1:72 Vought F4U-4, Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF), 1953

[Dizzyfugu]

1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr



Some background:
Shortly after the end of World War II, the South Korean Air Construction Association was founded on August 10, 1946, to publicize the importance of air power. Despite the then-scanty status of Korean armed forces, the first air unit was formed on May 5, 1948, under the direction of Dong Wi-bu, the forerunner to the modern South Korean Ministry of National Defense. On September 13, 1949, the United States contributed 10 L-4 Grasshopper observation aircraft to the South Korean air unit. An Army Air Academy was founded in January 1949, and the ROKAF was officially founded in October 1949.

The 1950s were a critical time for the ROKAF as it expanded tremendously during the Korean War. At the outbreak of the war, the ROKAF consisted of 1,800 personnel but was equipped with only 20 trainers and liaison aircraft, including 10 North American T-6 Texan advanced trainers purchased from Canada. The North Korean air force had acquired a considerable number of Yak-9 and La-7 fighters from the Soviet Union, dwarfing the ROKAF in terms of size and strength. However, in the course of the war the ROKAF acquired 110 aircraft from the USA which equipped three fighter squadrons and one fighter wing. The first combat aircraft received were North American F-51D Mustangs, along with a contingent of US Air Force instructor pilots, as part of Bout One Project.


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


From the start of the Korean War, the Mustang proved useful. A "substantial number" of stored or in-service F-51Ds were shipped, via aircraft carriers, to the combat zone, and were used by the USAF, the South African Air Force, and the ROKAF. The F-51 was used for ground attack, fitted with rockets and bombs, and photo reconnaissance, rather than as interceptors or "pure" fighters. However, the losses of the rather fragile Mustang due to AA fire and even through small caliber weapons were high – especially the ventral radiator for the liquid-cooled engine turned out to be highly vulnerable.
After the first North Korean invasion, USAF units were forced to fly from bases in Japan and the F-51Ds, with their long range and endurance, could attack targets in Korea that short-ranged F-80 jets could not. Due to its lighter structure and a shortage of spare parts, the newer, faster F-51H was not used in Korea, and the F-47 Thunderbolt, which would have been better suited for most typical missions over the Korean peninsula, was not available in sufficient numbers to employ them overseas.

Nevertheless, the ROKAF participated with its F-51s in bombing operations and flew independent sorties. The only other suitable piston engine aircraft at hand and available in sufficient numbers was the Vought F4U Corsair. As ROKAF F-51 losses rose, a handful of F4U-4s were transferred in 1952 to fill these operational gaps. These were revamped USN and USMC aircraft from local field workshops that had been damaged and grounded through enemy fire or accidents, replaced in American service with new machines from overseas.


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The F4U-4 was the last Corsair variant that had been introduced during WWII, but it only saw action during the final weeks of the conflict. At the outbreak of the Korean War, it was the USN and USMC's most common carrier-borne aircraft. It had a 2,100 hp (1,600 kW) dual-stage-supercharged -18W engine, and when the cylinders were injected with the water/alcohol mixture, power was boosted to 2,450 hp (1,830 kW). The aircraft required an air scoop under the nose and the unarmored wing fuel tanks of 62 US gal (230 L) capacities were removed for better maneuverability at the expense of maximum range. The partly fabric-covered outer wings from the former Corsair versions were retained. To better cope with the additional power, the propeller was changed to a four-blade type. Maximum speed was increased to 448 miles per hour (721 km/h) and climb rate to over 4,500 feet per minute (1,400 m/min) as opposed to the 2,900 feet per minute (880 m/min) of the F4U-1A. Other detail improvements were introduced with the F4U-4, too: The windscreen was now flat bullet-resistant glass to avoid optical distortion, a change from the curved Plexiglas windscreens with the internal plate glass of the earlier Corsairs. The cockpit hood was furthermore without bracing and slightly bulged, similar to the P-51B/Cs' Malcolm hood, to give the pilot a better field of view, esp. backwards.

The "4-Hog" retained the original armament of six 0.5" machine guns and had all the external load (i.e., drop tanks, bombs) capabilities of the F4U-1D. A major sub-type, the F4U-4B, was the same but featured an alternate gun armament of four 20 millimeters (0.79 in) AN/M3 cannon, 300 were built. The F4U-4P was a rare photo reconnaissance variant (only eleven were built) with an additional camera compartment in the rear fuselage, but fully combat-capable. The F4U-4 was the oldest active Corsair variant during the Korean War, and new post-WWII variants like the AU-1 for the USMC, optimized for ground attacks and low-level operations, or the F4U-5 and its F4U-5N night fighter sub-variant with onboard radar, were exclusively used by American forces.


