Got to do a Corsair! 1/72nd Kiwi Corsair, 14 Sqn RNZAF in Japan, 1946-47***FINISHED***

[tonyot]

Hiya Folks,

                The use of the Vought F4U Corsair by the RNZAF in the Pacific is well know,..... but less well known is its continued use with 14 Sqn RNZAF post war as part of the British Commonwealth Air Forces of Occupation in Japan, alongside the RAF, RAAF and Indian AF. For this, Goodyear FG-1D Corsair`s from store at Rukuhia in New Zealand were employed, the  wartime RNZAF roundels complete with US style bars were overpainted and replaced by A Type roundels in 6 places but the thin wartime style fin flashes were retained. Here are the 24 Corsair`s selected for service in Japan,.... their serials being; 

NZ5614, NZ5615, NZ5617, NZ5620, NZ5622, NZ5625, NZ5626, NZ5628, NZ5632, NZ5635, NZ5636, NZ5637, NZ5639, NZ5643, NZ5647, NZ5649, NZ5651, NZ5652, NZ5653, NZ5654, NZ5655, NZ5656, NZ5659, and NZ5660.

 

 

They were conveyed to their new base at Iwakuni in Japan aboard the carrier HMS Glory in March 1946. Here they are once in place;

 

The light stores carrier with practice bombs fitted under the fuselage bomb rack seen here on NZ5659 is interesting;

 

And the aircraft I`m hoping to replicate for the model is NZ5617,... seen here and named Verna after the the fiancee of Len Mossong, the aircrafts crew chief who is seen here sat on the wing (is he a relative of Peter Mossong,....the RNZAF historian?) ,.... and most others were named by their groundcrew too;

 

This was the original style of name;

 

Later replaced with a different style;

 

Some Kiwi Corsair`s flying in Japan also had C1 Type roundels,.... but I`m not sure how many or why,.... all I know is that I have seen photos of them (including some from my good friend John Sheehan who`s Dad served at Iwakuni at the time with the RAF, after flying Thunderbolts over Burma in WW2), ,.... but I have already been told that I`m no expert when it comes to the RNZAF,.... which I don`t actually profess to be,.. I just have a strong interest and respect....all I knowis that they appear to have been applied later, possibly after servicing in Japan?

 

And again on N5659,... which was seen earlier above with the Light Stores Carrier fitted for practice bombs,.... now seen with the C Type roundels;

 

This is an excellent reference about 14 Sqn in Japan;

http://rnzaf.hobbyvista.com/14squad.htm 

 

Onto the model,..... here is the kit,.... the 1/72nd Academy kit;

 

I`ll be using these decals from Ventura;

 

And And modelling wise,.... here is a good link and reference from Ventura publications,... whose decals I am also using;

  http://www.thescale.info/news/publish/RNZAF_Corsair-correct-blue-roundels.shtml

 

Cheers for now,

                        Tony

 

Edited March 1, 2021 by tonyot

[stevehnz]

Nice choice of subject Tony, I'll enjoy watching this come together.

Steve.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Cant fault a Kiwi Corsair. 

[tonyot]

32 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

Nice choice of subject Tony, I'll enjoy watching this come together.

Steve.

Thanks Steve.

9 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Cant fault a Kiwi Corsair. 

That is what I thought too CC,.... be rude not to! 

[tonyot]

Well I`ve started the Corsair too,.....

 

Cockpit in place and engine painted;

 

Fudge the dog found it all very interesting watching on!

 

And the main airframe completed;

 

Cheers

          Tony

[dogsbody]

Looking good, Tony!

 

A small question. if I may? Would not the engine gear casing be painted in the usual blue/grey that the Americans used on all their military aircraft engines during the WW2 timeframe?

 

P&W R-1830:

 

Wright R-2600:

 

 

 

 

Chris

[johnd]

They seem to have a different concept of overalls in the US.

[tonyot]

6 hours ago, dogsbody said:

Looking good, Tony!

 

A small question. if I may? Would not the engine gear casing be painted in the usual blue/grey that the Americans used on all their military aircraft engines during the WW2 timeframe?

 

P&W R-1830:

 

Wright R-2600:

 

 

 

 

Chris

Thanks Chris and yes,.... don`t worry I`ve got it in hand, I`m digging out some EDSG today which usually does the trick,..... I know how much you like your crank cases painted properly,.... Bristol- Black, US- Grey! 

[dogsbody]

7 hours ago, tonyot said:

Thanks Chris and yes,.... don`t worry I`ve got it in hand, I`m digging out some EDSG today which usually does the trick,..... I know how much you like your crank cases painted properly,.... Bristol- Black, US- Grey! 

 

 

Hey! Cut this old anal-retentive some slack!

 

I wasn't too worried about you missing a detail like that. Your work is always great. I just couldn't help myself from posting the question.

 

Which brings another question to mind. Was there a standard colour that was for US Army/Navy aircraft engine casings? I don't remember ever reading anything on that

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[bigbadbadge]

Lovely choice Tony and great  start.  

