UPDATED with purchase in hand. Which WW2 1/48 RAF/FAA aircraft with folding wings should i do?

[old thumper]

 

Folding wings.

How about this kit?

 

 

Edited September 19, 2017 by old thumper

[Grey Beema]

I have built both the Eduard 1/48 Hellcat I & II. The Tamiya 1/48 Corsair converted to a MkII (Clipping the wings is easy but you need to make CO kits.  The Special Hobby Seafire II & III are both fine kits but you need to cut to fold the wings.  I need to purchase Skuas and fireflies next..  These are all good kits if you take your time but the Corsair is the only one with the wings folded out of the box.

 

As for roundels you are spoilt for choice, from standard B type through Eastern Fleet Blue/White, Blue/Indian white(?) to BPF Blue/White roundel with bars.  Xtradecals are your friend..

 

[Rob G]

6 hours ago, old thumper said:

 

Folding wings.

How about this kit?

 

 

 

I think they're actually flapping wings, not folding. Close, but no coconut.

 

[neilh]

11 hours ago, James B said:

What's the detail on the wing fold like OOB? Does it benefit from a photo-etch set?

Almost no detail on the Swordfish wing fold, but there isn't on the real thing either. Not a great picture but you will see what I mean. The Tamiya kit is spot on here.

[James B]

Thanks to you all of you wonderful people I now have a list as long as my arm of aircraft I want to build.

 

I've settled on this, hopefully 'shake and bake' kit to get my collection of folded wing aircraft started (a collection I didn't realise I needed until this thread... I only wanted one!)

 

 

I'm not sure if there would be any interest in a WIP thread as I'll be building straight from the box with the exception of the aircraft canopy mask and the Xtradecal 'Yanks with Roundels 
Part 2 - US Aircraft in Fleet Air Arm Service Wildcat, Hellcat, Avenger, Corsair': The Corsair marking are described as: 

• Vought -Corsair II (F4U-1A) serial JT260 of Naval Air Squadron 757 flying from HMS Unicorn circa June1944. Coded P54 (black code letter/numerals with a thin white outline) it is painted in the US paint shades of ANA 613 olive drab in place of dark slate grey and ANA 603 sea grey in place of extra dark sea grey on its upper surfaces and ANA 602 light grey on its undersides. Curiously, it wears a red/white/blue fin flash along with its modified Far East Fleet national insignia.

[MilneBay]

You do realise that you need to clip the tips of the wings on the Tamiya kit don't you? The FAA Corsairs had a slightly reduced wingspan because of deck elevator restrictions.

[James B]

1 hour ago, MilneBay said:

You do realise that you need to clip the tips of the wings on the Tamiya kit don't you? The FAA Corsairs had a slightly reduced wingspan because of deck elevator restrictions.

I didn't know the reason, and had forgotten that I had seen that mentioned earlier. I will have to see if I can find a good guide to doing so and how difficult it is to make it look correct.  Thanks for the reminder.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

On 9/18/2017 at 8:03 PM, old thumper said:

 

Folding wings.

How about this kit?

I knew the Mossie had wood wings but i had know idea they could warp like that ? Did you Carve that out of wood ? 

    Go ahead give us a WIP 👍 When i did my FAA CORSAIR i think i took off about 1/8 of an inch. Not sure what that is in metric ... i think 3-4 mm’s

Edited September 28, 2017 by Corsairfoxfouruncle
Added

[Work In Progress]

The only actual correction you really need to make (as opposed to modification to a different variant) is to fill the step hole in the port inboard flap. That was first seen on a later F4U version. It is common on restored airworthy examples as it makes the aeroplane safer and easier to clamber around (plus most F4U pilots are a few decades older now than their equivalents in WW2), but it's not appropriate for an operational type in the time period you are doing.

[old thumper]

8 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

I knew the Mossie had wood wings but i had know idea they could warp like that ? Did you Carve that out of wood ? 

    Go ahead give us a WIP 👍 When i did my FAA CORSAIR i think i took off about 1/8 of an inch. Not sure what that is in metric ... i think 3-4 mm’s

 

It was the old old 1/72 Airfix Mosquito FB VI kit from about 1958. I had just finished building it a year or two ago and had put it on the windowsill when summer decided it would arrive and melted it.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Ohh that stinks ... sorry bout the earlier joke. 

[Scooby]

19 hours ago, MilneBay said:

You do realise that you need to clip the tips of the wings on the Tamiya kit don't you? The FAA Corsairs had a slightly reduced wingspan because of deck elevator restrictions.

Actually the wings were clipped so the Corsair could fit with their wings folded in the armored hangars where there was less vertical clearance.

[Seawinder]

There's a useful thread here at Britmodeller about clipping the Tamiya wings:

There's also a Model Design Construction conversion set with various items specific to FAA Corsairs (prop blades, cockpit details, Brewster external fuel tank, etc.). It's apparently still available:

http://www.modeldesignconstruction.co.uk/mall/productpage.cfm/ModelDesignConstruction/_CV48027/54287/Corsair - Fleet Air Arm%2C II - IV Conversion

 

HTH

[James B]

3 hours ago, Seawinder said:

There's also a Model Design Construction conversion set with various items specific to FAA Corsairs (prop blades, cockpit details, Brewster external fuel tank, etc.). It's apparently still available:

http://www.modeldesignconstruction.co.uk/mall/productpage.cfm/ModelDesignConstruction/_CV48027/54287/Corsair - Fleet Air Arm%2C II - IV Conversion

 

HTH

Apologies for my ignorance, but does it matter that it says it's for the F4U-1D rather than 1A?

