depending on when they were first made. This is why I normally use a variety of paints for my models and never stick to just one company. I always like to test my paints before I put them on the model.

Having come to the conclusion I will probably use the Aqueous for this model I am slightly concerned about the shade of the off-white for accuracy, is it too yellowy? Should the underside of a Corasir be white or off-white? I keep finding contrasting opinions.

Picture 1: All of the colours I am testing for my Corsair and the wing from my paint mule to test them on.


Picture 2: Mig Ammo - FS 25042 Sea Blue (ANA 606) A.MIG-227 and FS 35164 Intermediate Blue (ANA 608) A.MIG-228


Picture 3: Mr Hobby Aqueous H54 Navy Blue, Mr Hobby Aqueous H56 Intermediate Blue and Mr Hobby Aqueous H21 Off White


Picture 4: Mig Ammo Matt White A.MIG-050


Picture 5: Left to right - Mig Sea Blue well shaken, Mig Sea Blue lightly shaken, Mig Intermediate Blue. How well you shake the paint does seem to affect the colour. One thing I have noticed with Mig is that the first coat or two seems to leave a sort of strange paint separation however after a few coats this is not visible. Not a problem just an observation.


Picture 6: Left to right - Aqueous Navy Blue, Aqueous Intermediate Blue, Aqueous Off White (the edge of Mig Matt White) (Ignore the hole in the wing, it is for a wing strut)


Picture 7: Un-related colour testing - Aqueous H418 RLM 78 Light Blue and Aqueous H417 RLM 76 Light Blue. These much lighter colours do not go down as well as the darker colours with a brush.


Picture 8: Even with two coats there is not an even colour.


Picture 9: The colours in this Mig Russian paint set go down much better than the Mig Blue colours


Picture 10: Continued


Overall conclusions. Test every paint before you use it because even using the paints from one manufacturer can give you very different results in terms of paint quality. Mig and Mr Hobby Aqueous are my two favourite manufacturers at the moment so from now on I am going to test both Mig and Aqueous paints for each model before I decide which to use. Of course results will differ for everyone as results depend on a variety of factors, the primer used, the type of model plastic, the size and type of brush you use, whether you thin paints or not etc.

I am not sure how useful this test is for other people but it was certainly useful for myself

That's a great cockpit. I dig all the testing you're showing us, very informative. Keep it up!

Update 4: Step 1 - Cockpit Assembly - Part 2

This section went very well. All the pieces went together brilliantly. I did encounter my first piece of human error however. The piece with the planks for the feet to the pilot was glued in slightly wonky. While it was drying I stupidly only checked it was lined up from the side and not from the front. It is not hugely noticeable but it is a little annoying. Oh well, we live and learn!

The only other issue I had was the decal being a little to thick. Despite being treated it did not conform to the instrument panel as much as I would have liked however it is not too bad.

Picture 1: The first coat of paint on all the pieces.


Picture 2: Some heavy chipping on all of the pieces.


Picture 3: All of the pieces glued together and given a wash.


Picture 4: Different angle of the finished part.


Picture 5: All of the pieces from step 1 glued together. Step one in now complete!


Picture 6: Different angle.



Next up is step 2 which mostly focuses on the engine.

Update 5: Step 2 - Engine Assembly

This step went very well. There is a nice amount of detail to the engine which I spent a while painting and weathering forgetting that not much of it can bee seen through the front, which is a shame but I like to know it is there. I think the engine is a good example of how much a wash can improve the look of something. I just love giving my pieces a wash, it really brings them to life!

Picture 1: These are the primary colours I used for this step.


Picture 2: All of the pieces have been cut off the sprue and cleaned up using the excellent Ultimate sanding sticks


Picture 3: All the engine pieces have been painted glued and given a wash. The metal parts were given a wash with Citadel Nuln Oil (Water based) which dulls down metallic colours excellently. The grey part was given a wash with the Mig Ammo Black Night Panel Line Wash (Enamel). Even on a non glossy surface the Mig wash flows excellently!


Picture 4: Different angle of the engine.


Picture 5: The interior of the cowling needs to be painted the interior green colour before the engine goes in.


Picture 6: The kit gives you the option to have the cowling flaps open or closed. As my plane will be built as if stationary on an airfield, the flaps will be open.


Picture 7: The engine has been glued into the engine cowling. This is a nice looking piece and everything fitted perfectly. I am constantly impressed with Tamiya kits. They are just such a joy to build compared to a lot of other manufacturers!


Picture 8: The engine from the front.



The next step is the wing roots, so stay tuned!

