1:48 Vought F4U-1A Corsair

The white 29 of the Jolly Rogers

Ira Cassius Kepford flew with the American naval squadron VF-17, known as the Jolly Rogers after its skull badge. The unit operated Corsairs from bases in the Solomon Islands and escorted strikes against the Japanese stronghold of Rabaul. During those battles Kepford became the most successful pilot of the whole squadron and his aircraft is one of the most frequently modeled machines of the Pacific war.

Two aircraft, one number

The markings on the sheet belong to two different aircraft of the F4U-1A version. The older one is captured in February 1944, the later one in March of the same year, and although their serial numbers differ, both carried the same white number 29. A pair of models therefore shows how personal markings moved from a worn-out machine to a newly taken-over one.

How to apply them

• Coat the base with gloss varnish so that no air pockets remain under the film
• Cut the motif out close to the edge and soak it in lukewarm water
• Fine-tune the position with a damp brush and draw the excess water off with paper
• Finally even the surface out with matte varnish

Why the F4U-1A version

The earliest Corsairs had the cockpit under a heavily framed canopy, because of which the pilot could barely see forward when settling onto the deck. It was the F4U-1A version that received a bulged canopy and a raised seat, so that the machine could finally be used more easily from a ship as well. Even so, VF-17 won most of its victories from land airfields in the area.

What you receive is the sheet alone, with markings for two aircraft. The kit and the paints have to be obtained separately.