F4U-1 Corsair Engine. 1:32

[Shar2]

F4U-1 Corsair Engine Set

Brassin 1:32

Engine Set (632032)
It seems that now Brassin have just about done every conceivable upgrade for the Revell 1:32 Me109 they now have time to turn their attention to the Tamiya 1:32 Corsair, with the release of this engine set.

As with the majority of larger Brassin sets, this one comes in a cardboard box inside of which are four bags of resin parts, with five of the larger resin parts loose and one sheets of etched brass/nickel. These are all very well protected by blocks of foam. The large instruction sheet is very well laid out clear, and certainly a big improvement on the standard instruction sheets. A lot of the parts are very fragile and care will be needed when removing them from the moulding blocks. The larger parts look pretty easy to remove and clean up as they are only attached to the moulding block on one edge.

The detail on the completed engine is such that it could easily be assembled and displayed as a model in its own right, although a scratch built engine stand will be required. There are 81 resin parts, in a mixture of medium and dark greys. The detail on the resin parts is pin sharp, and with a good depth, which a dark wash will help bring out. The eighteen individual cylinders, nine for each bank, are attached to what I guess could be called the engine block ensuring that the cylinder fitted to the top centre of the front bank is the correct item. Each cylinder is then fitted with a spark plug on the forward face. The intake manifold is then attached to the rear, making sure that the ends meet the cylinder intakes correctly. The etched wiring harness is then attached from the front and the “leads” fixed each of the spark plugs. The fastener ring is then fitted, followed by the reduction gearbox case, which has been moulded with the two magnetos and spark advance unit fitted.

In addition to the provided PE, a lot of the other pipework and wiring has to be provided by the modeller, but the instructions give detailed information of the thickness, length and position of each part. Once the wiring is complete the cooling gill part is affixed to the rear of the engine, followed by the exhaust manifolds, the lower two of which need to be sourced from the kit, whilst at the front, the cowling nose section is attached. Finally to display the engine off, the two resin cowling side panels are fitted out with strengthening/ fastener strips and either left off or attached at the hinge points and a suitable length of rod used to prop them open. As shown in the picture taken from the Eduard store below.

Conclusion
The Tamiya F-4U Corsair is already an outstanding kit with very few problems or vices that haven’t already been fixed by other aftermarket companies. The kit already has a beautifully detailed engine so I do wonder whether this engine set will sell that well, but I’d imagine Eduard have thought of that. It is a fantastic piece of moulding with an amazing level of detail which as stated above, might be better being shown off in its own right or as part of a diorama. Highly recommended

Review sample courtesy of