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This will probably be the slowest WIP but here we go. My favorite all time aircraft is the F4U Corsair. My favorite subtype is the F4U-4. IMO it hasn't been properly kitted yet in 48th scale. The closest thing we have to a modern kit of it is the Hobbyboss. This kit like many HB kits has a few glaringly wrong inaccuracies. I'm gonna try to improve them as I build my first HB kit. The most obvious and heinous inaccuracy for me is the shape of the cowling. Some months ago I started to work on improving it. Note I didn't say correcting it. There's too many dimensional and shape issues that would need to be fixed with the fuselage before one could think about making a "correct" cowling. Here's what I've done and where I'm at with my cowling. The kit cowling is on the right, my cowling is on the left. It would have been much easier if you graft a Hasegawa cowling on but the Hobbyboss is too round and shallow. The Hasegawa has a better overall shape and maybe by a tad tall since the rest of the fuselage is too deep. I'm just letting you know I looked at that possibility. Right now my cowling is only a rough shape master. I'll have to make a two piece mold of it and cast a resin copy to scribe the surface detail into. I'll make mold of that detailed master and cast another one for this project. I haven't created resin molds in some time so it'll involve some considerable financial and time investments. I decided i didn't want to do all that until the rest of the model was completed satisfactorily to the point the cowling is needed. I bin way too many kits and this is my first go at this particular kit. I'll stop here because this is rehashing old work that some people have already seen plus you're probably sleeping if you haven't jumped ship already. When I come back I'll be concentrating on building the rest of the kit. Be well Ron

It's time to present my next project: F4U-4 Academy 1/48 I am working on some custom decals to recreate this shameful aircraft that got what he deserved for landing on the wrong carrier 😜 I haven't seen one built on the internet yet, so this is the perfect opportunity to experiment and develop new skills.

I'm struggling with a 1:48 Hasegawa F4U-4 kitbash. I'm thinking it might have been easier to fix the Hobbyboss F4U-4 by grafting the Hasegawa cowling parts on it. Had anyone here tried it???

I recently cut up and ruined a Hasegawa F4U-4B and -5N fuselage trying to mate them to get closer to the correct depth. I scrapped the project and literally binned it. Since I invested a bunch of time into modifying the -5N wings, I pulled them out of the garbage and bought another Hasegawa -4B figuring I'd try again. This time I cut off the forward section of the -5N lower wing even with the leading edge. I replaced it with the same section I cut out of the lower wing from the first -4B kit. I didn't want to destroy a second -4B kit in case this doesn't work out. Now I'm back on track with my original plan of a -4B fuselage with -5N wings and details. I'll have to live with too deep fuselage. Thank God these kits are cheap and readily available. Now if I could only find the markings I want. Wish me luck. Take care Ron

Hi guys, I will be building the Matchbox 1/72 F4U-4 Corsair. It is a easy kit to do from my Matchbox stash. I will also place this one in the GB what you build as a kid. Here are some pictures of the box art and content. And I have made a start right away by glueing the first four parts to each other. I already painted the inside green and the engine black, so I can later drybrush it. That is it for now. Cheers,

F4U-4 Corsair Upgrade set & Masks 1:72 Eduard for Revell kit The set contains a nickel fret and a brass fret. The sets provide many parts for use in the cockpit; a new instrument panel, side panels, gunsight part, cockpit floor / tub, rear bulkhead, seat pan, seat belts, and throttle quadrant. There are a couple of parts for the canopy including mirrors. There are control linkages for the tail flying surfaces, drop tank fuel fillers, wiring harness for the engine. For the landing gear there are parts for the main and tail wheels, along with parts to box the wheel wells in. The wiring for the main gear wells is also included. If the modeller does not want the full airframe set then the nickel fret is available on its own. As well as the photo-etch set Eduard do a set of masks for the kit. These are for the canopy and wheels. Conclusion The Revell F4U is a good kit, however their are limitations in plastic which photo-etch can readdress, and masks always help. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Source: http://www.hobbyboss.com/index.php?g=home&m=product&a=show&id=382&l=en V.P.

