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A Race Corsair

George Coote

A brief account of how a Goodyear Corsair in 1/48th Scale was modelled.

Having started a theme of Race Planes, I have always wanted to add an F2G Corsair to my collection. It’s been a long wait for a 1/48 kit to come on the market and nothing in sight. The only thing left was to convert my own from a stock kit. I decided to use an Airfix F4U-1A instead of the beautiful Tamiya version in case a) I cocked it up and b) a lot of the detail, guns, etc. has got to go. The spares box was raided for parts.

So what did I use? Starting from the nose:

1. Mustang spinner
2. Bearcat prop
3. Old Otaki Corsair engine cowling shortened, less flaps, to make the longer R-4360 Corncob by adding it to the kit engine cowling.
4. Wheels with treaded tyres for Hasegawa F4U-4
5. Squadron Signal Skyraider vac form canopy
6. Loads of Plasticard, Milliput, and some small plastic tube for the exhausts (12)

Two books were a great help and inspiration

Raceplane TECH Vol 2 - Bearcats & Corsairs

‘Corsair’ 30 years of filibustering 1940-1970
Bruno Pautigny. Histoire & Collections

This book has a great section of air races with 1/48 (approx.) side view drawings in colour.

Before joining the fuselage halves, they were cut though and along the panel line just behind the cockpit to just in front of the vertical stabiliser, to remove the turtleback.

These two pieces cemented together form the new spine to the lower profile after trimming and faired in with Milliput when the fuselage is joined later.

Using Plasticard, a new tail cone was cut out to the correct contour and cemented to one half, when faired in with Milliput it can be sanded down so that the card shows through. This method was used for the engine air scoop, only this time using two pieces of card in parallel. Because the engine exhausts are moved to either side of the fuselage, two saw cuts were made and the plastic bent inwards and cemented. When set, trimmed and sanded to allow room for the four exhaust pipes each side. These I made from small plastic tube with a separator made again from Plasticard.

The cockpit was made up as a civil one, much simpler, and painted light grey.

The arrestor hook was removed and this area filled in.

The top of the fuselage between the cockpit and the engine cowling was raised to the correct profile using card and putty. The longer engine was added with new cowl flaps from more card.

The wings were shortened by about four scale feet and new end plates made from card, which had a small strake running about halfway along to the trailing edge (see photos). The engine air intakes on the wing leading edge need to be made smaller and narrower, check with photos in this area.

The canopy is for a Skyraider and has a step in the side, which was disguised by cutting a strip of Plasticard cut to the contour of the frame. I used paper as a pattern first, till I got it right then drew the shape on the white Plasticard, left and right, before glueing.

The rear cone was built up and shaped from good old Milliput. After a rub over with wet and dry the model was painted white overall with blue wing tips. The prop was Alclad 2 aluminium.

I would like to thank fellow Club member and friend David Francis for getting me the decals for this model from RacePlaneDecals@aol.com

There you have it.

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Last updated 04 November 2007

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