One of the most iconic American fighter during WWII and Korean War, the Chance Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft with the longest production run of any piston-engined fighter in U.S. history (1942–53).
It achieved a claimed 11.3 to 1 'kill ratio' in the Pacific.
The F4U incorporated the largest engine available at the time: the 2,000 hp 18-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-2800. To accommodate a folding wing the designers used an inverted gull wing, which considerably shortened the required length of the main gear legs.
Early versions tended to 'bounce' upon landing because of their stiff undercarriage. Therefore it was at first restricted to land-based marine units.
THE KIT
The kit is molded in light gray plastic, and it is comprised of 90+ parts presented on four parts trees, plus a single tree containing four clear parts for the canopy. The details are nice and crisp.
Fitting is general good, assembly is very easy.
Color used were Vallejo ModelAir, with my own mix. Several deifferent layer were airbrushed, to obtain the "mottled" effect of the heavy operational conditions of this airplane.
Weathering was further enhanced with drybrushing of different shades of blue.
The pictures were taken with daylight, placing the model on a base that i airbrushed, on my terrace.