1/48 Accurate Miniatures F2G Corsair

by Jeremy Spradlin

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     The F2G is by far my favorite version of the Corsair.  I first saw one when I was about 15 at the Pima Air Museum.  That was 454 which is now in Washington.  I took a bunch of B&W photos but they are in storage in  IL.  I got a copy of "F2G-1 Super Corsair" by Steve Muth which is a very good color essay of the same aircraft.  Although, I believe some of the paint that is shown on this plane is actually over spray and not the original color.  This plane was stripped of paint after it was taken out of the crate in the 60's and then given a coat to go on display so I don't know how much attention to detail they spent on some of the surfaces.  (Wheel wells, wing fold areas, etc.)  I used "Corsair KD431, The Time Capsule Fighter" by David Morris which is an awesome book!  Great information and I would highly recommend it to any one who is interested in the Corsair.  Another book I used was "F4U Corsair" by Veronico.

     I am putting plans together to build a 3/4 scale if any one is interested.

     So I started this kit soon after it was released.  I loved the detail but I wanted to do something a bit different.  I have never seen anyone combine a folded wing with the open gun bays on the other side (which one wing could be manually lowered for maintenance).  I have never attempted a model with this much detail, so what the heck!  Go for it!  There were a few other things that needed more detail so putting all of these together would be a challenge.

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     The first thing I wanted was for the flaps to be in the down position.  I chose to use the wings from the Tamiya F4U-1D, but the engine on the F2G stretches back to the wing so I had to do some cutting, filling, and sanding for it to come out right.  I used some of the Edwards Detail Set for the gun bay and part of the cockpit.  I never have liked painting the navigation lights that are formed on the wings so they were cut out and I used some clear sprue to form lenses.  First I painted the wing the Olive green which would show through the clear.  Then I put a small drop of the correct color on the inside of the clear which would be the colored bulb.  Once I did this, I had to cut out the camera lenses by the guns and do the same.  I used Zap-a-Gap super glue and different grit emery boards that I found in the local drug store to file down the clear which when polished looked (I think) really good.

     I had some trouble getting the cockpit to line up and had to remove a lot of material so the body would join together.  What a pain.  I really wanted the cowl flaps open (which is how they usually are when on the ground) so I pulled out a soda can and tried to make them.   By the way, I did not get a bottle of Insta-set for the super glue until the end of the project.  Big Mistake!  That stuff is awesome!  Just get a bottle and you can do things so much quicker.

     The prop that I used is made by Obscureco.  Very nice.  The one in the kit is too small.  The kits engine however is very nice!  It did need some more detail ( I know, I should have opened the engine compartment so you can actually see it) so I added some wires and things.

     The tires came from another kit because I wanted the diamond tread and the older hubs.  Most of the wing fold area is straight from the box, but I did add some wires for more hoses.  The plane was painted with Tamiya blue, then given about 5 coats of Future.  After the Future had time to cure I tried my hand at the exhaust stains.  The F2G version really did not see much service so I just wanted to give it a dulled look instead of the dramatic discoloration of a hard life.

     I used very fine fishing line for the antenna.  This is where I finally used the Insta-set!  I tried to trim it with fingernail clippers but I was shaking too much and it would break off.  Then I got the bright idea of
using a hot knife.  Slick!

     Some of the paints used were Testors Enamels, most are Tamiya Acrylic.     

     One last modification that I really think looks so cool but was so simple is the tie down on the tail wheel.

     I do want to thank all of the guys at Capitola Hobbies and Rob Williams for all the help and putting up with my love affair with the F2G!  Thanks Guys.  This is my first major project so please be easy on me.  Cheers.
Jeremy

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Photos and text © by Jeremy Spradlin