Italeri's 1:72 F4U-4B Corsair

By Chris Bucholtz

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The Aircraft

Although there were later Corsairs, many pilots will tell you that the F4U-4 was the best of the breed. Powered by a 2,450-horsepower R-2800-18W with water-methanol injection, the Dash-4 had 200 more horsepower than earlier Corsairs and was the first to swing a four-bladed propeller. The new R-2800 required the addition of a distinctive forward-jutting chin scoop to the previous cylindrical cowling. It also incorporated modifications that made it better at ground attack, including inboard hardpoints that could each support a 1000-pound bomb and 10 wing pylons for rockets or small antipersonnel weapons, and the F4U-4B packed a greater punch in the form of four 20mm cannon. Later models introduced a flat windscreen for improved visibility. Most importantly, these changes were made without adding undue complexity to the Corsair.

In Korea, the Corsair provided the backbone of Navy and Marine striking power, and the Dash-4 proved its value many times over. Its ruggedness and reliability was such that most squadrons who deployed with the newer, more complex F4U-5 opted to bring the F4U-4 back for their second tours. The Dash-4 was easier to maintain, stood up to the harsh Korean weather better, and fared just as well as the F4U-5 in combat. It was the mount of heroic Navy pilots like Jesse L. Brown, who became the first African-American naval aviator with VF-32, and his squadronmate Tom Hudner. When Brown was shot down and crash landed near the Chosin Reservoir in December 1950, Hudner made a heroic attempt to save Brown by intentionally crashing his own Corsair nearby and trying to pull Brown free, an act for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. In another remarkable incident, Marine Captain Jesse Folmar shot down a MiG-15 in a Dash-4 Corsair.

The Kit

Until now, the only F4U-4 kit widely available in 1:72 was the Matchbox kit, which was not one of their better efforts. This new kit from Italeri is a much nicer kit, but only if you overlook a collection of inaccuracies which render the model a replica of a generic Corsair rather than a distinctive Dash-4. The first sign of trouble is the boxtop, which identifies the model as an 'F-4 U4-B.' In my experience, if the manufacturer doesn't care enough to get the name right, the contents of the box are bound to be disappointing. This kit further verifies that truism.

We've all read of aircraft that were doomed because they were designed to do too much. That also neatly summarizes Italeri's Corsair family. This kit has a new fuselage but keeps all the other components of Italeri's other Corsairs, most of which disqualify it as a Dash-4. The enclosed cockpit is a good place to start. This feature was not introduced until the F4U-5. The outer wing is metal-covered, and this again is a Dash-5 feature totally incorrect for the Dash-4. The rocket pylons are evenly spaced; in real life, the fourth pylon was stepped forward. And the distinctive chin scoop that is the Dash-4's chief identifying characteristic? It's represented by a shallow scoop that is flush with the front of the cowling. What is especially galling is that the boxtop profile art has this feature represented correctly - someone at Italeri was paying attention, but unfortunately not the people who actually designed the kit.

The rest of the kit has the same problems as previous Italeri Corsairs. The propeller is an abomination and looks like nothing ever attached to the front of any Corsair. The wheel wells are unrealistically shallow and are filled with exaggerated ribbing that would have prevented the wheels from fitting into the bays. The R-2800 is noticeably undersized. The blown canopy is too large and the clear parts are very thick. Sink marks mar the drop tank and inboard pylons. The wings have most of the pylon holes flashed over, but four are open, defeating the purpose of flashed-over holes. The wheel well doors have nice detail on their interior sides, but there are ejector pin marks mixed in with the detail that will be very hard to clean up.

There are some good things about the kit. The rockets are nice, once you remove the two ejector pin marks on each one, and the two 500-pound bombs look serviceable. The sway braces for these bombs are also a nice touch. The main gear and tail wheel are well-executed, too.

The decals provide three options, all Korean War Corsairs: F4U-4Bs from two Marine units - VMA 323 and the 'Polka Dots' of VMA-332 - and a Navy aircraft from VF-53. The sloppiness carries over to the decals; the Navy aircraft's BuNo block proudly proclaims MARINES, perhaps the most egregious error to former Navy and Marine airdales! To build an accurate F4U-4 from this kit, you'll need to replace the chin scoop, outer wings, cockpit, canopy, engine and propeller. All those trouble spots actually make the Academy or Hasegawa F4U-1, with the correct wings and canopy but the wrong cowling, propeller and windscreen, closer to an F4U-4 than this kit.

Conclusion

A short-run company might be excused for such mistakes. No, take that back; most short-run companies truly care about their subjects. The Italeri Corsairs have had such an unflagging streak of gross errors, over-done detail, flawed decals and incorrect proportions that it's obvious that whoever is in charge of the Corsair series simply doesn't care enough about the subject to get it right. One hopes that Italeri hasn't poisoned the well for other manufacturers who might plan to make a 1:72 kit of this heroic bird. Heaven knows it wouldn't take much to top this very disappointing effort.