Chris

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

1 hour ago, dogsbody said:

Which brings another question to mind. Was there a standard colour that was for US Army/Navy aircraft engine casings? I don't remember ever reading anything on that

Not that Im aware of, I think the grey was used as it would show the dark oil if there was a leak ? I know Pratt & Whitney’s prototype engines used a red casing. Possibly to indicate developmental stage, grey to show production. 

[tonyot]

6 hours ago, dogsbody said:

 

 

Hey! Cut this old anal-retentive some slack!

 

I wasn't too worried about you missing a detail like that. Your work is always great. I just couldn't help myself from posting the question.

 

Which brings another question to mind. Was there a standard colour that was for US Army/Navy aircraft engine casings? I don't remember ever reading anything on that

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

LOL,.... hey no worries Chris,..... I generally use EDSG,..... it looks OK. I leave it until after I have dry brushed the engine cylinders as they tended to look quite fresh with baked on paint probably. I would say that US Engine Grey,.... as used on post war US Navy floatplane mght be a contender,.... although it seems a little dark to me?

5 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Lovely choice Tony and great  start.  

Chris

Cheers Chris,.... 

 

4 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Not that Im aware of, I think the grey was used as it would show the dark oil if there was a leak ? I know Pratt & Whitney’s prototype engines used a red casing. Possibly to indicate developmental stage, grey to show production. 

 Thats good info CC! 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

@dogsbody, @tonyot here is a good link with a photo of the prototype P&W R-2800 in the XF4U-1 Corsair. Its the first photo in the link. 
 

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/29-may-1940/

[tonyot]

1 hour ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

@dogsbody, @tonyot here is a good link with a photo of the prototype P&W R-2800 in the XF4U-1 Corsair. Its the first photo in the link. 
 

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/29-may-1940/

Oh yeah,... I see what you mean,....never noticed that before,..... cheers! 

[tonyot]

Right then,.... on with the first coat of paint,...... the old Humbrol 181 is my favourite colour for US Navy Sea Blue Gloss;

 

 

Cheers

         Tony

[tonyot]

Hiya Folks,.... a further update;

 

Well as the Corsair`s in Japan had the wartime RNZAF roundels and bars painted out to be replaced by peacetime roundels, I decided to have a go at replicating the painted out `bars' which are apparent in photos of the real thing;

 

I used Polly Scale US Sea Blue,.... then buffed it and gloss varnished it ready for the decals,

 

Here is the artwork for the aircraft from the Ventura sheet;

 

And a crashed example;

 

Another interesting post war Kiwi Corsair is this silver one too!

 

Cheers

          Tony    

Edited February 19, 2021 by tonyot

[JOCKNEY]

14 hours ago, tonyot said:

 

Another interesting post war Kiwi Corsair is this silver one too!

 

Cheers

          Tony    

 

Hi Tony

What's the story behind the picture above, are these all RNZAF aircraft  ?

Looks like an Avenger behind the silver Corsair

Cheers Pat 

[Rabbit Leader]

Love these post war Kiwi Corsairs, Tony and it’s a subject I’ve always wanted to tackle myself. Having a WIP to follow and great reference to bookmark will make my job so much easier going forward. It’s all looking great so far, which goes without saying with all your threads. 
 

Cheers and good luck mate.. Dave.

[tonyot]

7 hours ago, JOCKNEY said:

 

Hi Tony

What's the story behind the picture above, are these all RNZAF aircraft  ?

Looks like an Avenger behind the silver Corsair

Cheers Pat 

Hiya Pat,.... yes they are all RNZAF aircraft, the Avenger behind is an ex target tug (see pics on my Avenger built!), note the yellow and black stripes,... Corsair`s in the background too. In New Zealand there were large aircraft dumps where old WW2 aircraft sat for years before being broken up. 

[tonyot]

6 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Love these post war Kiwi Corsairs, Tony and it’s a subject I’ve always wanted to tackle myself. Having a WIP to follow and great reference to bookmark will make my job so much easier going forward. It’s all looking great so far, which goes without saying with all your threads. 
 

Cheers and good luck mate.. Dave.

Thanks Dave,..... yeah it is a subject of great interest to me too,.... I have quite a few post war Kiwi Corsair`s planned,..... including that silver one as I have found an in service photo in an old magazine cutting!  

[tonyot]

A bit more progess,..... decals on!

 

Cheers,

          Tony

[Aidrian]

Looking good.

 

I love the really subtle diiference in colour where the patch paint has been applied; it's far to easy to overdo this effect  -  your version is very convincing.

[tonyot]

1 hour ago, Aidrian said:

Looking good.

 

I love the really subtle diiference in colour where the patch paint has been applied; it's far to easy to overdo this effect  -  your version is very convincing.

Thanks Adrian, that is very kind of you,... it took a few attempts to be fair. I should really have carried on and surrounded the roundel, but it might have overdone it then, so left it with the bars as over time it seemed to blend in on the real thing. 

 

[tonyot]

Another update,...... wheels on,.... and a bit of weathering;

 

And the canopy dry fitted;

 

Cheers

          Tony

[abat]

Looking good Tony. What are you using for the weathering? Is it a pencil?