1/32 Tamiya F4U-1D!

[JeepsGunsTanks]

40 minutes ago, Bill Cross said:

Awesome research. I'm doing three carrier-based Corsairs and just need to figure out which ship and which VMF.

If you can find an old Copy of History of Marine Corps Aviation in WWII by Robert Sherrod, it's a great read and has that info.  Of course, with some work, I'm sure you can dig it up in Wiki just by reading through all the VMF listing, but the Sherrod book is a great read!

Edited August 2, 2018 by JeepsGunsTanks

[Bill Cross]

I have this one which I am hoping will have the information I need.

[JeepsGunsTanks]

That should do it, I just haven't read that one yet! It's on the shelf behind me though! Tillman did some great books on the Corsair and Wildcat too. 

 

 

[otis252]

Hey Bill, can you tell us about that book? Like number of pages and pictures. It's available on Amazon, but not any kind of description. Thanks for any help.

Chuck

[JeepsGunsTanks]

22 minutes ago, otis252 said:

Hey Bill, can you tell us about that book? Like number of pages and pictures. It's available on Amazon, but not any kind of description. Thanks for any help.

Chuck

 

272 pages, lots of decent pics, but small, you would need a loop to see detail well. I've actually posted a few of the pics in this thread, not scanned from the book, just picked up elsewhere. There are TONS of NARA images on the internet. Not an image book, they are there to show people who don't know these planes what they look like, and where they flew. Its all about data. Squadron summaries, biographies, deployment charts etc. like 15 appendixes! 

 

Now that It's in my grubby hands, I'm going to have to read it... 

[John1]

On 7/4/2017 at 8:29 PM, Jennings Heilig said:

Here's a sneak preview of a couple of the items that will be on our forthcoming fündekals F4U sheet. Primarily aimed at the new Tamiya 1/32 F4U-1D kit, we will also, of course, be doing them in 1/48 and 1/72. We've discovered a way to replicate the overspray around the tail and wing markings on "Killer's Hash Wagon" that we hope will be killer looking on your model! They used 1" tape on the real thing, with lots of white overspray. We'll be providing two types of air group ID markings for her, as you see here. She carried the last three of her BuNo on the cowling, which had either been partially scrubbed off, or overpainted with Gloss Sea Blue that wasn't quite opaque. We'll be providing those as well!

 

Jennings - Any info on whether your sheet provides the Essex airwing ID markings?  They aren't shown on the decal sheet posted on your website but per above, you indicated that they would be included.  Not sure if there is a second sheet that didn't make your webpage?   Hopefully that's the case, I think it would be pretty difficult to replicate these with that light overspray in 32nd scale (not to mention the smaller scales).   Same question on the later version of Killer's Hash Wagon with the late "F" airwing code.   You have her shown above and have a pic in your instructions but nothing more.   Any chance these markings are available?

Edited August 4, 2018 by John1

[John1]

8 hours ago, Jennings Heilig said:

We didn’t include the G-symbol on the 1/32 sheet because of the amount of real estate it would have required.  Plus the fact that no two aircraft were exactly alike, and all had significant overspray visible on all the markings.  Far, far easier to mask and paint than to apply decals that large.

 

We had thought about doing the “F” tail code originally, but decided against it, again, because of real estate.  There simply wasn’t room, and honestly, those markings only existed for a few weeks at the very end of the war.  So no real historical significance compared to the earlier markings.  

 

Yeah, I hear you on the large decals but that being said, trying to precisely overspray a 1 mm piece of tape isn't that easy either (at least with my airbrush rig. 

 

I'll give it a shot I suppose.  

 

 

Edited August 4, 2018 by John1

[Gerhard]

Just downloaded instructions. Superb work. 

