August 1:

After three days of painting detail parts on the sprues, yesterday saw the first assembly (the cockpit) and today saw the assembly of the tailwheel well interior and then putting everything into the fuselage and gluing the fuselage together.

Some observations:

1. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS AND ALL WILL BE WELL (If you're the kind of guy who refuses to read a map and thinks kit instructions are suggestions, then save your money for something else - this kit is as precisely designed as a Wingnut Wings kit.). The kit is complex but not complicated. There are reasons why each step in assembly is listed as it is, since parts fit over and under each other. Everything makes sense and if you do this, everything is easy even if somewhat time-consuming at various points.

2. I followed Tamiya's paint mixing instructions for both the cockpit and the "salmon" for the wheel wells and everything looks great. You will notice that the wheel well looks a bit "grimy." After the "Salmon" dried, I dry-brushed some Flat Aluminum for wear and then dry-brushed Tamiya "Smoke" for oil smears and such. This is going to be a Corsair that was "rode hard and hung up wet."

3. Fit is amazing. I think the only place I will use any filler is the seam along the centerline of the lower rear fuselage. That lack of fit there may have been "operator error," but it's the only poor fit so far. Using the turtle-back for the rear fuselage and the gas tank cover and the upper forward panel, along with the separate cockpit coaming, here are no centerline seams anywhere else.

4. I used Eduard seat belts, which look better than the kit belts (though they are OK) and don't need to be annealed.

5. If you intend to pose the control surfaces dynamically (elevators drooped, etc.) be sure to bend the control stick as appropriate - it's easy to do prior to attaching it and it can be in the proper position.

6. When assembling the fuselage, pay attention to the choice for the panels with the rear windows - there are two choices, one if the canopy will be closed, the other if it will be open. You cannot pose the canopy open over the canopy-closed windows (well, you can, but it will look pretty bad).

Overall, the kit can make an average modeler look good and a good modeler look like a master (if you FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS!). I think I'd hate to be a judge at a model contest over the next couple years because these models are going to show up in great number - they'll need their own sub-category. The way the kit is designed, assembly and alignment will not be problems unless the modeler actively worked to do things wrong (and didn't FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS). It's going to come down to how good an individual modeler is with an airbrush as to where a model will place.

It's a nice big canvas on which to display your talent.

12 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Looks good Tom, I can't wait for mine to arrive, I've been hitting refresh on the tracking web site so much I've almost worn the F5 off the key!

You got the inserts that cover the stabilizer cavities mixed up, didn't you?

Getting ready to spray the interior of the tail wheel well and wing center section. Fit so far has been amazing.

-d-