1/48 F4U-1A Corsair by Tamiya

April 29, 2022 · in Aviation · · 26 · 1.6K

Done!


Good kit. Old but good by .
I got it for about 5 USD with a yellowish decal.

I've learnt so much on this build!

First of all, this is my 1st build on a WWII fighter jet/aircraft. I gotta say the weathering progress is fun! The use of contrasting base colors is what makes this build interesting. With an airbrush, red, blue and yellow are painted with a certain step to form variations of base colors. For example, I put blue and then red to make a brownish base tone, thus forming a darkening navy blue, after painting the main navy blue layer. It is a more interesting and colorful way to have a weathered navy blue. Moreover, the main navy blue is not exactly navy blue. By mixing blue, yellow and a bit of black, the main ‘navy blue' came out to be a bit yellowish, almost green - which is totally reasonable for a weathered, fading navy blue aircraft on the sea.

The kit doesn't come with great details and no rivets.Therefore, as a test, I hand-painted dots and bits to imitate the chipping effect on the rivets. It was time-consuming but it's really enjoyable and satisfying.
Last but not least, this is my first time making the antenna wire. With a lighter, I stretched a piece of styrene rod and fixed it on with an instant glue. It was really challenging and I feel like I need to practice more. Nonetheless, I'm happy with the result.


P.S. I got the Canon M50 mk2 a few months ago, thought that would be enough for basic model photography without hurting my wallet. I was wrong! The kit lens coming with the camera couldn't get the focus point for the photos. For a aircraft this small, the photos were really taken to the limit. Any suggestions?

Reader reactions:
17  Awesome

26 responses

  1. Top Build & weathering /paint !

  2. Amazing build, Arthur!

  3. I like your tonal variation and even more I like the end result you got from those colour layers. Well done. I’d say exceptional even more so considering the sum you paid!

  4. Stunning. The colors are enchanting.

  5. That is exquisite work Ko Lok! The paintwork looks fabulous and the weathering does too! That's a great looking Corsair! ?

  6. Great results on the weathering,a great looking Corsair!

  7. Excellent - I love the way you modulated the color - I'm going to try that! The end result is fantastic.

  8. What is the focal length range of your kit lens? Is it 15-45mm IS STM? I wonder if you were aiming at the Corsair really close. Try stepping back a bit, and zoom in to the model for easier focusing.

    All in all, a nice-looking Corsair!

    • @akcli2008 Thank you!

      And yes it's the 15-45mm one. I'm not sure if I'm taking photos in a wrong way. I just thought increasing the aperture could help more to focus the entire model.
      Here's my setting for the photos:
      f/40, 45mm, ISO-100, 1 sec

      Could you suggest a better setting? Or that's the limit for this camera?

      • Which focus point(s) are you using? Try using the centre one if your camera's focusing system comes with multiple focus points (those little squares in the middle area of the backside screen). My EOS 60D (yes, the old DSLR on the verge of extinction) has 9 or 13, and your camera is newer than mine, so should have at least 9 focus points.

        Also, I think you can try using Auto mode with a tripod...that should be enough to get a bright-enough picture by doing the scene evaluation via built-in software logic. If you use manual mode, try dialing up ISO to 400, and reduce exposure time. I am no expert of manual-mode photo-taking, so experiment with your settings - increase one parameter and decrease one other parameter.

  9. Nice work on this. I really like your painting and weathering. As far as using sprue as a source for the wires. try using a candle instead of a lighter. I always use a candle and stretched sprue for my wires. I can get the desired fineness to the wire and its easy to attach using white glue.

  10. That's a really eye catching Corsair. That green filtering on the top of the wings looks terrific. Well done Ko Lok.

  11. That's a really eye catching Corsair. That green modulation on the top of the wings looks terrific. Well done Ko Lok.

  12. Excellent paint and weathering done on this Corsair, Arthur @arthurko

  13. $5 ?!?! You're lucky to get a slice of pizza for $5!
    Impressive work, Arthur. Awesome weathering work.

  14. Very nice build Arthur, I like the wheathering a lot. cool!

Leave a Reply