Looks like a great start, the cockpit is very well detailed, hopefully it will stay visible after the Corsair is done.

Bernd,
Of course the model is not that big, but the Corsair had a huge cockpit. Let me be optimist, and hope that with a 5x magnifier under a 250 Watt lamp, somrthing will be visible.
Craig,
thanks, but as I wrote, most of the Job has been made by Mr. Eduard, not many chanse ( and will) to add further scratch buil inside.

Excellent detail work, especially in this relative small scale.

Yes Rob, step already closed. Thanks anyway for the tip! Any sugestion always wellcome.

Painting has start from the bottom, the white zone first, using Tamiya XF-2 thinned with its own Lacquer thinner.
After I have made a light preshading with XF-20, very thinned, 1:8, at very low pressure ( the needle of the pressure gauge just not touching the blocking pin). The preshadig was not carried out free hand, but panel line where masked to darkened only one side.
Same process was applied to the fabric part of the elevator. Generally I’ not so precise to obtain directly the proper shade, therefore, I intentionally spry gray in excess, creating a little exaggerate shade, remove the mask, and then lightens them spraying again very thinned white on all the surfaces.
Small detail, like the round cap under the elevator, where lightened by brush using Valleio acrylics.

I start then with the intermediate blue, where appropriate. I did not have at hand the proper color, then I prepare a mix, suggested on a modelling site, made by 5 part of XF-18 Medium blue + 2 Part of XF-2 Flat. white. This mix, seams to me too dark, maybe is ok for larger scale, but I prefer to add one more part of white, bringing the ratio at 5 to 3.
I then pass to the fabric covered parts, in this case the underwing panel, External flaps, and the rudder ( the last not finished yet).
The all fabric panels where mask and painted with lightened intermediate blue:

and then all frames where masked with Jammy dog tape, 0,5 mm thick.
A darkened intermediate blue was then sprayed, trying to darken only the area adjacent to the masking tape, keeping the light blue emerging in the center.

Rob,

YES, this is the 2ND Corsair Kepford flown.
According to my information, up to January 44 he flew BuNo. 17684 which was destroyed on 30 Jan 44 in a crash landing. Note like the intermediate blue area, on the engine cowling, go high, the Jolly Roger laying on it. On its 2nd plane, look like the intermediate blue, merge in the Sea Blue much lower.

From February 44, BuNo. 55995 and this should be the one in the photo in flight at the beginning of this post. This aircraft was a later production F4U-1A. Still mounting the short leg tail wheel, landing hook wasn’t removed, 16 victories, and look like, no black walk way on the wing or very faded?

Unfortunately the modeler ask me to build this bird, has mixed up the information and has purchase the Eagle Cals EC 162, which has the decal for the 1st Kepford Birds, with national insignias surrounded by a light blue band ( I thought it was red?). A problem to solve later on.

The last 3 pics are from my previous Corsair, but in 1/48 scale, with national insigna painted, using scratch build masks.

Gooooood night!

8 additional images. Click to enlarge.

Rob,
First of all, again compliments for your Corsair, great job, i was impressed by track of the tape remaining next to the Machine Gun port on the wing.

I have read cearefully your investigation about the surrounds. All you write make sense to me and is coherent with what can be seen on the picture you attached. Also Kepford first Corsair, in the picture I have posted above, after the crash landing, display light color surround, most probably light blu, as per your explanation.
But its my opinion his second remain e small mistery, since in at least 3 or 4 photos, appear much darker and It is hard to believe that all the time light was reflected in the same manner.
We all know that interpretation of old black and white photo, from the screen of a PC is not an easy process and can lead to missconclusion, but, in the specific case of the subject I'm reproducing, darker rurrond will be appropiate. I do not have explanation, but the immage below is significant: note the color diferrences. Note also that the intermediate blu on the engine cowling, on all of them, except Kepford ones, goes much higher, well above the Jolly Roger.

1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

Ahh yes this picture is amazing. If you look at pictures of these aircraft taken during the same time period you see that the differences are not as dramatic as they seem here. I highly recommend getting Lee Cooks books on the Jolly Rogers, or taking a look at them if you get the chance. Reading the war diaries it is doubtful that anything was re-painted, I think these are just tricks of the light. the area behind the cowl flaps especially on the Corsairs that have the full circumference flaps were stained with oil and fluids, I think this explains what we see, at least in part. As for the insignia, replacement aircraft would have had the standard insignia blue surrounds and therefore be very dark.