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F4U Corsair Reference


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Greetings all,

Just been looking around for information and came across this reference concerning internal colours, the link is for part 3 and the Corsair is near the bottom. However all 3 parts are an interesting read for us paint nerds out there and is highly enlightening!

 

https://www.ipmsstockholm.se/home/interior-colours-of-us-aircraft-1941-45-part-iii/

 

Next is a couple of links for Royal Navy Corsairs that may be of interest to those doing FAA types, first up some nice colour shots

 

https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/threads/faa-corsairs-in-color.17962/#lg=post-484764&slide=6

 

Followed by some nice general pics

 

https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Corsair/RN.html

 

Hope this is of help to some of you!

Cheers now

Bob

Edited by moaning dolphin
Clarification!
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21 hours ago, moaning dolphin said:

...Royal Navy Corsairs that may be of interest to those doing FAA types, first up some nice colour shots

 

https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/threads/faa-corsairs-in-color.17962/#lg=post-484764&slide=6

There's some really cool diorama possibilities in there :thumbsup:

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While browsing I've found this book http://www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/Warren_Russell.htm Volume 3 is the Corsair special but I have no idea about availability etc. Maybe someone knows more.

 

Still on the Kiwi Theme have a look HERE for paint details, bit more complicated than it seems.

 

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20 minutes ago, SleeperService said:

While browsing I've found this book http://www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/Warren_Russell.htm Volume 3 is the Corsair special but I have no idea about availability etc. Maybe someone knows more.

 

Still on the Kiwi Theme have a look HERE for paint details, bit more complicated than it seems.

Just bear in mind that the amount of "Re-Painted" RNZAF Corsairs, if they ALL existed (?) was a mere handful.

 

There were some F4U-1A's repainted in overall Glossy Sea Blue, prior to operational use. The Forward section

of NZ5272 was one of those repaints used to build the famous Spliced RNZAF Corsair NZ5272/NZ5307

NZ5272/NZ5307

 

Generally RNZAF Corsairs operated in the colours they wore on arrival, either being USN 4 tone scheme

or Glossy Sea Blue

Also bear in Mind the WWII RNZAF operated two sets of Corsairs.

One set in the forward areas, the other set in New Zealand as advanced trainers, I'm not aware of

any repaints on those either, though more a possibility, though No Photos thus far?

 

I have only come across thus far, two actual photos of "Re-Painted" RNZAF Corsairs in the forward areas,

being NZ5347, and NZ5350 - Struggle Buggy

NZ5347

F4U+Struggle+Buggy.jpg

 

NZ5350 - Struggle Buggy

RNZAF+F4u+Repaint+copy.jpg

Both Photos are RNZAF Museum Credited

 

Both these aircraft had the fuselage re-painted in Glossy Sea Blue, with fuselage belly/lower Tail in Insignia White,

upper wings/tails Semi Gloss Sea Blue/under wing outer panels Intermediate Blue

Both airframes were serving in the forward areas.

NZ5347 was my subject in a GB  here on BM a couple of years ago NZ5347 Build - Pacific GB

 

I have not seen any photos of any other "Re-Paints", this is a link from the Warren Russell book

of a Repainted RNZAF Corsair, showing a Repaint with NZ Duck Egg Blue lower - I checked with

the RNZAF Museum on that, they had not come across any Corsair painted like that?

Corsair Re-Paint 4

(image used for illustration only)

 

If you are doing an RNZAF Corsair, your best choice is USN 4 Tone or GSB

 

Hope that helps?

 

Regards

 

Alan

 

 

 

 

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This will be my choice for my RNZAF bird, taken from the link quoted from the Russel book...

 

"RNZAF Re-paint Scheme 3 - as identified by Russell, was Glossy Sea Blue on the upper surfaces; Non Spec. Intermediate Blue on the outer lower wings, with Non Specular Insignia White undersides (under fuselage, horizontal stabilizers and inner wings to hinge joint)"

 

I notice on Struggle Buggy, how the leading edge of the wing has the Glossy Sea Blue extending a bit underneath, or is that my imagination?

 


 

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On 5/31/2020 at 12:32 PM, LDSModeller said:

If you are doing an RNZAF Corsair, your best choice is USN 4 Tone or GSB

 

Hope that helps?

 

Regards

 

Alan

It does indeed. Thank You once again Alan.

 

There's also this which has lots of Royal Navy Corsair goodness

 

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56 minutes ago, John Masters said:

"RNZAF Re-paint Scheme 3 - as identified by Russell, was Glossy Sea Blue on the upper surfaces; Non Spec. Intermediate Blue on the outer lower wings, with Non Specular Insignia White undersides (under fuselage, horizontal stabilizers and inner wings to hinge joint)"

 

I notice on Struggle Buggy, how the leading edge of the wing has the Glossy Sea Blue extending a bit underneath, or is that my imagination?

Actually, if you re-read the Russell Drawing (Scheme 3), the upper Wings/Tail

are actually "Semi Gloss Sea Blue (Semi Specular Sea Blue in USN parlance)", Not Glossy Sea Blue.

 

On NZ5350 Struggle Buggy, yes the Upper Wing colour is also on the lower leading edge

 

NZ5347 the upper photo, is the same scheme, except the Semi Specular Sea Blue does not wrap around

leading edge

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On 5/31/2020 at 12:32 PM, LDSModeller said:

USN 4 tone scheme

I'm confused about the paint scheme, whether it was a tri-color paint scheme of Sea Blue, Intermediate Blue, and flat white or 4 colors as @LDSModeller referred to.

