Wings of Intent: Corsair racer - Conversion of the 1/72nd scale Tamiya kit + Draw Decals

(Photo SDASM)

(The completed model is here:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2023/12/fg-1d-corsair-racer-lucky-gallon-cook.html

“Para bailar la bamba se necesita una poca de gracia y otra cosita”.

And paraphrasing, to build this Corsair racer you would need just a bit of work and a few other things:

- Get the decal set from Draw Decals*

- Get a Corsair kit that has the frameless bubble canopy

- Discard anything military from the kit

- Remove military surface detail (chutes, armament attaching points, gun throughs, etc.)

- Modify the leading edge intakes according to photos (partially blanked off)

- Remove arrestor hook and modify tailwheel doors and fuselage tail accordingly, fill the gap left by the hook

- Fabricate and add an air intake trunk under the cowl following photos

- Discard antennas

- Delete formation and landing lights from wing

- Fill, if your kit has it, the step on the flap section closer to the fuselage on the right wing

- Fill the hole for the discarded sight on the inst. Pan.

*If you are using the Draw Decals sheet, here are some notes:

A) The rendition of the shape of the color area on the aircraft’s belly is not accurate and it doesn't match the side view.

B) You will have to paint the color areas creating your own masks.

C) The hub and spinner of the prop are not metal color, but black like the rest of the prop (minus the blade tips, which were yellow). In one color photo the small spinner is red, in another black.

D) The registrations on the wing, looking at photos, seem to run parallel to the leading edge, and not perpendicular to the plane's axis. Your choice.

“Lucky Gallon” finished 6th in the 1946 Cleveland Air Races piloted by Cook Cleland. I have chosen, for no particular reason, the Tamiya kit for this build. As I do not build military models, I am not really knowledgeable on war types, thus I am mostly unaware of the advantages, disadvantages or accuracy issues related to any of the brands that produce this type of kit. What I love to do is to provide these types with a second life under a different light.

Here are some of the conversions of war planes to racers:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2023/08/bell-p-63-kingcobra-hosler-sohio-racer.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2023/08/hi-time-ii-mustang-reno-racer-academy.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2023/07/bell-p-39-airacobra-cobra-i-racer.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2023/07/bell-p-39-airacobra-cobra-ii-racer-arma.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2023/03/mustang-beguine-racer-converted-arma.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2022/02/hawker-hurricane-g-amau-racer-acdemy.html

http://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2013/05/rareplanes-172-vacuformed-seversky-p-35.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2018/08/fiat-br20a-istres-damascus-paris-racer.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2015/04/savoia-marcehtti-s79-corsa-completed.html

http://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2017/06/hawker-hart-racer-completed-arctic.html

This is my first Tamiya kit, renown among modelers for their fit, and I can say that I very much agree with them, as the engineering, molding, detail and fit are really nice. For all the good things, the instrument panel is pretty sad (just circular poke marks), and not even a decal for it is provided. I purchased a Yahu panel to solve that issue, plus an Eduard set of canopy masks to make my life easier as none are provided with kit. Seat belts may have to be substituted if you don’t want use the rather unrealistic decals for them. Pity these mainstream brands -that seem to consistently provide such quality- dedicate their efforts mainly to not-civil types.

As this kit is not new (released in 2000 according to Scalemates) and thoroughly known, I won’t bother much with the usual images and presentation. The succinct guide provided above should give and idea of the scope of the modifications needed.

Parts prepared:

Basic airbrushing:

Deleting part of the military detail on the lower wing:

More detail not pertinent to the racer deleted, further painting, some sub-assemblies in progress:

Transparencies already prepared. Don't forget this plane had the bubble without the extra framing:

A bit more airbrushing:

The guns are plugged, the air intakes partially blanked following photos. That little tab has to be deleted too:

The seat is given home-made belts. The cockpit in this kit is such a clever arrangement. As explained, waiting now for a Yahu inst. panel to cure the rather sad kit's rendition:

Now the puttying, sanding and re-scribing can begin:

Time ago, I made another of Cleland's Corsairs (N.A.R. 1949), based on the rather problematic Special Hobby kit:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2014/05/special-hobby-172-f2g-supercorsair.html

Man how I wish Tamiya would release a F2G racer!

Being mostly a scratchbuilder and kit-converting kind of modeler, tackling every possible media from all the ages of kit-making and many brands, for more decades than I wish to confess, it seems kind of silly that it just dawned on me "-Oh, this Tamiya kits are nice!". The explanation, given already above, is that I associated the brand with military types out of my sphere of interest, therefore I never -until now- bought a single kit from them. It would be interesting to see what they have in terms of potential civil conversions, as -judging only from this experience- they seem to be very nice. I am not a detail freak, but surely I am grateful when the fit in a kit is good, as I rather employ my modeling hours to convert, add detail, and modify than to fix kits' shenanigans.

With everything else more or less ready, just waiting for that aftermarket inst. pan. now to proceed with the main assembly and general painting:

The instrument panel arrived. Notice the spelling of Tamiya:

A nice little thing, ready to glue on:

The main components are assembled. The module behind the cockpit that allows Tamiya to produce different versions is not a good fit, being noticeably smaller than it should, producing a visible step that will necessitate energetic sanding and re-scribing. The wing fit is fair, without being exceptional, and the horizontal tail is a very loose fit, all this in contrast with the fit in the build so far, which was excellent. Now the characteristic shape of the Corsair starts to emerge:

This kit had a tailhook, so the tailwheel doors have to be cut and modified, and the recess in the tailcone filled:

The cooling gills at the bottom need partial removal to make way for the air intake trunk added to the racer:

To make the air intake trunk a section of U channel styrene is used:

And to make the other end the channel is cut and bent:

Preparing the line-up:

A paper tube is used to mask the interior paint of the cowl:

A coat of primer:

A coat of gloss white in preparation for the cream color:

Cream color applied:

Making the patterns for the painting masks. I wish I would like computers and programs, but the truth is that I utterly hate them, so no Silhouette plotter for me, just the ole fingers and scissors:

I think, following photos, that this is what the paint scheme should look like. The regs should follow the leading edge angle, and the dark red on the belly should follow more or less what's added to the photocopy -sort of echoing the curves on the top on the nose. Other modelers have caught this too and completed their models accordingly:

Masks are cut using the patterns:

And after a bit laborious masking session the dark red color is airbrushed. Humbrol ivory was used for the background. The red I used (Humbrol 20) looked dark, but could have been darkened a bit more. Humbrol ivory is a very inconsistent color, and depending on the batch it will be lighter or darker: