Best Corsair F4U-1 In 72nd Scale?

[fishplanebeer]

Being part way through trying to build the Revell F4U-1A I've decided to give up the ghost and find another kit as this one is quite the worst kit I've attempted to build for quite a long time. Admittedly I was swayed by it being considerably cheaper than the Tamiya offerings but this has turned out to be a false economy as the kit is truly awful with every piece having to be fettled, sanded and filled, and the quality of the parts and the fit are also extremely poor. In addition the prop is the wrong type/shape for a 1A and it also features two locating points for the drop tanks which were a feature of the 1D but not the 1A (so is it an A or a D?)

 

Before potentially making another unwise buying decision can anyone suggest the best option please as Academy and Hasegawa are also possible alternatives given that I'm looking to build either a 1A or 1D version?

 

Regards

Colin.

[stevehnz]

Tamiya is the best in 1/72, the Hasegawa kit is a bit older with raised panel lines but very fine & makes up well all the same. Importantly, it fits, as does the Academy one which also makes up well but it's engine is a bit weak. Best bang for buck is probably Academy to my mind. Having a couple of Revell ones in stock they're liable to stay in stock too after reading of your woes.

Steve 

[Tbolt]

I would get the Tamiya kit. You can get it for around £15 which I think is a good price for what you get.  It's a really great kit and better than some of their later kits in some ways. You get open or closed cowl flaps and the exhaust pipe work detail to go under them, Tamiya didn't even do that in their 1/48th P-47.and of course you get the usually Tamiya fit making it a fun build.

 

[MACALAIN]

Tamiya for me to

 

Alain

[72modeler]

Tamiya by a long shot- the F4U-1 birdcage, the F4U-1A, and the F4U-1D. Fit is outstanding, cockpit and engine are very nice, and the wheel bays are the correct depth. Only downside is they don't have poseable  flaps like their 1/48 big brothers, but Aries and CMK both do resin flaps, if you so choose.

 

I have built the Hasegawa F4U-1 birdcage and it was a very nice and easy build- raised panel lines, fits very well, but the cockpit is simple and not correct, as it comes with a floor, but can be modified or you can use the True Details resin cockpit, if you can find one. The belly observation window is not molded, but can be made pretty easily; the biggest downside for me was the too-shallow wheel bays, but they were actually pretty easy to fix- if you get the Hasegawa kit and want to fix them, pm me and I can talk you through the process. The prop hub is a little under scale, but the blades are good.- you only get one blade style, and depending upon the version, there were two different blade shapes and lengths, but the lengths only differed by an inch or so, IIRC.  tHasegawa also did an F4U-1A, F4U-2,  and F4U-1D boxing and I think all  are available pretty cheaply except for the night figter boxing. Hobbylink Japan has the Tamiya kits listed for $11-12 USD, I think.

Mike

Edited March 20, 2021 by 72modeler
corrected text

[Tbolt]

2 hours ago, 72modeler said:

Tamiya by a long shot- the F4U-1 birdcage, the F4U-1A, and the F4U-1D. They also did an F4U-2 boxing. Fit is outstanding, cockpit and engine are very nice, and the wheel bays are the correct depth. Only downside is they don't have poseable  flaps like their 1/48 big brothers, but Aries and CMK both do resin flaps, if you so choose.

 

I have built the Hasegawa F4U-1 birdcage and it was a very nice and easy build- raised panel lines, fits very well, but the cockpit is simple and not correct, as it comes with a floor, but can be modified or you can use the True Details resin cockpit, if you can find one. The belly observation window is not molded, but can be made pretty easily; the biggest downside for me was the too-shallow wheel bays, but they were actually pretty easy to fix- if you get the Hasegawa kit and want to fix them, pm me and I can talk you through the process. The prop hub is a little under scale, but the blades are good.- you only get one blade style, and depending upon the version, there were two different blade shapes and lengths, but the lengths only differed by an inch or so, IIRC.  tHasegawa also did an F4U-1A, F4U-2,  and F4U-1D boxing and I think all  are available pretty cheaply except for the night figter boxing. Hobbylink Japan has the Tamiya kits listed for $11-12 USD, I think.

Mike

Tamiya did an F4U-2 in 1/72nd scale? I've only seen that in 1/48th, was it limited edition or something?

