1/72 HobbyBoss F4U-4 Corsair

Chad,

You're right.  I just went to the mail box and my letters and numbers decals were there, so once the canopy mask gets here later in the week, I'll get back to work on this build.  I'm just going to correct the K on the tail and leave it at that.  While it's possible that Brown's and Hudner's aircraft had the VF-32 designator on it, based on the pictures I've found of other planes in the squadron that didn't have it, I'm going to leave it off.  Same with the bureau numbers under the tail.  I just looked at the decals and 6inch numbers in 1/72 are TINY!  I am glad they didn't go to four inch numbers.  Pretty sure that I couldn't have done the bureau numbers and made them look good.

Everything you lay down against a glossy blue base is going to stick out like a sore thumb. Better to have it right than wrong for sure. I think you could get away with minor inaccuracies on a Bf 109 with a densely mottled finish! 

Chad,

Thank, but is it going through the ringer when the wounds are self inflicted?  The paint thing is a minor setback.  Since the Hobby Boss kit is basically a solid hunk of plastic, I had no qualms about throwing it into the purple lake.  Had this happened with a more complex kit, I probably would have either binned it or boxed it up (probably scavenged it for drop tanks and ordnance and binned the rest).  What I don't understand is why the decal accuracy bothers me, when normally I wouldn't give it a second thought (or call someone out for it when I don't have proof that their build is any less accurate than the one I'm building).  Sorry for the rant.  While I I'm waiting for the mask and decals to arrive, I think I'll finish up a couple of Tamiya Mustangs that I started in either 2004 or 2005 as part of our club build for the Atlanta Nationals in 2005.

Buddy, your Corsair has been through the ringer for sure!

A bit of an update.  Since the Starfighter Decals set doesn't have the bureau numbers for Brown's and Hudner's aircraft, I exercised my googlefu and found a site that had the numbers for both.  The site also said that Brown's and Hudner's aircraft also carried the VF-32 markings underneath the Stars and Bars on the fuselage.  I also talked with friends more knowledgeable than I on the subject, and they said that the markings should be there.  I made a comment in my last post about Frank's build being possibly marked incorrectly.  I apologise for making that statement since I don't have the proof to back it up.  I ordered some white letter decals to fix the problem with the K on the tail.  I hoped that there would be letters and numbers small enough on the sheets to do the bureau numbers, but I found out that those were four inch letters and the smallest on the sheet are six inches.  Honestly, even if the decal sheet came with four inch letters, I don't know if I could see well enough to pull it off.  I had a couple of problems painting the model.  I've always had problems painting Glossy Dark Sea Blue, turns out I wasn't thinking it enough.  The second problem came from an improperly set up compressor.  I had basically restricted the airflow to almost nothing and the airbrush could barely shoot  paint (I've always used cans of air, so this is my first attempt at setting up a compressor).  I talked with a friend who gave me some idea on things to check and I was able to get it up and running properly.  I didn't dial the air pressure back (was set at 30psi), and it was basically like using a water hose in a a water gun fight.  I holding the airbrush too close to the model and it went on way too heavy.  I didn't get any runs, but it was thick enough in some spots to fill in the lightly engraved panel lines.  In getting her ready for a dunk in the purple lake, I broke the canopy when I removed it.  Fortunately, there's a second canopy included in the kit and I found a mask for it on evilbay.  As soon as it and the decals get here, I'll pull it out of the purple lake and finish her.  Pics eventually.

Thanks Frank.  That's a nice build you've got there.  Seeing your build sent me down the markings rabbit hole as yours are different from mine.  I did find a restored -7 in Brown's markings, which your build duplicates.  I did manage to find a couple of period pics of other planes in the squadron which seems to show that neither of us will have an accurately marked aircraft.  On the Starfighter Decals sheet that I'm using, the K code on the tail is too small and there are no bureau numbers under the tail.  Here's the pics.

Should be finished painting today.  I'll let it sit overnight and apply the gloss coat tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to seeing the finished airplane, lewbud. I built Jesse Brown's Corsair two years ago using Hasegawa's 1/48 F4U-4 Kit. The decals are from Cutting Edge.