[Troy Smith]

5 hours ago, James B said:

but does it matter that it says it's for the F4U-1D rather than 1A?

 

Not really,  without digging out THE book on the F4U-1 Corsair I'd not give chapter and verse.  The changes are usually small, and involve specifics of bomb  racks, canopies and tail wheels from memory.

 

THE book is by @Dana Bell

review here

http://www.hyperscale.com/2015/reviews/books/f4u1vol2bellbookreviewse_1.htm

Quote

Dana continues his history of the Corsair with the development of the raised cockpit Corsair to deal with problems presented in the -1 “Birdcage”.  He goes on to note the major changes to the airframe and the issues specific to the other companies that produced the Corsair, Brewster and Goodyear (collectively, the “VBG” group).  The specifics of the export Corsairs for both Britain and New Zealand are discussed.

Dana proceeds to list serial ranges for Vought, Brewster and Goodyear. Most importantly, Dana gives the serial number and production number for the aircraft from each company at which point a factory change was made. This includes aircraft that went to the British.  Now you will know if the particular Corsair you are modeling had the new right side fuselage handgrip!

 

 

regarding the short  tips

 

 

 

Note there are TWO kinds of tips, short,  and short short.....  the pics above are just to illustrate the tight fit in British carriers BTW.  I don't know which is which without looking up in the book.

 

If you really want accuracy,  pick your scheme, and  then pin down the details!   I'd start a new thread for this though.

 

HTH

T

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

I second Troy theres mostly internal differences between the

1A& 1D. The canopy is the major visual one. 

Edited September 29, 2017 by Corsairfoxfouruncle

[Seahawk]

10 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

 The canopy is the major visual one. 

Not really.  All the FAA's F4U-1As and F4U-1Ds (Temperate Sea Scheme camouflage, serials in the JTxxx range) were designated Corsair II and had the canopy with frames.  The FAA's FG-1As and FG-1Ds (same aircraft but built by Goodyear (not many FG-1As received), overall Sea Blue Gloss, serials in KDxxx and KExxx ranges) were designated Corsair IVs: a lot of these still had the canopy with frames.  I did put some work into working out from photos where the changeover occurred: from memory it was pretty late in the delivery run, with not many (if any) with the frameless canopies reaching front-line units before the end of hostilities.  Dana's book will prob give precise chapter and verse but I'm away from it at the mo.

 

NB by "canopy with frames" I mean the bubble canopy with 2 strengtheners above the pilot's head, not (of course) the very early bird-cage canopy.

 

And I think I recall from Dana's book that the Corsair IIs had the short fairings and the Corsair IVs the short short ones.

 

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

My apologies i should’ve stated “one of the major visual differences” .... OMG does everyone have to get so nit picky ? 

[Daedalus72]

I have been building he Tamiya Swordfish as I had seen it touted as an 'ideal first biplane'. Other members at my local club warned me not to attempt to build it with the wings spread, but I knew better and went ahead anyway.Everything went spendidly until the time came to attach the wings which I had assembled and rigged with the Tamiya photo etch.Despite test fitting previously, when push came to shove I could not make them fit properly.

Increasing levels of force only resulted in ruining the rigging and the use of words which I would not use in polite company.

 

I did'nt like the etch rigging and would not bother with it again.Apparently the wings are easier to fit folded.

 

The kit is also expensive.

 

Airfix Seafire Mk47 is straightforward and includes wing fold, although post war.

 

[85sqn]

4 hours ago, Seahawk said:

Not really.  All the FAA's F4U-1As and F4U-1Ds (Temperate Sea Scheme camouflage, serials in the JTxxx range) were designated Corsair II and had the canopy with frames.  The FAA's FG-1As and FG-1Ds (same aircraft but built by Goodyear (not many FG-1As received), overall Sea Blue Gloss, serials in KDxxx and KExxx ranges) were designated Corsair IVs: a lot of these still had the canopy with frames.  I did put some work into working out from photos where the changeover occurred: from memory it was pretty late in the delivery run, with not many (if any) with the frameless canopies reaching front-line units before the end of hostilities.  Dana's book will prob give precise chapter and verse but I'm away from it at the mo.

 

NB by "canopy with frames" I mean the bubble canopy with 2 strengtheners above the pilot's head, not (of course) the very early bird-cage canopy.

 

And I think I recall from Dana's book that the Corsair IIs had the short fairings and the Corsair IVs the short short ones.

 

 

Canopies without frames on Corsair MkIV's starts at KD662- I had to look this up for my build of Henry Adlams MkIV.

[Gav G]

On 9/18/2017 at 8:26 PM, neilh said:

Yes, they did. Written by Geoff Coughlin. I have not seen it in the flesh however to vouch for it or not.

I have that book.  It's a very nice read with some good reference photo's but with only 12 or so pages out of 50 dealing with the build, I wouldn't call it a build guide.

[Don McIntyre]

The Avenger released by Italeri is a repop of the Accurate Miniatures kit, it's also been released by Academy, IIRC. It is a bit of a complicated build, but unless you're an absolute nooby, it's well worth having. It has the advantage of being one you can also do in RNZAF markings as well as the RN markings. 

No Classic Airframes Avenger, though. 

Edited October 10, 2017 by Don McIntyre
Added stuff for clarification purposes.