[Chuck1945]

Another Tamiya vote if you want the best kit. Hasegawa and Academy are ok, but not in the same league as Tamiya. I built their F4U-1d 20 years ago modifying it into an early FAA Corsair II (F4U-1a with narrow cord prop and short tail wheel leg), the F4U-1a kit was issued later and has alternate parts for both tail wheels and props. I finished a birdcage version a couple of months ago, absolutely no filler required, an exquisite kit. Doing another F4U-1d now.

[72modeler]

1 hour ago, Tbolt said:

Tamiya did an F4U-2 in 1/72nd scale? I've only seen that in 1/48th, was it limited edition or something?

My bad! It was only in 1/48 that Tamiya did an F4U-2. Hasegawa did an F4U-2 as a limited edition of their F4U-1 birdcage kit, and I had put the F4U-2 related parts from that kit into  one of my Tamiya birdcage kits to do the conversion. I am sorry for the misinformation and will edit my original post. IIRC, AML has announced a resin F4U-2 conversion set for the Tamiya kit as a future release. 

Mike

[fishplanebeer]

Many thanks for the feedback, so Tamiya it is!

 

My modelling skills are modest after a lengthy absence from the hobby (20+ years) and although I'm fine doing some fettling and filling/sanding etc. I'm after kits that generally fit together well and don't require almost every single part to be sanded just to get them to dry fit correctly. The Revell kit's parts breakdown is also overly complex , for example the cowling comes in 3 separate pieces excluding the cowl flap piece, the wing tips are separate for some reason, there are no locating lugs to correctly install the instrument panel and the pilot seat parts to the bulkhead, the top of the fuselage forward of the canopy is a separate piece entirely, I could go on, and on.

 

To date I've built the Special Hobby P40D/E, Zvezda Bf109F-2 and Airfix A6M2b Zero and all have required some degree of adjustment but the Revell kit takes this to another level completely and seems to come from a previous generation, which probably explains the price, although the decals look to be good.

 

My next kits after the Corsair will be the Eduard Spitfire VIII and Hellcat F6F-3 in 72nd scale which are also quite complex in terms of parts breakdown but which I'm fine with as I know the parts fit will be good, but when a kit is complex and poor quality I lose heart and interest and consign it to history.

 

Thanks again.

Colin.

[Chuck1945]

2 hours ago, fishplanebeer said:

Many thanks for the feedback, so Tamiya it is!

 

....

My next kits after the Corsair will be the Eduard Spitfire VIII and Hellcat F6F-3 in 72nd scale which are also quite complex in terms of parts breakdown but which I'm fine with as I know the parts fit will be good, but when a kit is complex and poor quality I lose heart and interest and consign it to history.

 

Thanks again.

Colin.

The Eduard Hellcats are, in my opinion, perhaps the easiest of all the recent Eduard 1/72 kits to build.

[Tbolt]

7 hours ago, 72modeler said:

My bad! It was only in 1/48 that Tamiya did an F4U-2. Hasegawa did an F4U-2 as a limited edition of their F4U-1 birdcage kit, and I had put the F4U-2 related parts from that kit into  one of my Tamiya birdcage kits to do the conversion. I am sorry for the misinformation and will edit my original post. IIRC, AML has announced a resin F4U-2 conversion set for the Tamiya kit as a future release. 

Mike

No problem I just thought I'd missed a kit there.

[fishplanebeer]

My Tamiya Corsair is now on its way courtesy of Hannants albeit at almost £20 and a fiver more than KK but about the same overall as I was about to order some other stuff from them anyway so now only paying one lot of postage, plus Hannants also have the essential Eduard canopy mask for it as well.

 

I'm sure a more skilled, experienced and patient modeller than myself would be able to make a half decent Corsair from the Revell kit but you would still be left with replacing the prop and filling in those two awkward to reach recesses for the incorrect drop tank attachments if you are looking to make it a proper 1A.

 

Not sure which decal schemes the Tamiya comes with but I'm tempted to use those from the Revell kit so at least it's saved me the cost of buying any after market decals which would probably cost as much as the Revell kit itself, so not a total loss after all.

 

Regards

Colin.

[mike romeo]

2 hours ago, fishplanebeer said:

My Tamiya Corsair is now on its way courtesy of Hannants albeit at almost £20 and a fiver more than KK but about the same overall as I was about to order some other stuff from them anyway so now only paying one lot of postage, plus Hannants also have the essential Eduard canopy mask for it as well.