WOW!! That cockpit and engine looks awesome!! Good job. I love the paint tests. I would also like to know what paints are good for paint brushing. They are good but they don't have some of the colors that are called for. Keep up the good work, Ben.

Update 6: Step 3 - Wing Roots

Hello again everyone. Sorry for the lack of updates recently. I have just started a full time job so have little time to model on a week day.

This is a very short and simple step to follow however, it includes a very important decision on how you would like to build the model. This is the step where you have to choose whether you would like to build the wings folded in or out. I will be building mine with the wings folded out however if you do want to build the wings folded you will need to do a bit of cutting as shown in the instructions, it should not be too much trouble to do.

Picture 1: Showing the step from the instructions


Picture 2: Most of the parts required for this step. All these Tamiya parts are so nicely moulded which means detail is excellent but they also go together very well.


Picture 3: Once the main pieces of wing were glued together the under-carriage bays needed to be painted the interior green colour.


Picture 4: Showing one of the top pieces of wing before it is glued to the lower part


Picture 5: There is a small viewing window in the floor of the cockpit so that also needs to be carefully painted the interior colour, with an additional bit of washing.


Picture 6: Looking through the window from the underside of the plane. You might also noticed that I have decided to change the colour from the Aqueous Off-white to the Mig Matt White as I thought the Aqueous was too yellowy in colour.


Picture 7: All the pieces glued and painted for this step


Picture 8: The undercarriage bays were given several layers of wash. First the Mig Black Night Panel Line wash was used to show a bit of oil deposit, then the Ultimate Concrete was used to show a bit of salt build up lastly the Vallejo Desert Dust was used to show a bit of sand and dust build up from the aircraft operating on sandy airstrips. Once all dry they were given a go over with a damp cotton bud to remove the excess. I am very happy with effect.


This step is now complete. The next step is the fuselage assembly

Update 7: Step 4 - Fuselage Assembly

I would just like to re-iterate how well all of the parts go together and the fuselage was no exception it required no filling what so ever which is a first for me. All that was required was a little sanding. The only problem I encountered here was that it was quite hard to find the correct orientation for the cockpit. As such after everything had dried I realised that I had glued the cockpit in slightly wonky which did required a tiny bit of filling however, that was due to human error not the kit. It is not a judge deal because to be honest you can hardly tell but I thought I should mention it just in case one of you thought I was trying to hide it

Picture 1: Showing the step from the instructions


Picture 2: All of the parts cleaned up and ready for gluing


Picture 3: Some ejector pins inside the fuselage. This is really the only kit issude I have found so far. To be honest I was not sure how easily they could be seen but I tried to clean them up the best I could, however due to the fuselage shape they were a bit awkward to deal with. Once glued however I realised that there was no way that they could be seen.


Picture 4: The fuselage sides were painted the interior colour and given a wash.


Picture 5: I use Scotch tap to seal up my models while waiting for the glue to dry. It is excellent stuff. As the Chaos black primer is also brilliant quality it never, ever peels away and the Scotch tap leaves no residue and I also find it to be a bit stickier compared to masking tape.


Picture 6: The cockpit fitted inside the fuselage very well despite my slightly wonky gluing incident


Picture 7: The tape is off and the seam lines have been given a light sand. It is such a nice looking plane.


Picture 8: This shows that I glued the cockpit in a little bit wonky. I don't think it is too bad and to be honest it does not bother me too much as you can barely notice unless you look at the plane from this angle, but I thought you should all know what I am talking about.


This step is now complete. The next step is attaching the wing root

Fantastic work so far, this is going to be my next build so will be watching with interest

Update 8: Step 5 - Attaching Wing Roots

Sorry for the long gap between posts. I have been working a lot lately and today is actually my first day off for two weeks. Anyway lets get into it.

All of these parts went on the fuselage very well indeed with minimal gaps. The tail in particular had very nice and solid attachment points. The only minor problem I had was a small gap between the wing roots and the fuselage which needed a small amount of filling.

Picture1: The step from the instructions


Picture 2: The engine cowling, wing roots and tail all glued on very well, as I was expecting


Picture 3: The minor gap that was filled with Vallejo Plastic Putty



This step is now complete, the next step is the main landing gear

Update 9: Step 6 - Main Landing Gear and Tail wheel

This was a step which took rather a long time. Due to the shape of the pieces I needed to dod a lot of work to get rid of some of the very small seam lines. Also due to the nature of the parts I had to do a lot of painting and then waiting for the parts to dry before moveing on. This was especially time consuming when waiting for the acrylic and enamel washes to dry so they did not interfere with each other. The parts did go together very well however.