Hobby Boss Corsair Mk V, HMS Implacable, Operation Olympic, late 1945: regards, Martin

Hi All, Here is my latest build, which I am happy to say was terrific fun from start to finish. In fact it was such fun that I didn’t even bother to photograph the sprues (absent the fuselage halves which a previous owner had untidily liberated from those same sprues). The fun was so great that I also didn’t bother to take any work in progress shots either, since it was a simple “Matchbox”® kit from a 1973 boxing, which saw it built rather rapidly. Now that it’s complete I can share my musings on this kit, which I first experienced through a 1974/75-style boxing as a child of 8. Although I no longer have any of the many kits I built as a child, I have been fortunate enough to acquire a number of old “Matchbox”® kits, many which I built as a child as well as a few that my father built which I couldn’t help but covet at the time. If this keeps up though I can see myself ending up with some old Airfix, Crown, Otaki, and Hasegawa kits as well which is fine of course as long as I build them. Anyway onto the kit I have decided that the best way to review it as such is to list the kits advantages counterpointed by its disadvantages to give a more comprehensive picture of what is on offer as follows below. Advantages This kit offers a little something for everyone, since it has various features from a variety of F4U Corsair sub types. If you like the F4U-4 you get a terrific port wing with quite accomplished renderings of its details like the gun panels, three machine gun ejection ports, recognition lights and more. All of this is represented by recessed panel lines that are equal to the state of the art from Airfix® today. If you like the early F4U-4 or the F4U-1D, the canopy has you and the pilot figure covered there. As to pilot figures this kit has one which is better than having none since it is not unreasonable for a modeller to be given the option to glue someone’s bum to a seat if they are so inclined. The cockpit is floorless which is also perfect for the all F4U aircraft except the F2G and F4U-4 and beyond of course. Then there’s the cowling if you like the F4U-4 it features the chin carburettor intake while if you like the F4U-1D or FG-1D the lower cowling is round instead of flattened like on the F4U-4. As a bonus if the F4U-4B or F4U-5 amongst others is more to your tastes you get the wing-mounted 20mm canons to stick on the front of the wings. Although the pitot tube with a dongle on the end and aft fuselage upper antenna mast is provided. You don’t have to bother with IFF, radio altimeter antennas, pylons or any other appendages, which would only get broken if one used such things, so that right there is a terrific feature amongst many! Disadvantages This kit offers a little something for everyone, since it has various features from a variety of F4U Corsair sub types. This can be a bit disappointing if you were after something more representative of the type listed on the box. One could note the fact that the port starboard wing is a copy of the port wing down to its recognition lights. Or otherwise spot the fact that recessed panel lines represent the flap footstep on both wings instead of featuring a cut out on the starboard wing only. Not to mention all of the other features that may not be your cup of tea if you have Kinzey’s, Sullivan’s, Maki’s Yamada’s, Kuroki’s, Hards’, and others work on the Corsair. Advantages The tail plane and elevators features recessed details that represent quite well albeit heavily the details found on the real thing. Disadvantages Those same tail planes and elevators feature the above-mentioned details upon the upper surfaces only. This is in error since the details should be present on the port side upper surfaces and starboard side lower surfaces only. The trim tab control rods have also been omitted. Advantages The transfers, considering in this instance are circa 40 years old performed admirably well. To the point where they conformed quite well, which is not bad considering scissors then tweezers, plus hot water in a teacup and tissue paper were the only aids used. Disadvantages The fuselage "Marines" markings were somewhat oversize in this instance, which if I recall correctly was never a problem in my first build of this kit in 1979. Advantages According to “Matchbox”® no painting is necessary which is terrific if you like clean builds. Disadvantages According to “Matchbox”® no painting is necessary which is disappointing if you like the smell of enamel paint and were wanting to have dark blue fingers. Advantages It comes with a stand that features a ball and socket assembly, which cleverly allows the modeller to display their work in a variety of dramatic attitudes. Disadvantages The socket that comes with the stand is a bit too agricultural in appearance for such enlightened times. Advantages This kit has 41 part if you include the display stand which allows one to undertake a timely build which