 

I'm sure a more skilled, experienced and patient modeller than myself would be able to make a half decent Corsair from the Revell kit but you would still be left with replacing the prop and filling in those two awkward to reach recesses for the incorrect drop tank attachments if you are looking to make it a proper 1A.

 

Not sure which decal schemes the Tamiya comes with but I'm tempted to use those from the Revell kit so at least it's saved me the cost of buying any after market decals which would probably cost as much as the Revell kit itself, so not a total loss after all.

 

Regards

Colin.

Agree with your comments on the shortcomings of the Revell kit.  A missed oppo imho.

 

Rgds

 

Martin

[72modeler]

17 hours ago, mike romeo said:

Agree with your comments on the shortcomings of the Revell kit. 

Yes, a very disappointing release, as was their F4U-4. With a little research and attention to detail, both kits  could have been so  much better- a real shame where the dash four was concerned, as Tamiya pretty much has the F4U-1's to beat. (We keep waiting, and waiting, and waiting for  a good F4U-4 as well as all the later variants!)

Mike

[Denford]

I have a hunch that Airfix will tool a new ¹/₇₂ F4U-1 with folding wings, which will be on a separate sprue.  First will be FAA with rounded tips, to be followed by US with 'full' tips.

A 'follow on' from the Spitfire Vc and yet to come Tempest V.

To be released within the next year or so, to be well ahead of the next ¹/₂₄ subject:  F4U-1.

[John Thompson]

2 hours ago, 72modeler said:

Yes, a very disappointing release, as was their F4U-4. With a little research and attention to detail, both kits  could have been so  much better- a real shame where the dash four was concerned, as Tamiya pretty much has the F4U-1's to beat. (We keep waiting, and waiting, and waiting for  a good F4U-4 as well as all the later variants!)

Mike

 

Blast - what's wrong with the F4U-4? I just bought one after reading a review somewhere that made it seem not too bad; then I went and ordered replacement vacuform early and late canopies and a Print Scale decal sheet for it. IIRC, the reviewer said the cockpit was a fantasy and the wings need rocket stubs from elsewhere, but other than that it was acceptable. BTW, there was a Tamiya 1/72 F4U-4 - it was a reboxing of the Italeri -4! Now that was a bad kit, and yet Tamiya saw fit to put their name on it!

 

Add my vote for new and accurate 1/72 kits of the later Corsairs - F4U-5, -7, AU-1...

 

John

[Seahawk]

There's some logic to that, in that it's a very significant type not in the current Airfix catalogue (see also P-47) and Airfix have been replacing their obsolete tools.  Commercially, however, there may be more lucrative subjects for them to choose: even at their best, Airfix aren't able or apparently aiming to compete with Tamiya at the top end of the market and Revell have spoiled the  market at the other end with their offering..  Its quality is irrelevant, it's a Corsair kit there on the shelves and by the time the customer gets home and realises what it's like (errors, difficult assembly), Revell will have banked their money.

 

It will be interesting to see whether the Airfix Tempest offers any advance over the aged but still rather nice Heller kit in terms of accuracy, delicacy of moulding and value for money.

[Jackson Duvalier]

The 1/72 Academy "F4U-1" kit includes a decent representation of the early centreline drop tank, which is useful.  It also includes a somewhat clunky single-piece Brewster centreline bomb rack which was useful until Tamiya's F4U-1A came out (unfortunately Tamiya also chose to mould the thing in a single clunky piece 🙁).

 

The Academy F4U would be a good candidate for an easy conversion to the commercially unavailable cannon-armed F4U-1C.  Otherwise Tamiya's F4Us get my vote.

[tempestfan]

3 hours ago, 72modeler said:

Yes, a very disappointing release, as was their F4U-4. With a little research and attention to detail, both kits  could have been so  much better- a real shame where the dash four was concerned, as Tamiya pretty much has the F4U-1's to beat. (We keep waiting, and waiting, and waiting for  a good F4U-4 as well as all the later variants!)

Mike

The -4 and especially the B appears not to be the best documented version in the world - the Aero Detail drawings explicitly were called „provisional“ IIRC. Maybe that had an impact. If it’s any consolation, I have a couple stashed away too...never opened yet.

