Tamiya 61070 - 1/48 F4U-1A Corsair  [61070]

Towards Vought F4U-1A Corsair

After suffering hefty losses towards the Japanese Navy's Zero fighters in the very early stages of this Pacific War, the U.S. Navy became dedicated to developing new fighters effective at turning the tides of aerial combat. Those types of fighters was the Corsair, first developed to be a high speed, carrier borne aircraft. Built around the newest Pratt & Whitney R-2800 2000hp engine, and switching the largest propeller ever mounted on a fighter plane (4m dia.), this gull-winged wonder was destined become a success.
In June 1942, the F4U-1 production models made their maiden flight. However, due to their restricted forward industry of view, and as a result of a propeller clean impact caused them to stall left wing first during low rate landings, they very first had been used as land based fighters. Succeeding the F4U-1 within the summer of 1943 ended up being the F4U-1A, that has been built with an extended rear wheel landing gear shaft, a somewhat modified glazed canopy, and a small triangular strip of steel bolted to the right leading edge regarding the wing to equalize the stall and prevent the roll left at touch-down.

Despite these improvements, the new F6F Hell Cat had been adopted because the primary carrier-borne aircraft, and the very first combat Corsairs became relegated to land based US Marine squadrons into the South Pacific. Significant Boyington and second Lieutenant Hanson of the U.S. Marines, Lt. Kepford associated with the Navy along with other ace-pilots, bravely travelled the F4U-1A into fierce air-combats, overwhelming the Japanese Zero fighters with tremendous top rate and six 12.7mm heavy machine weapons.