Jump to content

1/32nd Tamiya `Birdcage' Corsair as a Fleet Air Arm Mk.I.-FINISHED!


tonyot

Recommended Posts

Hello Folks and especially Bill,

Having had this kit for some time now I`ve finally plucked up courage to get it started and I`ll be using Eagle Cals sheet EC152 to build it as a British Corsair Mk.I, most likely JT150, 5F which belonged to 1835 NAS during its work up period in the USA. The decal instructions include some excellent photos of each of the three decal options courtesy of Mark Proulx who kindly helped me with photos for my Malta book and of these JT150 wears a distinctive non standard camouflage scheme which I presume is still in the US colours Sea Grey and Olive Drab, although British EDSG & Dk. Slate Grey cannot be dismissed either, so your comments on this will be very welcomly received.

I`m also using a set of Brassin resin wheels and I`ve bought both of Dana Bell`s books to use as reference, the first of which is shown here with the kit instructions, decals and resin wheels;

DSCF6106.jpg

Here is a close up of the decals;

DSCF6091.jpg

I`ve done some pre painting of the parts and begun to attach them together yesterday, as seen here with the cockpit and fuselage halves;

DSCF6093.jpg

Although I`m aware of the Salmon Pink used on the interior of some early Corsair`s, rightly or wrongly and using the tone of B&W photos as a guide for British Corsair Mk.I`s I elected for a Dark Green for the cockpit with a lighter Interior Green for the rest of the fuselage interior,...sorry if this is wrong Dana!

I`ll add another update soon as my Photobucket link has crashed and before I go any further I`d really like to thank my Canadian mate Bill Bunting for all of his help and encouragement with this project,....I really couldn`t have started it without you mate,...as you well know and here is the photo build which you wanted me to do!!

Cheers for now

Tony

Ah,.....I`ve just noticed that the number 5`s in the codes 5L are wrong on the decals! The decals have a kink in the stroke of the number whereas the photos of the real aurcraft don`t show this,......oh bummer! Time for a rethink!

 

EDIT,....I have just replaced some of the pics which had been closed down by Photobucket.

Edited by tonyot
  • Like 11
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello again,

I`ve got my Photobucket link back so here is the update continued,.....

Here is a close up of the cockpit with the seat left out. The seat still needs to have its etched brass insert added in the pan but this was left out for now as some parts on the fret such as the seat straps still had wet paint on them.

 

This is the rear wheel well;

DSCF6097.jpg

And here is the engine with the two rows of cylinders and all of those exhaust pipes dry fitted together for now;

DSCF6098.jpg

 

 

And here is the cockpit with the pilots harness added to the seat;

DSCF6108.jpg

 

So that is where I`m up to so far and I can now see why this kit has caused such a fuss, I`m enjoying it now and don`t know what I was frightened of,.....mind you I`ve yet to tackle those folded wings,...yikes!

Cheers

Tony

Edit- I`m in two minds whether to add the individual ignition leads to the engine,....will it look any better (ie will I ruin it?), will it be seen and is life really long enough?

EDIT EDIT,..... Some of the pics have been re added after Photobucket closed them down!

Edited by tonyot
  • Like 12
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah,.....I`ve just noticed that the number 5`s in the codes 5L are wrong on the decals! The decals have a kink in the stroke of the number whereas the photos of the real aurcraft don`t show this,......oh bummer! Time for a rethink!

Actually Tony, if you look closely at the picture of the actual aircraft it appears, to my eyes at least, that there is in fact a kink in the five. But only in the red portion. Surely this would mean that all one would have to do was to touch up the decal post application with a spot of white?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Always a winner to do an RN Corsair. Will follow this one with a keen eye. Looks like your right with the decals. Very hard to see and I didn't notice until after I saw your post. Bit of a bugger, I don't think you can do much with those, maybe do 3BH instead?

Bob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks everybody,

I`m busy with the side wall detail in the cockpit tonight and I`ll check whether the engine crank case needs a decal or two,...I think that it does? I really need to take my time with this model so that I don`t cock it up.

Actually Tony, if you look closely at the picture of the actual aircraft it appears, to my eyes at least, that there is in fact a kink in the five. But only in the red portion. Surely this would mean that all one would have to do was to touch up the decal post application with a spot of white?

No I`ve double checked and there is no kink in the number 5 on the real aircraft,.....yet the decal has a kink in both the white and red,.....if you blow the pics in my post up you will see it clearly. I`ve checked a number of photos depicting other Corsair Mk.I`s with red and white codes in the 5A+ series and non have had a kink so far.

I could always consider doing JT160 which has been filmed standing on its nose at the bottom of Lake Sebago, even though the remains of its pilot Sub. Lt. Raymond Knott are still inside the cockpit. In fact I`ve just e mailed an underwater exploration company this evening asking them to remove a graphic photo of the cockpit area from its website and despite asking for it to be at least edited, a film is still available to see on U-Tube. The poor chap was flung forward upon impact with the water, breaking his harness and he is still lying in the footwell area of the cockpit. This aircraft was coded 3BH, which can still be seen as clear as day on the fuselage and the decal codes could be cropped to convert them to black codes with a thin white outline. We`ll see.

Cheers

Tony

PS- Although I object to interior views of the cockpit, here is one from the same film depicting the fuselage of JT160;

Sebago1_zpsc2091fbd.jpg

Edited by tonyot
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lovely job on the engine what colours did you use?