Picture 1: The step from the instructions


Picture 2: I made sure to separate the pieces for the left and right so I would not build it wrong


Picture 3: The pieces have been painted up and given an initial wash with the black panel line colour. The salt and dust wash were the next to be applied. It was nice that the outer wheel section was a seperate piece making it much easier to paint the tyre.


Picture 4: The pieces have now been given a salt/dust wash.


Picture 5: There ere only two parts for the tail wheel, however yet again a bit of work had to be done to get rid of some small mould lines


Picture 6: The tail wheel has been painted up and given the three layers of wash. The tyre was a little awkward to paint due to it being moulded into the undercarriage leg.



This step is now complete. The next step is the flap assembly

Update 10: Step 7 - Flap Assembly

This was a very simple step that did not require much work. Nice and easy.

Picture 1: The step form the instructions


Picture 2: I made sure that each flap was labelled however they are all different and would be hard to mix up so it was not really necessary.



This step is done. The next step is attaching the landing gear

Update 11: Step 8 - Attaching Landing Gear

This step had a lot of things that needed to be done. However this one step moves the build along quite a bit further. It is much easier to work on an aircraft once its landing gear has been put on. There were not too many problems here. The only problem was gluing the main landing gear door in the right angle as the attachment points were quite small.

Picture 1: The step from the instructions


Picture 2: The flaps went on very well however it is important to make sure they all line up before they dry. Also a little bit of filling was required between one of the flaps, not too much of a problem though.


Picture 3: The rear landing gear doors were a little annoying to glue in the right place again because of the small attachment points


Picture 4: The landing bay doors have all been painted up and given the three layer wash and the tail wheel has been glued in. The attachment points for it were nice and big and I have no worries about it breaking off. The arresting hook is a nicely done addition.


Picture 5: A different angle of the tail wheel


Picture 6: The main landing gear went in very well. It is nice that Tamiya make their landing gear nice and strong. There is nothing more annoying than building an aircraft which has really fragile landing gear.


Picture 7: Different angle of the landing gear


Picture 8: Front view of the landing gear and the progress so far.



This step is now complete. The next step is the wing assembly

Update 12: Step 9 - Wing Assembly

At this step you need to make sure you have decided whether you would like the wings folded up or down. I am building mine with the wings folded down however I may do another build in the future with the wings folded up as that would make for quite an interesting model.

Picture 1: The step from the instructions


Picture 2: The wing halves went together quite well with a nice amount op locator pins. While drying I held them together with little pieces of my favourite Scotch tape. I did need to do a little bit of filling but nothing too major. The last two flaps also needed to be attached here, again making sure they line up with the ones attached to the wing roots.


Picture 3: If you would like to have the wings folded up Tamiya do givce you some nice detail around the joins which would look really good with a little weathering. Of course because I am having the wings folded down you will not see the any of this detail so there is not really much point in painting or weathering the parts.


Picture 4: I almost moved on to the next step without realising that a clear part needed to be glued on to the underside of the left wing. Tamiya Extra Thin is brilliant glue for securing clear parts without leaving excess. Just remember to not have too much on the application brush.


Picture 5: A close up view of the clear. The wing part behind the clear piece was painted Mig Aluminium.



This step is now complete. The next step is to choose which external store you would like

Update 13: Step 10 - External Stores (Optional)

WIth this step you get a choice of a bomb or an external fuel tank. The first decal scheme requires the bomb however I will be doing the second decal scheme which requires the aircraft to have the fuel tank. This was a very simple step due to only having a few parts. You will see that I have added my own fuel stain. I created it using some watered down Vallejo brown wash and Vallejo desert dust wash and then adding a few drops of gloss varnish. I think it came out quite well but for next time I am going to buy the fuel stain wash from Vallejo.

Picture 1: The step from the instructions


Picture 2: There wre only two pieces that needed to be cleaned up and glued together. The parts fitted pretty well however one one of the joins I did need to do a little bit of filling due to a few small gaps.


Picture 3: Here you can see the fuel tank all painted up using Mig Ammo Matt White


Picture 4: Here you can see a close up of my home made fuel stain. Once I did it, I realised the stain is at the wrong angle when the tank is attached to the underside of the fuselage but oh well I do not want to have to go back and change it.



This step is now complete. The next step is attaching the equipment

Update 14: Attaching Equipment - Step 11

This step required quite a lot of time to complete. I started off with the propeller which needed painting, varnishing, weathering and decalling. Next I needed to paint the underside of part of the fuselage before attaching the drop tank. This was just so I would not have to struggle later on trying to get to parts that would have been awkward.