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The ROKAF Corsairs were constantly and heavily used. They operated primarily as fighter bombers because of the type's ability to absorb a lot of damage and to carry up to 4,000 lb of ordnance on centerline and underwing pylon racks. The machines, all standard F4U-4s with six machine guns to maintain ammunition commonality with the F-51Ds, were allocated to ROKAF 1 Squadron. They equipped a dedicated attack wing within the unit and were flown by both South Korean and American pilots. To differentiate them from American machines, the first Korean F4U-4s were stripped off of their characteristic allover dark blue paint, received large ROKAF roundels on fuselage and wings and colorful ID-markings. These included a yellow band around the fuselage, a large "K" on the fin, and a red ring around the cowling as a unit identifier. Some machines featured additional individual highlights, like colored fin tips and tail sections, some had the canopy frame painted in individual colors, too, or had taglines (in Hangul writing) added on the flanks.
Major maintenance and repairs were, however, still carried out by American personnel at USMC workshops, so that transfer flights were common practice and limited the number of operational machines to only about half a dozen at a time. As battle damage and losses were frequent, repairs with cannibalized parts from American aircraft and full replacements with revamped or operational American F4U-4s were common – resulting in a large variety of liveries within the unit, as some machine retained the American all-blue paint scheme or received blue replacement parts to speed up repairs.
Due to this practice the exact number of ROKAF Corsairs until the end of hostilities in mid-1953 remains uncertain. However, less than 25 documented complete airframes were supplied in total, and no more than 15 machines were active at any time.


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Together with Mustangs, the Corsairs continued flying with USAF, USN, USMC and other ROKAF fighter-bomber units on close support and interdiction missions in Korea until July 1953, when the fighting ended and the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed. By then, most piston engine fighter bombers had been largely replaced by USAF F-84s and by United States Navy (USN) Grumman F9F Panthers. After the war, the ROKAF quickly switched to F-86 Sabre fighters and all ROKAF F4Us were scrapped by late 1953 as they were regarded as outdated and disposable.


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr



General characteristics:
    Crew: One
    Length: 33 ft 8 in (10.26 m)
    Wingspan: 41 ft 0 in (12.50 m)
    Height: 14 ft 9 in (4.50 m)
    Wing area: 314 sq ft (29.17 m²)
    Empty weight: 9,205 lb (4,238 kg)
    Gross weight: 14,670 lb (6,654 kg)
    Max takeoff weight: 14,533 lb (6,592 kg)

Powerplant:
    1× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-18W radial engine with 2,100 hp (1,600 kW),
        temporary 2,450 hp (1,830 kW) output when boosted with water/alcohol injection,
        driving a 4-bladed propeller

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 446 mph (717 km/h, 385 kn) at sea level
    Cruise speed: 215 mph (346 km/h, 187 kn) at sea level
    Stall speed: 89 mph (143 km/h, 77 kn)
    Range with internal fuel, clean: 1,005 mi (1,617 km, 873 nmi)
    Combat range with max. ordnance: 328 mi (528 km, 285 nmi)
    Service ceiling: 41,500 ft (12,600 m)
    Rate of climb: 4,360 ft/min (22.1 m/s)

Armament:
    6× 0.5 in (12,7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in the outer wings, 400 RPG
    11× hardpoints under the wings and the fuselage for a total ordnance of 4,000 pounds,
    including drop tanks, up to 8× 5 in (12.7 cm) high velocity aircraft rockets and/or bombs or
    napalm tanks of up to 1.000 lb (454 kg) caliber



The kit and its assembly:
This what-if model was spawned from a leftover decal sheet from an Academy F-51D kit, which features markings for South Korean aircraft from the Korean War. This made me wonder if there could have been another type supplied to the South Korean forces beyond the Mustang? A fighter bomber would have made sense, and the P/F-47 was an immediate favorite. However, this was quickly discarded since maintenance and supplies for another type in the theatre would have been very complicated, and the potential, small number would also make no sense. So, I looked for alternatives and eventually settled upon the F4U from American sources. The F4U-4 was chosen because it was the oldest type in service at the time, and from there the model unspun almost naturally.

Another selling point for the F4U-4 was that I had a respective Hobby Boss kit in store without a proper plan yet. Since I did not want to change much about the aircraft to represent a former USN/USMC aircraft, I built the simple Hobby Boss kit almost OOB. Purists will certainly look down upon the toylike Hobby Boss offering – and you must not take a close look, esp. at the interior details. But when you only want a "canvas", the kit is not too bad. You get fine recessed panels, a clear canopy (over a rudimentary cockpit without leg room but with separate gunsight!) in two pieces and a closed single-piece alternative, and the kit's construction with good fit leaves almost no seam to sand or fill. The fabric-covered outer wing panels are there, but they are IMHO exaggerated and very deep, as if they had been made from corrugated sheet metal?


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The weakest point is the kit's HVAR armament: It comes with eight unguided missiles that are molded onto their launch rails (with separate tail fins, though), and the gap between the two small pylons that hold the rail under the wing in real life are molded into a single massive and deep piece. These pylons are to be mounted into 2mm wide and just as deep "slots" in the lower wing surface – a very crude and toylike solution. Even though I'd have liked to use the HVARs on the model (after all, it's supposed to be a fighter bomber), I omitted them altogether and filled up the slots. To keep the attack profile visible, I cut the small pylons off from the OOB drop tanks and replaced them with American 750 lb (340 kg) M117 bombs from the spares bin – they look modern, but they were actually introduced during the Korea War.


