Is the new Trumpeter F4U-4 Corsair worth it?

Eric,

Congrats on the new baby. My wife and I aren't quite at that point yet, but we're planning on getting there before too long. I've had to take a vacation from modeling 'cause we bought a house and I was fixing it up so we could move in. We're finally there, and come hell or high water, I'm going to work on my model tonight!

Anyway, check out this long-term build of the Trumpeter Corsair:
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http://m2reviews.cnsi.net/scotts/korean/32f4u4.htm
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You can drop the reviewer an e-mail and I'm sure he'll answer your questions. He's the webmaster of the excellent Modeling Madness web site (http://www.modelingmadness.com).

Regards,

-Drew

Trumpeter's F4U-4, simply put, is AWESOME! The shape is (generally) spot-on, and it has enough working doo-dads and internal details to keep most die hard gear-heads in ecstacy. Out of the box, it builds into one very impressive bird.
Now, here are the nits:
While the engine comprises a whopping 75 or so parts, there's still room for a ton of detailing because the cowl still looks empty. Also, the duct for the oil cooler is not provided, and the cowl opening is blanked off. Cowl flaps are missing the inner closure pieces, resulting in a "gap-toothed" appearance.
The cockpit is very good and accurate for the marque, but again, looks somehow empty. It really needs a good set of seatbelts, and the armament panels above the instrument panel are missing completely.
The gunbays are stuffed full of guns and ammo belts. The doors that cover these items are separate items and do not fit very well, however, making it difficult to build the kit with everything buttoned up.
The main landing gear door/speed brake panels are undersized. They fit the cutouts in the wing precisely, which means making new panels, cutting out the wing openings and rescribing some misplaced detail. The MLG wheels are somehow "not right", and the tires are vinyl (which bothers some people).
While none of these glitches is unsurmountable, you should be aware of them before plunking down your bucks. Personally, I probably won't buy more than a dozen.

Just my humble dos pesos on the subject
Phil Schenfeld - Bent Wings f'rever

Hi Eric,
The reality of the situation is that if you want an accurate cockpit you would be wise to invest in either the Black Box or Verlinden cockpit set. I believe that both are for the -1D and there is a difference from the -4. It would be nice to see somebody like Aires come out with an update set that covers the cockpit and engine bay. No matter how you slice it if you want real detail you're probably looking at a $100 project. Or you could get the Tamiya 1/48 scale kit and the Aires update set and spend $75 to $80. It's not cheap no matter how you look at it. Touch decision but there you have it.
Good luck with your decision!
Dave

Hey Eric,
Congrats on the lil bundle of joy!! I bet I know what her first words will be.....Airplane.
What more can I say about the Corsair but AWESOME. All the control surfaces are seperate and if I'm not mistaken, you have a choice to fold the wings.
I did take a look see and BOY, its a beaut.. Heck I bought their new P-40B and this kit is again AWESOME..!!
You wont be disappointed in the kit believe me and if for some reason if you do not like it, I'm your long lost brother, Remember we had different mothers together....LOL
Enjoy the dad hood and go out and get yourself a 32nd Corsair.
Flaps up, Mike

As the others have said, oh yeah, it's worth it. Way worth it. About as worth it as any kit you'll run across. Big time worth it. Powerful worth it.
Is it perfect?
Nope.
Show me a kit that is!
But is it worth it?
Ooooooooh yeah!

My buddy picked one up not too long ago, he said it is an awesome kit and worth the price. Go for it.

I need to stop doing this late at night. It's a "tough" decision and not a "touch" decision.
It's a personal decision as to if it's worth it or not. For me if I didn't already have a lot invested in the Tamiya 1/48 kits and related aftermarket sets I'd jump on this Trumpeter kit, grab a cockpit update set, and either wait for some other update sets to come around or scratch build the rest. It's a great platform for a truely awesome project.

Back to the cockpit again, one amazing thing about the Corsair is that the pilot while flying the plane can get out of the seat, put his feet down on the fuselage floor and stand straight up without hitting his head on the canopy. My friend who flew them said he used to do this on long hops. It was a nice way to stretch. While I didn't do that while sitting in the one below I have no problem believing that. With a kit this large my personal opinion is that the update sets will capture the depth of the cockpit, and to me it's one of the more interesting aspects about the Corsair.

Best of luck!
Dave

Thanks to all who responded. You've convinced me to go out and get it today. And with today being the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brother's flight, I would have to say, "What would Wilber and Orville do?" They would get the Corsair! I just got my MasterCard bill yesterday. It was $700. Oh well. So what's another $60 anyway? I estimate that I won't get to build this kit until sometime around 2013 but at least I'll have it before it goes "OOP".

Also, thanks for the well wishes on the birth of my little girl. I'd give up my models for her.

Best wishes,

Eric

Hey, I got really good and combining 3 a.m. feeding seesions with building. You will be amazed at what you can accomplish with one hand. Who knows, she may become a model addict too. Have fun with both the Baby and Corsair.

Again,congrats on your new arrival. Your modeling will suffer greatly for the next two years or longer if another should bless you and your wife.

short and sweet, Yes. The kit is good. I have one and there are no real problems. There is a full write-up on hyper scale that includes pics by a guy that is building it right now.

Once you have finished it I have one piece of advice; LOCK YOUR HOBBY ROOM.
Trust me!

Drew

"The kit is good. I have one and there are no real problems. There is a full write-up on hyper scale that includes pics by a guy that is building it right now. "
Actually, the F4U-4 online build by Scott Van Aken is at Modeling Madness(www.modelingmadness.com)

HTH
Phil Schenfeld