1:48 Vought Corsair II

The Corsair under the British flag

The Royal Navy took the American Vought F4U carrier fighter over from overseas deliveries and gave it a name of its own. With the Royal Navy the designation Corsair II corresponded to machines of the F4U-1A series. British carriers had lower hangar decks than American ones, and so the wingtips of these aircraft were shortened. A trim of roughly twenty centimeters on each side surprisingly helped on the approach to the deck as well, because it smoothed the behavior of the machine just before touchdown.

The sheet holds markings for three particular aircraft with serials of the JT series:

• the machine of No. 1834 Squadron from the deck of HMS Victorious with the code 13-7/P
• the aircraft of No. 738 Squadron of 1944 carrying the code 3BB
• the Corsair of No. 757 Squadron from HMS Unicorn, June 1944, code P54

The combination of a combat squadron and two training units is interesting for a collection in showing the same type in two roles. Training machines tended to be more worn and their markings differed from front-line ones in details that are set apart on the sheet.

In the second half of the war the British naval squadrons had a different structure from the ground units of the Royal Air Force, and numbers above eight hundred belonged to units set up directly for carrier service. Anyone who chooses the first subject is building a machine from a combat ship, while the other two are about support and training.

Workmanship: the printing is in register, the film is thin and the backing paper stands warm water. The base must be glossy, otherwise matte edges will appear under the decal. On the panel lines and the wing bands a softener helps. The model of the aircraft itself and the paints are not included in the package.