Painting and markings:
Well, F4Us handed over from American to Korean units would certainly have left them in their typical all-blue paint scheme, with the "Stars and Bars" simply replaced by the South Korean "yin-yang" symbol and former tactical markings painted over. The ex-American F-51s were handled in a similar fashion, just that they came from overstock in bare metal finish.
To provide the ROKAF F4U with an individual touch I decided to strip the original Navy paint off and give it an NMF with colorful markings similar to the Mustangs. And for a weirdo touch the outer foldable wings would become blue donor parts from an American Corsair, together with a single rudder on the stabilizer.


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The bare metal fuselage was painted with Revell 99 (Aluminum), post-shaded with Humbrol 27001 (Matt Aluminum MetalCote); the dark blue sections, including the landing gear, were painted with FS 35042 (Modelmaster 1718), the fabric-covered rudders on the tail with Humbrol 56 (Aluminum Dope). The landing gear wells and the cockpit were painted with Humbrol 80 (Grass Green) to simulate Zinc Chromate primer. To hide the lack of space inside of the cowling its interior walls were painted in a darker shade of green, with a dark grey engine block.
An olive drab anti-glare panel was added in front of the windscreen, the red unit markings on cowling, fin and tail tip were painted with Humbrol 19. The yellow ID fuselage band was created with decal sheet.


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The ROKAF roundels came from the aforementioned Academy Mustang kit – and, yes, some ROKAF machines had national markings in six places instead of the US-style four. The tagline on the cowling comes from the same sheet, and it might read "I fly with confidence!" (uncertain, though). The tactical codes were created with single USAF 45° numbers from Superscale aftermarket sheets.

Graphite was used to create soot stains around the gun and the exhaust areas, and Tamiya "Smoke" was used to mimic oil spills from the engine around the forward fuselage. Finally, the kit was sealed with acrylic varnish; the bare metal sections became semi-gloss, the blue areas and the fabric-covered tail sections a slightly more matt finish.




1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Vought F4U-4 'Corsair', aircraft '24' of the Republic of South Korea Air Force (ROKAF; 대한민국 공군; Daehanminguk Gong-gun) 1 Squadron/10th FG, Gangneung (K-18) Air Base, early 1953 (What-if/Hobby Boss kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


An interesting result – an F4U in NMF looks pretty odd, and with the red and blue sections the Corsair somehow looks like a Reno Racer or a Red Bull heritage aircraft? But the ROKAF Corsair appears pretty plausible in its role and in the Korean War's time frame: a whif nicely shoehorned into a historic framework. The simple Hobby Boss kit is certainly not the best model of the Corsair, but for a simple "livery variant" it was an O.K. basis, and the result is quite presentable. Just do not look into the cockpit or the landing gear wells.

[Wardukw]

Beautiful Dizzy..plain and simply beautiful ..that third pic i had to do a double take on it..damn that looked likr a real aircraft man..love it   

[comrade harps]

Colourful and grotty at the same time

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you! 

[zenrat]

Beautiful Dizzy..plain and simply beautiful ..that third pic i had to do a double take on it..damn that looked likr a real aircraft man..love it   

This one.


Not sure if it's the back drop or the lighting or the camera settings or a combination of two or all three but DUKWy is right, it looks positively real.
Good job.

[NARSES2]

Colourful and grotty at the same time

Exceedingly well put 

[Hotte]

Nice Bird - top 

Hotte

[DogfighterZen]

Very nice as always, Thomas! The pics do look very good... maybe because some of the scenarios are more defined/ in focus?

[Dizzyfugu]

Well, that might be an accidental result. I do not put much emphasis on depth, I just make sure the model is clear and the backgrounds are more or less lit well. Actually, that "good shot" had a bit of light reflection on thze background, what makes it a bit "hazy" - it's most visible on the left side. The overall light level in the fore- and background is good, though, everything appears very even and also a bit "cold", as if shot in the early morning. Together with the unintended haze effect, this might cause the realistic impression?
Sometimes things just fall into place - the magic of photography. I would not take any credit, though, I'm just a bloody amateur with a digital pocket camera. 

[su27rules]

 

[DogfighterZen]

Well, that might be an accidental result. I do not put much emphasis on depth, I just make sure the model is clear and the backgrounds are more or less lit well. Actually, that "good shot" had a bit of light reflection on thze background, what makes it a bit "hazy" - it's most visible on the left side. The overall light level in the fore- and background is good, though, everything appears very even and also a bit "cold", as if shot in the early morning. Together with the unintended haze effect, this might cause the realistic impression?
Sometimes things just fall into place - the magic of photography. I would not take any credit, though, I'm just a bloody amateur with a digital pocket camera. 

Whatever it was, the pics look good and that's what matters.

[Wardukw]

A bloody amateur who takes some bloody good pictures ..that second pic Thomas has everything just right..the angle..light ..background and of course the F4.
Theres only 3 things which showed it wasnt a real pic mate..the tires..but ya dont look ya dont see..your worn out paint job really nailed the pic too..this is a pic to be proud off ..simple as that 

[sandiego89]

Fantastic.  A Corsair never looks proper in anything but Navy Blue, so glad you found a way to work that in, great back story!

[Dizzyfugu]

Well, thanks a lot!