Heavily Weathered F4U-1 Birdcage Corsair - Tamiya 1/48 Scale

I wanted to try out some rather heavier weathering than usual, and I also haven't done any US Navy aircraft from the Second World War before, so in the spirit of a bit of a challenge I figured I'd try to spruce up Tamiya's rather old Birdcage Corsair kit in 1/48 scale over the Christmas break.

The kit generally fits really nicely (it's Tamiya!) but the surface detail is really a bit lackluster, and because the kit is cleverly engineered to allow folded or unfolded wings, doing the latter means quite a fiddly job to get good alignment on both wings on both sides.

The riveting was quite a challenge due to the complex shapes and large airframe, but I think turned out really nicely and was very useful as a guide for later weathering stages.

Scheme-wise, I went for an aftermarket decal set and a VF-17 aircraft, which as a US Navy bird served both ashore on island bases like the US Marines and on a carrier periodically. For appropriately heavy weathering, I went for the classic metal (AK Xtreme Metal Aluminium) and Zinc Chromate Yellow primer, followed by chipping varnish technique, coupled with airbrush shading of each panel and rivet line to give a faded paint look, and then oils after a panel wash to add enough grime and dirt.

I hope you like the result! I'm pleased with it as a Christmas project, and a weathering learning experience.

Music is The Stars and Stripes Forever by Sousa - I claim no copyright.

Видео Heavily Weathered F4U-1 Birdcage Corsair - Tamiya 1/48 Scale канала BritFlyer