1:32 F4U-1A CORSAIR

The Corsair with the raised cockpit

The F4U-1A version put right what pilots minded most on the first Corsairs: the seat was set higher and the cage-like glazing was replaced by a framed sliding canopy with a better view over the long cowling of the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial. The cranked wing stayed. It was with this form of the machine that the VF-17 unit flew its best-known fights over the Solomons and the Corsair stopped being regarded as an aircraft that could not be safely put down on a deck.

How a mask works on a curve

The set carries four national insignia masks, that is more than most sheets of this series. There is a practical reason for that: the roundels of the Corsair lie on surfaces that are not flat. The insignia on the wing runs across the crank of the leading edge, the one on the fuselage across the curves above the wing. Masking film has to stretch in such a place, and it is therefore applied from the center toward the edges, in segments, so that the material does not go wavy.

• four national insignia stencils for the fuselage and the wing
• two glazing cuts, one outer and one inner
• decals for the remaining markings

Where the limit is

On a sharp transition, for instance across a raised panel, the film cannot be stretched indefinitely and there a decal with a softener tends to be kinder. The set therefore combines both and leaves it to the builder which insignia to do with which. It is also worth reckoning that a sprayed roundel needs a smooth, degreased finish beneath it. On a roughened surface the film does not cling along the whole edge and the paint gets under it precisely in the curves, where it shows most. The aircraft model is not included.