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Jaime Carreon
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Korean War Group BuildVought F4U-4 Corsair, Hobby Boss 1/72

March 28, 2023 · in Aviation · · 9 · 541

Sometimes, things that weren't planned work out pretty well, and this was one of them. The spark for this one came from our club's contest theme for this year, Big and Little, in which the subject is built in two different scales with the same color scheme / markings. My original subject turned out to be a lot more work than I thought, and after falling way behind, I decide to look for something else. The larger Corsair was already built, and after a short search, I found the smaller kit for $11 that had the markings I needed. What was not to like?

This is the quick build Corsair from Hobby Boss. They weren't kidding about the quick build part. The fuselage and wings are one piece, with really nice engraved panel lines and rivets. The seat and control stick were already molded into the fuselage and are very basic, so I added side consoles and a decal instrument panel. Actual assembly took about five minutes. There were a few small seams to take care of, but nothing major. The landing gear doors are paper thin and have interior detail molded on, wheel wells are boxed in. The canopy is one of the nicest clear pieces I've ever seen, and the decals were excellent. Paint is from my dwindling supply of Model Master enamels, and I did have to dig some numbers from my decal stash to replicate the original model.

The model represents an F4U-4 from Marine squadron VMF-323, the Death Rattlers. These airplanes sported some of the most flamboyant markings of the war, something rarely seen on Corsairs. The squadron operated from both carrier and land bases during the Korean War, providing much needed air support to the grunts on the ground. It is still existence today as VMFA-323, flying FA-18 Hornets.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VMFA-323

All in all, it was a fun, easy build, and I would recommend it to relieve modeler's block or to introduce a newcomer to the hobby.

Reader reactions:
8  Awesome

6 additional images. Click to enlarge.


9 responses

  1. She looks beautiful, Jaime @jetmex
    A perfect copy of the larger one.
    For sure you will get positive feedback during the big and little contest.

  2. Wonderful result out of the nice Hobby Boss kit, Jaime!
    Well done!

  3. She could easily pass for 1/48 scale, Jaime, great result.

  4. I'd say things turned out just fine...well done, Jaime! They look really cool next to each other and the Death Rattlers patch is a nice touch.

  5. Great job, Jaime. Always good to see a KW Corsair!

  6. Interesting group build, they both look great! Maybe I missed it but what is the scale and model of the littlw kit?

  7. Great work on this Jaime , your hard work paid off

  8. Hmm - I like that scheme! Great build - well done!

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