Kit: No. 11617
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Minicraft Models, P.O. Box 3577, Torrance, CA 90510, phone 310-325-8383
Price: $15
Comments: Injection molded, 89 parts, decals.

The night-fighter F4U-5N Corsair holds a unique place in aviation history. In the days of Sabre and Panther jets, U.S. Navy Lt. Guy Bordelon, flying his prop-driven Corsair, became the only Navy ace of the Korean War. He shot down five prop-driven night intruders, known as “bedcheck Charlies,” near American air bases.

Minicraft’s new kit is the first of this version in 1/48 scale. It features recessed panel lines that are crisp in some areas, and soft in others, and some panel lines disappear. The rudder hinge line is a wide channel that needs to be reshaped to better represent the aerodynamic leading edge of the rudder. A two-piece radome is provided for the right wing, and underwing fuel tanks, bombs, and rockets are included. Optional gunsights and flash-hiding exhaust stubs also are provided. The two-piece canopy is clear but a bit distorted. Markings are for Bordelon’s “Annie Mo.”.

The overall fit is good. The cockpit has the proper floor (early Corsair cockpits had no floor, but foot troughs for the pilot). Decals provide the instruments and console details. I like the representation of the engine, and the forward section of the fuselage has the correct nearly flat-bottomed, pear-shaped cross section.

There’s not much detail in the shallow wheel wells, and the landing-gear struts are simplified. However, the gear doors have good interior detail, and the tires are molded with a flat spot so the model can “sit” properly. After a coat of glossy dark sea blue, the decals went on without problems. Minicraft did a good job representing Bordelon’s subdued markings.

The finished model looks sharp, but there are outline problems. The F4U-5 Corsair had a slightly lengthened fuselage – about 8″ added ahead of the wing and behind the fire wall to make room for the larger two-stage supercharger. The model comes up six scale inches short. The fuselage extension was not included, but the cowl is a couple of scale inches too long. This doesn’t seem like much, but it makes the nose look too short. “Cheek” intakes on the front of the cowl are too small, the canopy sits too high on the fuselage, and the blister for the raised headrest is too large. Also, the center panel of the windscreen should be flat. The night fighter’s gun-muzzle flash hiders were not included in the kit.

Enlargements of the 1/72 scale drawings by A. Granger in Aerodata International U.S. Navy Carrier Fighters of World War II (Squadron/Signal) and photos in several books were my references.

I spent 16 hours on my Corsair, pretty quick, but I didn’t try to correct the outline errors. Beginners will find the kit trouble free, though.

– Bill Gebhard