Hiya Des,

Cheers, I`m glad that you like it. I used black which was then dry brushed with Humbrol Metalcote Steel and Dull Aluminium for the main engine parts. The crank case was painted using Polly Scale Extra Dark Sea Grey which is probably a little light in reality while the exhausts were also painted using Humbrol Metalcote Steel which was polished to a sheen and then dry brushed using a brass colour.

I`ll be closing the nacelles over it so most of it will be hidden apart from the front!

Cheers

Tony

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Tony, I have just noticed your thread. That kit looks an absolute beauty and although not my scale I would certainly consider getting one. I like your dark dull green. I used something similar on my MkI cockpit, I did go for salmon pink for my tailwheel area but I have also seen yellow zinc chromate on one of the corsair colour photos over here: http://historylink101.com/ww2_navy/org/planes/BritishPlanes/index.html.

But note that is JT190, one of the last of the MkI's.

Shame about the decal, perhaps not too hard too correct? I used a combination of red and white decals to make '7J' which was fiddly but maybe a tad easier in 1/32.

Great work!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Tony, I have just noticed your thread. That kit looks an absolute beauty and although not my scale I would certainly consider getting one. I like your dark dull green. I used something similar on my MkI cockpit, I did go for salmon pink for my tailwheel area but I have also seen yellow zinc chromate on one of the corsair colour photos over here: http://historylink101.com/ww2_navy/org/planes/BritishPlanes/index.html.

But note that is JT190, one of the last of the MkI's.

Shame about the decal, perhaps not too hard too correct? I used a combination of red and white decals to make '7J' which was fiddly but maybe a tad easier in 1/32.

Great work!

Thanks for the fantastic link,......there were a few colour pics there which were totally new to me,...brilliant! Glad you like the build so far too, hope it comes out as nice as your Corsair Mk.I,

Cheers

Tony

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Tony!!

I'm so glad that this kit has made it to your bench. i really look forward to seeing it progress and I will check in every few days. I'm also happy to know that you now realise there was nothing to worry about in building the kit - it is a marvelous piece of engineering and you have more than the required skills to do an excellent job. No looking back now!

I hope when your finished this you can move on to the other Big T kit your lovely Missus got you!!

Cheers for now and please check for a PM.

Bill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Tony, I'm also looking forward to this. I have the Trumpeter Corsair, with a Black Box cockpit and other assorted goodies, which I'm planning to build as an FAA aircraft. Great work so far, and I'm with you on the question of ignition leads.

Cheers

John

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi again Tony - as you mentioned the folding wings - don't have any worries it will go together very well. The ONE THING to watch for is that when you assemble the outer wing halves (Page 43 step 107) do NOT glue the reinforcing ribs & spar (spar sleeve?) to the other parts. These outer ribs/spars will fit on top of pins are meant 'float' inside with the wing halves holding it all together. I did glue mine and I found that when it came time to slip the outer wings on to the large inner wing main spars that the fit was too tight and I had to reduce the size of the main spares a lot to get them to slide in. Trust me that was a job I did not like as the spars are attached to the fuselage at that time. Ideally build the outer wings first do a dry fit to the main spars before building the inner wing section around the main spars. (Maybe too late for this?)

Cheers and keep us up to date!

BB

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Bill,

Very timely advice mate,..thanks very much!

I finished the interior of the cockpit last night by adding the side wall detail and also the very welcome etched brass Sutton harness from the kit to the seat,.....does the inclusion of this harness and separate wing tips point towards a British Corsair boxing at a later date? Here is the interior prior to buttoning up;

DSCF6111_zps80mlufsv.jpg

DSCF6108_zpsen2bnfq1.jpg

Cheers for now,

Tony

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cheers Folks,

Glad you like the updates and I`m glad that you liked the Malta book BZ,........coming from yourself that is a massive compliment and much appreciated ta! Pity the final chapter was cut, leaving the ending up in the air though,....when I agreed to it the book was supposed to be one volume covering 1940-43, then it was cut into two and then the first book was cut again and the second book was never commissioned.

Here is the state of play at the moment with the fuselage buttoned up and the lower part of the wing centre section added temporarily to make sure that the fuselage is lined up properly. The intakes in the wing roots are little kits in their own right and I`m pondering whether to paint the internals in Sky rather than Interior Green,...decisions decisions!;

DSCF6113_zps1p1jqhcz.jpg

DSCF6114_zpsdv9hngha.jpg

I`ll paint the prop after the glue dries and I can sand the seams.

Cheers for now,

Tony

Edited by tonyot
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks again lad`s,

Having checked through loads of reference photos tonight the intakes are now Sky thanks to an old pot of Polly Scale Sky and a hairy stick!

Cheers

Tony

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is looking a bit excellent Tony. Even though its well out of scale for me, I love these sorts of build as reference for my wee ones. I've the Hasegawa kit for the Bird Cage Corsair in FAA marking, specifically 1835 sqn. Reading Norman Hanson's "Carrier Pilot" they operated Mk Is up till when they arrived in Ceylon (iirc) on the way to the far east where they swapped them for later versions with the bubble canopy etc. Although the early bird cage Corsairs had the original short tail wheel leg, I'm guessing by the time 1835 sqn embarked for the UK with theirs, they would have been modified to the extended ones??? I've bought a Tamiya kit to use the Hasegawa markings on as I think its a nicer kit. One of these days. :unsure:

Steve.

Oops, just realised that Hanson was 1833 sqn, was the 1835 history similar?

Edited by stevehnz
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...