 

I remember reading somewhere (sorry, can't find the page) that the tri-color paint scheme was in fact 4 colors. Is this correct?

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I believe the Sea blue was both Specular and non-specular (i.e. gloss & semi-gloss or even more flat), but limited to leading edge & very upper surfaces.

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11 hours ago, LDSModeller said:

Not Glossy Sea Blue.

Not to worry.  By the time I am finished it will be a semi matte/satin finish.

 

5 hours ago, Johnson said:

I'm confused about the paint scheme

Me too...3 or 4 colours?  

 

 

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On 6/1/2020 at 5:05 AM, Johnson said:

I'm confused about the paint scheme, whether it was a tri-color paint scheme of Sea Blue, Intermediate Blue, and flat white or 4 colors as @LDSModeller referred to.

 

I remember reading somewhere (sorry, can't find the page) that the tri-color paint scheme was in fact 4 colors. Is this correct?

Here's a post that quotes lots of other posts with lots of info about USN Sea Blues and the tri-color scheme:

 

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10 hours ago, John Masters said:

Check out the cowing on image PR6755 in that link.  Multi-coloured, or made up of parts would be my guess.

For those building RNZAF Corsairs from WWII, the RNZAF was attached to the

US Navy, coming under command of the Admiral Commanding Pacific Forces.

Bearing in mind that whilst the US Supply lines were generally good at

having replacement aircraft/parts, there were times when USN/USMC and RNZAF

ground crews had to cannibalize parts from non-flyable aircraft.

This rather bent RNZAF Corsair would have been parked for such things

Corsairwreck+RNZAF.jpg

RNZAF Official - used with permission)

 

This photo of the famous Spliced Corsair shows other aircraft sitting in a bone yard

RNZAF+Spliced+Corsair+Copy.jpg

(RNZAF Official - used with permission)

 

RNZAF Aircraft were "Owned" by Servicing Units (SU's) who "loaned" them to the

Squadrons to fly them.

There are many stories of Servicing Unit personnel scrounging bone yards like the above,

but also the jungle surrounds too.

Wally Ingham who served with 30 and 31 SU, wrote in his book  "The Avengers" that often he and his

SU buddies would scrounge the jungle, and were told on one occasion by MP's to keep out of the

Jungle, as Japanese soldiers were still there.

Another story had armed jeeps driving down the runway every so often hosing the jungle

with mounted 50 Cal MG's to keep the Japanese hiding there at bay

There are a number of photos showing RNZAF Corsairs with different panels, it was a fact of life.

if you note the photo PR6755, the Corsair also has a replacement propeller with white stripes on it too

I believe that propeller had once belonged to a US (Navy or Marine Corps - can't remember) Corsair.

 

This wasn't confined to the wartime either, I recall living at RNZAF Wigram, when my Dad came home with

the tail wheel off an RNZAF Harvard that had come to grief (crash landed), , After the airframe was SOC

(Struck Off Charge) and probably reduced to produce, the tail wheel came to live with us mounted on

our garden wheel barrow :D

Regards

 

Alan

 

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1 hour ago, LDSModeller said:

the tail wheel came to live with us mounted on

our garden wheel barrow :D

That's an excellent story.  Thanks for the information.  I like the spiced Corsair.  That would be a good build sometime...

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2 hours ago, LDSModeller said:

This rather bent RNZAF Corsair would have been parked for such things

Corsairwreck+RNZAF.jpg

RNZAF Official - used with permission)

Here you go @John Masters this is a good shot showing weathering on the belly. 

Edited by Corsairfoxfouruncle
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4 hours ago, LDSModeller said:

There are many stories of Servicing Unit personnel scrounging bone yards like the above,

but also the jungle surrounds too.

[....]

This wasn't confined to the wartime either

Very true :)
Even the Dutch 322 Sqn deployment in Andir, in 1948/49, used to scrounge nearby Medan to get spare parts from the AU Spitfire VIII dump there.

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21 hours ago, alt-92 said:

I believe the Sea blue was both Specular and non-specular (i.e. gloss & semi-gloss or even more flat), but limited to leading edge & very upper surfaces.

 

10 hours ago, Cookenbacher said:

Here's a post that quotes lots of other posts with lots of inflo about USN Sea Blues and the tri-color scheme:

Many thanks alt-92 and Cookie for the useful input and the link. A complicated subject. Maybe I should be a chicken and stick to a late WW2 Dark Sea Blue! But I'm excited at the prospect of airbrushing the 3/4 color scheme, and I do like creating work for myself.

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Don't know if this has been added here in Reference yet. Learning to Fly the F4U-1 series. 
 

https://youtu.be/PzLM4-grT2g

 

Its a good primer on the flying of the Corsair. Check out the stall section starting at 12:30. I got this off Youtube, but own the DVD. The DVD has four films on it Corsair, Hellcat, Helldiver, and Avenger. Its a great series to check out if you ever get the chance to. 
 

Dennis

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  • 1 month later...

Heres one in case anyone wanted something different. Its “Sally” a NMF rebuilt FG-1D Corsair done by Marine Air group 11 service squadron on Espiritu Santo as a hack. Though I have read its made up from both 1a’s and an FG as it was built from wrecked Corsairs. 
 

https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Corsair/F4U-Corsair/images/Goodyear-FG-1D-Corsair-SS11-Service-Squadron-11-MAG-11-Turtle-Bay-New-Hebrides-1943-02.jpg

 

Dennis

 

I have more photo’s if anyone is interested ? 

Edited by Corsairfoxfouruncle
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