Italeri 1/72 Vought AU-1 Corsair

[hsr]

This is my build of the Italeri 1/72 Vought AU-1 Corsair. This actually started as the Italeri F4U-7 but the kit included the correct parts (cowling front) for the AU-1. While I am not usually a fan of Italeri kits this one went together very well. The only issue is that the fuselage is the correct length for the F4U-4 and earlier versions and is too short for the F4U-5 and later version by 10 scale inches (.13" at 1/72). I fixed this by clamping an Evergreen of .125 x .040 strip around a 9/16 socket and putting it in boiling water to make a plug

 that I inserted right behind the cowl flaps.

 

This boxing did not have AU-1 decals but I found Printscale and Superscale sheets with markings for the same aircraft. I have found both companies sheets to be problematic (Printscale's tends to want to curl up into a ball when you try to move them, and Superscale's tend to fall apart) so I bought both and while both exhibited their characteristic problems I was able to mix and match to get one complete set. Comparing them side by side the Printscale decal films disappear on the model better then the Superscale ones. 

 

Anyway, here it is.

 

 

Next up will be the Eduard F6F-5N.

 

Enjoy

[SAT69]

Looks really nice. I like it!

[F-32]

nicely done, looks great

[Toryu]

A very creative remedy for the short fuselage. As I keep saying - many useful things for modelling can be found in a well-run household 😀   This piece, however, would make the hog a bit nose-heavy in flight, wouldn't it?

[hsr]

35 minutes ago, Toryu said:

This piece, however, would make the hog a bit nose-heavy in flight, wouldn't it?

It is made up for by the light engine 😀

 

Thanks

[112 Squadron]

I honestly admire how you found such a creative solution to solve the shortcomings of the Italeri kit. Interestingly, I made the same bad experience with Printscale decals. Your AU-1 is really an excellent model. 👍 I really wonder why Italeri hasn´t included USMC versions in addition to the French Aeronavale as decal options in their latest boxing, since they have recently released many of their old kits with up to five different new marking options. Even when this kit was initially released back in the 90s it also featured a VMA-323 AU-1 Corsair. It is a pity that no manufacturer has produced a nice series of accurate late version Corsairs in 1/72 scale so far.

Edited December 18, 2020 by 112 Squadron

[hsr]

15 minutes ago, 112 Squadron said:

It is a pity that no manufacturer has produced a nice series of accurate late version Corsairs in 1/72 scale so far.

It is. I had to do the same thing for the F4U-5N kit

And then for an F4U-4 I had to kitbash the Revell and Italeri kits to get the right length because the Revell kit is too long.

Thanks