Picture 1: The step from the instructions


Picture 2: Some of the paints I used for painting the propeller


Picture 3: Here is the fully finished prop


Picture 4: Here it is from a different angle. The panel line wash worked really well here to show off some of the detail.


Picture 5: Part of the fuselage painted ready for the installation of the drop tank


Picture 6: The attachment points for the drop tank were nice and large making it very easy to attach.


Picture 7: Nice and smooooooth! Not bad considering it is brush painted.



This step is now complete. Next it is the canopy

Update 15: Attaching Canopy - Step 12

This is a step I was not really looking forward to. Due to brush painting all my models I always find the canopy quite tricky as I do not normally mask. This time however I decided to give masking a go. I wanted to see if PVA would work and it actually does. Just get a fairly small brush and carefully paint on a generous layer, then paint the canopy once dry. once you come to peel the PVA glue off it comes off mostly in one piece, does not leave residue and actually removes dirt and fingerprints as well. It seemed to work pretty well. I did have to do a little free hand touch up but this technique worked pretty well. For the inside I just did it free hand with a brush as the inside is flat with no pillars to hold the PVA in place.

Picture 1: The step from the instructions


Picture 2: These are the pieces required for this step


Picture 3: This part was a bit strange. It wanted me to glue the aerial in and then cut it off at the mottom to fill the hole. So I decided to just fill it myself with putty.


Picture 4: Earlier on you were supposed to make a hole in the fuselage for the main aerial however I forgot to do that, So I cut off the attachment nub and just glued it on. It hugs the fuselage very well so I did not have too much of a problem.


Picture 5: This step included attaching the bullet proof windscreen shield. The instructions did not say to paint any of it, however looking at pictures of real ones you can see the edge of the screen was interior green so I painted mine.


Picture 6: These are the items I used for "dealing" with the canopy including the all important PVA glue


Picture 7: Here you can see the PVA drying on the canopy pieces


Picture 8: Once the PVA is dry you can paint the canopy and it does not matter if it is a bit messy


Picture 9: Here is the canopy piece all cleaned up and finished


Picture 10: The inside was free hand brush painted


Picture 11: The finished piece has been glued onto the fuselage. The other piece has also been done however that will not be glued on until the main painting has been done as I would like to display the canopy open.



The next step is painting the pilot figure

Update 16: Painting Figure

I was not originally planning on doing a figure as I do not normally bother with them, but I decided to give it a go with this kit to help give a sense of scale for people unfamiliar with the aircraft. Also one of the provided figures could be displayed outside the cockpit leaving the cockpit detail clear.

Picture 1: These are some of the paints I used for the figure


Picture 2: Starting off with the head


Picture 3: Face painted and washed


Picture 4: I was not planning on painting the eyes due to them being so small but I decided to give them a go and I am pretty happy with the result. Painted free hand with a paint brush


Picture 5: Some washing and highlighting on his upper torso


Picture 6: All finished ( I forgot about the eye brows so has to go back and do them). Given a coat of Matt Varnish to seal in the paint.


Picture 7: 20p to show scale. You can see why the eyes were so hard. They are damn tiny!



I am very pleased with him and I actually really enjoy painting figures so I might try and do a few more in the future. The next step is attaching the wings which is actually the last building step

I would never guess the canopy was brush painted. Great work (on the little dude, too)!

Update 17: Attaching Wings - Step 13

I do love attaching the wings to aircraft. It is a step that really pushes a build along and gives you a good sense of the size of the plane. I never realised how big the Corasir is. Compared to my 109 it is so much larger and if you look at it next to the pilot it looks huge. The wings went on very well even with the complicated join lines. I did not need to do any filling as due to having folded wings the aircraft has a natural gap where the wings attached.

Picture 1: The step from the instructions. There is a separate step if you are building the wings folded.


Picture 2: Not many pieces required for this step


Picture 3: The inside braces to help support the wings


Picture 4: My first broken piece. Oops! I have since repaired it and it is as good as new


Picture 5: This is all the building now done. Even in 1/48 it is a large bird. It is also such an interesting looking aircraft and one of my favourite builds so far



This is all the building steps complete. The next step is the final painting

Thanks Lysus. The build is coming along quite nicely and I hope to be done in a few weeks

That is it people I have finally finished much later than planned due to working 6 days a week for the past month or so however I am very happy. If you would like to see the final model please take a look at my thread on the build reveal page:

http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... 26#p258426