 

 The Revell kit appears to suffer from wanting too much out of a base core. If all the inserts fit reasonably, people will still complain, cf. 1/48 Eduard 190 1.0. If they don’t as apparently on the Revell. people will bin it. A lot of the negative feedback on the kit seems due to suboptimal mould cutting, not to the basic design. Cheapy is as cheapy does... 
 

Two random thoughts:

- I do not have the 1/72 Eduard F6F but its bigger Weekend brother. At 10€ it looks like an exceptional bargain (the 1/48 kit, that is). I don’t think you can go wrong with the 1/72 kit.

- If you want a bit of retro modelling, check out the Frog -1D. Looks like a Corsair, should be available cheaply, and no shallow wheel wells to fuss about. Just plain empty holes 😊

[Denford]

44 minutes ago, Seahawk said:

There's some logic to that, in that it's a very significant type not in the current Airfix catalogue (see also P-47) and Airfix have been replacing their obsolete tools.  Commercially, however, there may be more lucrative subjects for them to choose: even at their best, Airfix aren't able or apparently aiming to compete with Tamiya at the top end of the market and Revell have spoiled the  market at the other end with their offering..  Its quality is irrelevant, it's a Corsair kit there on the shelves and by the time the customer gets home and realises what it's like (errors, difficult assembly), Revell will have banked their money.

 

It will be interesting to see whether the Airfix Tempest offers any advance over the aged but still rather nice Heller kit in terms of accuracy, delicacy of moulding and value for money.

I doubt if the Airfix rendering will offer much improvement over the Heller kit!  Like the Spitfire Vc, I suspect it will be aimed at those who have built their Lego-like models and want to 'move on', so fineness, accuracy, recessed lines etc won't be important.   A good all-round kit at a pocket-money price.  Like the Vc, I doubt there will be inbuilt features to allow conversion to 'near-relatives', in this case Tempest ll or Vl.

 

Likewise my hunch over an F4U-1, though in this case it will have separate outer wing panels (full span and clipped) so allowing the wings to be folded or extended (always an Airfix feature).  Again no inbuilt design for later variants: sorry to disappoint, but this seems to be the way Airfix currently work.   Just a good-all round kit at a pocket-money price.  Remember that only some 15% of buyers are modellers, and the reason for purchase could, for example, be that great-uncle Jim flew them over Korea.  That there are differences (which would have to be pointed out to them) is quite irrelevent.

 

[Ed Russell]

7 minutes ago, Denford said:

Remember that only some 15% of buyers are modellers,

I have seen figures of one to thirty percent quoted so maybe that is 15 plus or minus 14?

Nobody who has done this statistical research would ever give the figures to anyone else! We at Red Roo have no idea about market research!

[72modeler]

1 hour ago, Ed Russell said:

We at Red Roo have no idea about market research!

No, you just provide accurate stuff that modelers need..."demographics/market research? We don' need no steenkin;  demographics/market research!" 

Mike

 

BTW Ed- I loved my Sabre and Super Sabre slatted wing sets- good on yer!

[John Thompson]

2 hours ago, tempestfan said:

The -4 and especially the B appears not to be the best documented version in the world - the Aero Detail drawings explicitly were called „provisional“ IIRC. Maybe that had an impact. If it’s any consolation, I have a couple stashed away too...never opened yet.

 

 The Revell kit appears to suffer from wanting too much out of a base core. If all the inserts fit reasonably, people will still complain, cf. 1/48 Eduard 190 1.0. If they don’t as apparently on the Revell. people will bin it. A lot of the negative feedback on the kit seems due to suboptimal mould cutting, not to the basic design. Cheapy is as cheapy does... 

 

 

My current project is building I-16s, several of them, by combining parts from the Amodel UTI-4 and the ICM I-16. As much as I love Amodel, I'm used to "suboptimal", and it isn't something that bothers me a lot. I'll conclude, WRT my previous question about the Revell -4, that the main complaints have to do with parts fit, then, and not general accuracy. Thank you, tempestfan.

 

John

[Ed Russell]

Here's a nice looking result which seems to have been a pain to build.

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/72nd_aircraft/viewtopic.php?p=87694#p87694

 

[fishplanebeer]

This link is reassuring in that I'm not the only person to find this kit a complete nightmare, although clearly if you are skillful (and patient) enough a good result is possible, eventually.

 

Personally I can't wait for my Tamiya 1A to arrive this week as at least it will be built before the clocks go back!

 

Regards

Colin.