will allow you to fly it around the house under control of course, while terrorising the cat (please note: that no cats were permanently harmed during this build). Not to mention it’s great for a beginner to cut his or her teeth on and can also be fun to build again, for someone who had the pleasure a long time ago. Disadvantages It’s not the “Matchbox”® Zero-Sen kit which has 32 parts including the display stand! Advantages The kit is moulded with oxford and azure blue plastic, which is terrific since it, looks quite fetching in combination with the willow green transfers that feature in one of the build options. Disadvantages The kit is molded with oxford and azure blue plastic, which can be a bit disappointing if one, wants to paint the kit more easily in order to make it look even more splendid. Advantages It is a 1-72nd scale kit, which is considered by some to be the perfect scale for aeroplane kits. It is also ideally sized to allow more to fit on the shelf or if one is really interested in displaying their model at its best. It also allows more to be hung from the ceiling with some fishing line to roar over ones bedroom by day and night. Disadvantages It is a 1-72nd scale kit, which is considered by some to be too small for an aeroplane kit. What were “Matchbox”® thinking? Did they not realize that the optically challenged might have to don ridiculous implements like glasses or heaven forbid even an optiVISOR in order to glue the bits together! Advantages If you assemble it right the propeller can spin! Disadvantages If you assemble it wrong the propeller won’t spin! Advantages It is made in England; it says so on the box, on the instructions and even on the sprues as well. Disadvantages It was made in England; so now it isn’t anymore. That doesn’t mean that things aren’t still made in England! Fortunately Lancashire Cheese is still made in England. Unfortunately you can’t get it in a small Australian town on the edge of the outback where I type this review. Or for that matter even the largest Australian city where I used to live or anywhere else in Australia, this apparently has something to do with customs and dairy imports! Advantages It’s not Lancashire Cheese! Disadvantages It’s not Lancashire Cheese! Advantages It is a perfect companion for the before mentioned “Matchbox”® 1-72nd scale Mitsubishi Zero-Sen kit which was molded in a splendid orange and white combination which made it ideal for the occasional aerial encounter while watching Black Sheep Squadron on’tele. Disadvantages It isn’t a perfect companion for that Zero-Sen kit in the occasional aerial encounter while watching Victory at Sea on’tele, something about them both doesn’t look quite right. Summary The “Matchbox”® 1/72nd scale F4U-4 Corsair is a terrific kit to build and I would heartily recommend it to the beginner for a great introduction and the advanced builder alike for a fun diversion. I still think it’s a shame these kits aren’t still in circulation in the style they once were with all that lovely coloured plastic inside a box that let you peak inside at the back while a dramatic scene on the top inspired one to give it a go. Though it’s great Airfix is revamping its range I can’t help but wonder what will happen to those more simple kits that provided the best training for those wanting to learn the hobby of plastic model kit assembly. Matchbox were very good at providing kits for the newcomer that were easy enough to keep one keen while generally assembling much more easily than most other brands in the 1970’s. Not to mention I still like the subjects they chose. Unfortunately though there weren’t enough of us to keep it going. Even I moved on to better things via Otaki, Hasegawa, Tamiya and many others. If you have any Matchbox kits I encourage you to have fun and build one or if you know someone you’d like to introduce to the hobby get them to have a go at one. Who knows they might even like it, like my wife Jo (who has built a Hellcat) my son Aeddan (who has built a Zero-Sen) and daughter Isabella (who has built a Mustang “Doolybird”) did. As to what’s next, shown above is my personal Matchbox to do pile, I intend to get them all done this year and will even paint some of them along the way. So whichever I pick next I will share some of my progress from start to finish here on Britmodeller, so till then… Cheers, Daniel. P.S. If anyone is looking to undertake a Matchbox group build on Britmodeller, please count me in as well as my family. References: Fighter Bomber Team, Air Ace, Picture Library, All Action, Holiday Special, IPC Magazines Ltd., 1980. “Matchbox”® 1/72nd scale F4U-4 Corsair Instructions, Lesney Products & Co. Ltd., 1972. All images Copyright ©2013 Daniel Cox.

After the early version of the F4U-4 Corsair (see http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.p...amp;hl=Corsair) HobbyBoss is to release a late version of this bird in September 2012. Source: http://www.hobbyboss.com/a/en/Preview/2012/0713/876.html V.P.