Vought F4U Corsair 1/48 Scale Diecast Metal Airplane by Hobby Master

1:48 Scale  Metal Diecast - Vought F4U Corsair  – Length: 8.5"  Wingspan: 10”

This model of the Corsair at 1/48 (not 1/72) scale is quite interesting because of its size. At 8.5 inches long and 10 inches in wingspan one can see many details that might not be as clear at smaller scales (as 1/72). From the photos one can see that the landing gear is more detailed, tire treads are distinguishable and even suspension elements.

The cockpit is very detailed and one can see that the instrument panel is painted with different colors. The canopy is not "open-able", but it can be posed/position as opened or closed (the canopy is a separate piece)

The "main feature" of this model is that its wings can be posed in the folded position, as it would during storage inside a carrier. This feature, although it looks good and the details are interesting (look at photos) do add a lot of complication to the model and makes it really fragile. There are two different sets of "ribs" that need to be attached to the wings according to the configuration. One has to experiment (figure out) which rib goes on what side and then figure out the orientation to it. EXTRA PATIENCE needs to be in mind when working with this particular model.

A pilot figure is included and at 1/48 scale one can see that the details are painted in different colors.

This model comes with a center line fuel tank. The center line fuel tank is not compatible with the stand. In other words, the stand and the fuel tank interfere with each other.

This is really a "no-play" model or a "display-only" model. It is mostly metal and very heavy. It also has a number of antennas which look great but are very fragile. If you have small kids that like to play with your models, save yourself some frustration (and money) and wait till later to get a model like this one. The box is labeled as not suitable for children under 14.

The box measures 11.25 inches by 11.25 inches by 4.25 inches.

The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily inWorld War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and Brewster-built aircraft F3A. From the first prototype delivery to the U.S. Navy in 1940, to final delivery in 1953 to the French, 12,571 F4U Corsairs were manufactured by Vought,^[1] in 16 separate models, in the longest production run of any piston-engined fighter in U.S. history (1942–53).^[2][3][4]

The Corsair was designed as a carrier-based aircraft. However its difficult carrier landing performance rendered the Corsair unsuitable for Navy use until the carrier landing issues were overcome when used by the British Fleet Air Arm. The Corsair thus came to and retained prominence in its area of greatest deployment: land based use by the U.S. Marines.^[5] The role of the dominant U.S. carrier based fighter in the second part of the war was thus filled by the Grumman F6F Hellcat, powered by the same Double Wasp engine first flown on the Corsair's first prototype in 1940.^[6] The Corsair served to a lesser degree in the U.S. Navy. As well as the U.S. and British use the Corsair was also used by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, the French Navy Aéronavale and other, smaller, air forces until the 1960s. Some Japanese pilots regarded it as the most formidable American fighter of World War II,^[7] and the U.S. Navy counted an 11:1 kill ratio with the F4U Corsair.^[8]

After the carrier landing issues had been tackled, it quickly became the most capable carrier-basedfighter-bomber of World War II.^[9] The Corsair served almost exclusively as a fighter-bomber throughout the Korean War and during the French colonial wars in Indochina and Algeria.