[ade rowlands]

Hmm, slight disappointment with the G symbols not being on the decal sheet but if each one was different anyway, I get it. I'll look into working out the bulk of the G symbol marking with something on the Silhouette cutter closer to the time (any help regarding sizes on those would be great). The over spray, can possibly be achieved by using a thin strip of masking tape to demark the body of the G symbol then adding another strip of masking tape to abut the thin strip and slightly lifting the edge of the tape to give an uneven surface and then sprayed from directly above the kit surface with no angle on the airbrush. I've done the edge lifting on masks before when a feathered edge is required on a camouflage marking rather than the hard edge a mask would give.  The chequered nose/tail markings are growing on me too though, decisions decisions. 

Edited August 4, 2018 by ade rowlands

[John1]

I’ve taken the plunge with this kit.  I’ve never built a 32nd Tamiya kit so I’m hoping to be impressed (unlike my wife who will be quite unimpressed when the credit card bill comes in).  

 

Not sure I’ll be going with the new Fundekals set after all, I’ll make that decision later.  Any other aftermarket stuff you recommend?  I’ll get a set of Barracudscast wheels (used them on my -109 build, they are excellent) and probably their cockpit placard set (anyone have feedback on this?).  Aside from that, what else is recommended?  Any resin seats with moulded harnesses?    I much prefer those to PE. 

 

First of probably many questions.  Dana Bell’s book mentions that late-war -1D’s had a tube for the pilots g-suit pressurized air that ran underneath the fuselage from cowling to under the cockpit.  Did Tamiya catch this detail?

 

Regards,

 

John.  

Edited August 4, 2018 by John1

[ade rowlands]

With regard to the Barracuda cockpit stencils, I have the Corsair set but not built a Corsair yet as I was waiting for the D series kit to come along. I have however used the P-51 set and they really do add something that I could never hope to add with a paint brush or pencil. Only comment is you may need to trim the decals in to smaller pieces to get them to settle over kit details like switch panels and the like. I have the Eduard Brassin Cockpit set but the kit cockpit is good as far as I can tell, I have the Eduard one because I found it at half price a while back and I have the aftermarket sickness. Also have the Yahu instrument panel because I love their stuff. HGW fabric belts too. 

[ScoobyDoo]

23 hours ago, Jennings Heilig said:

Landing gear was gloss light grey, not silver.  That information came from Dana, and is supported by photographic evidence.

 

Landing gear could be either aluminum lacquer or gloss light gray. Wheel well interiors on -4s were painted gloss sea blue. Gloss light gray was added late in production as an option. Often when aircraft went in for overhaul (mostly post war), the struts were painted gloss sea blue.

 

This is published in Navy Bureau Technical orders. 

 

With early color pictures it is very hard to differentiate gray from aluminum lacquer.

[ade rowlands]

7 hours ago, Jennings Heilig said:

 

It would have nearly doubled the size (and thus cost) of the decal.

 

No problem, it’s an understandable decision. Not exactly a horrible shape to have to mask off and spray anyway. I’m looking forward to the arrival of my set. Still not sure which one to do though. 

[John1]

Jennings, question on one of your subjects, F4U-1D #51 of VF-85, off the Shangri-La.  This aircraft scored 3 kills on 28MAY1945.  It was lost a week later.  Any info on whether it would have sported any kill markings?  I'd love to add a bit of color to this scheme.  At that point of the war, it seems that US CV's were supplied with large number of Japanese flag decals, which I would think the proud pilot would have quickly applied.  In your research, did you come across any pics showing 51 with these kill markings?

 

 

[cbk57]

10 hours ago, John1 said:

Jennings, question on one of your subjects, F4U-1D #51 of VF-85, off the Shangri-La.  This aircraft scored 3 kills on 28MAY1945.  It was lost a week later.  Any info on whether it would have sported any kill markings?  I'd love to add a bit of color to this scheme.  At that point of the war, it seems that US CV's were supplied with large number of Japanese flag decals, which I would think the proud pilot would have quickly applied.  In your research, did you come across any pics showing 51 with these kill markings?

 

 

Per Jennings answer above, sounds to me like if you put three kill markings on, no one can prove you wrong.  It looks like in truth either answer may be wrong, meaning that no markings could be as wrong as having kill markings.  I like having anything on my models that personalized the plane,  I am thinking of building a plane off the new Funk sheet and trying to figure out for myself which one to do.