Re: #1 DONE @ p.2 +++ Lend Lease F4U-1A "Korsarski" (PantherG tribute)

Dizzyfugu · February 04, 2017, 04:26:32 AM

Yes! I thought that some domestic additional "Oomph" would certainnly help. Those small missiles were highly effective and popular, and I could not find any hint whether HVARs were provided to the Soviet forces in the wake of Lend Lease deliveries? A pragmatic field conversion would make some sense, and thanks to the small size of the weapons it's easy to do, and the Korsarski still does not look overloaded.

Dizzyfugu · February 04, 2017, 08:33:59 AM

Fresh from the work bench, decals are still wet...

1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945 (Whif/Academy kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

TheChronicOne · February 04, 2017, 08:47:24 AM

Right on, T!!! Pretty much done now, right? I see tail gear needing done and then of course the Glamour Shotz (TM) but this looks like a wrap! Looking forward to said Glamour Shotz (TM).

Dizzyfugu · February 05, 2017, 12:38:51 AM

Building finished (wheels and ordnance now in place, varnish and weathring applied), now some beauty pics and an appropriate background. Coming soon!

1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945 (Whif/Academy kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Dizzyfugu · February 05, 2017, 07:33:17 AM

Here she is, a 1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945.

1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945 (Whif/Academy kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background:
The Vought F4U Corsair was an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and Brewster-built aircraft F3A. From the first prototype delivery to the U.S. Navy in 1940, to final delivery in 1953 to the French, 12,571 F4U Corsairs were manufactured, in 16 separate models, in the longest production run of any piston-engined fighter in U.S. history (1942–53).

1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945 (Whif/Academy kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945 (Whif/Academy kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The Corsair was designed as a carrier-based aircraft but its difficult carrier landing performance rendered it unsuitable for Navy use until the carrier landing issues were overcome by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. The Corsair thus came to and retained prominence in its area of greatest deployment: land based use by the U.S. Marines. The Corsair served only to a lesser degree in the U.S. Navy, the role of the dominant U.S. carrier based fighter in the second part of the war was thus filled by the Grumman F6F Hellcat, powered by the same Double Wasp engine first flown on the Corsair's first prototype in 1940. In addition to its use by the U.S. and British, the Corsair was also used by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, the French Navy Aéronavale and other, smaller, air forces until the 1960s.

1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945 (Whif/Academy kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945 (Whif/Academy kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945 (Whif/Academy kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

A little known fact is that, under the Lend-Lease act, a small number of F4U-1A/D "Corsair" fighter planes was also delivered to the Soviet Union. The Lend-Lease policy, formally titled "An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States", was a program under which the United States supplied Free France, the United Kingdom, the Republic of China, and later the Soviet Union and other Allied nations with food, oil, and materiel between 1941 and August 1945. This included warships and warplanes, along with other weaponry. In general the aid was free, although some hardware (such as ships) were returned after the war. In return, the U.S. was given leases on army and naval bases in Allied territory during the war. Canada operated a similar smaller program under a different name.

1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945 (Whif/Academy kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945 (Whif/Academy kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The F4U, being a high performance fighter at its time, was included into support deliveries only from early 1945 on, and the machines earmarked for foreign operations were mostly 2nd hand aircraft that had served with the USMC in the Pacific TO. These planes were directly delivered from US units to various IAPs (IAP = Istrebitelnyi Aviatsionnyj Polk = Fighter Aviation Regiment) on the Pacific coast and formally part of the Soviet Union's Pacific Fleet air arm. The machines, overhauled in field workshops, became operational in Spring 1945 and were operated from land bases only. The core of the Soviet Corsair operations took place primarily in the Sea of Okhotsk region, mostly in the form of bomber escorts and CAS missions for advancing army troops.

1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945 (Whif/Academy kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945 (Whif/Academy kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Upon delivery, the Soviet Corsairs generally wore their former standard US Navy three color camouflage scheme. Only the national markings and tactical codes were quickly oversprayed with whatever paint was at hand, and prominent Red Star markings were applied in standard positions. Later, during routine maintenance overhauls, some machines received individual paint schemes. Several machines for the ground attack role were also retrofitted with Soviet bomb shackles and launch rails for indigenous unguided missiles like the RS-82 or RS-132.

One notable operation in which Soviet F4U took part in was the liberation of southern Sakhalin in August-September 1945. During the war against Japan, the Pacific Ocean Fleet successfully landed a number of operational and tactical landing bodies, mostly in close cooperation with the Soviet Army units. After repudiating the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact, the Soviet Union invaded southern Sakhalin, the Soviet attack started on August 11, 1945, a few days before the surrender of Japan. The Soviet 56th Rifle Corps, part of the 16th Army, consisting of the 79th Rifle Division, the 2nd Rifle Brigade, the 5th Rifle Brigade and the 214 Armored Brigade, attacked the Japanese 88th Infantry Division.

1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945 (Whif/Academy kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945 (Whif/Academy kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Although the Soviet Red Army outnumbered the Japanese by three to one, they advanced only slowly due to strong Japanese resistance. It was not until the 113th Rifle Brigade and the 365th Independent Naval Infantry Rifle Battalion from Sovetskaya Gavan landed on Tōro, a seashore village of western Karafuto on August 16 that the Soviets broke the Japanese defense line. Japanese resistance grew weaker after this landing. Actual fighting continued until August 21. From August 22 to August 23, most remaining Japanese units agreed to a ceasefire. The Soviets completed the conquest of Karafuto on August 25, 1945 by occupying the capital of Toyohara.

Further operations with Soviet F4U involvement were the liberation of the Kuril Islands and of several ports along the eastern coast of Korea, eventually reaching Port-Artur (Lüshunkou) at the coast of the Yellow Sea. Roundabout 150 F4U-1A/Ds were operated by the Soviet Pacific Fleet's air arm, and after the end of hostilities almost all of the war-worn aircraft were scrapped.

1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945 (Whif/Academy kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945 (Whif/Academy kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

General characteristics:
Crew: 1 pilot
Length: 33 ft 4 in (10.1 m)
Wingspan: 41 ft 0 in (12.5 m)
Height: 16 ft 1 in (4.90 m)
Wing area: 314 ft2 (29.17 m²)
Empty weight: 8,982 lb (4,073 kg)
Loaded weight: 11,432 lb (5,185 kg)

Powerplant:
1× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-8 radial engine, 2,000 hp (1,491 kW)

Performance:
Maximum speed: 417 mph (362 kn/671 km/h)
Range: 1,015 mi (882 nmi/1,633 km)
Service ceiling: 36,900 ft (11,247 m)
Rate of climb: 2,890 ft/min (15.2 m/s)

Armament:
6× 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns with 400 RPG
Up to 2,000 lb (910 kg) of external ordnance, incl. and unguided missiles bombs of up to 1,000 lb (454 kg) caliber;

1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945 (Whif/Academy kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Chance Vought F4U-1D "Corsair", aircraft "51" of an unknown Morskaya Aviatsiya (Soviet Naval Aviation) unit, VVS Pacific Fleet; Sea of Okhotsk, August 1945 (Whif/Academy kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

A simple whif, but the USN Corsair with Red Stars looks interesting and strangely plausible when you take other Allied aircraft under the Lend Lease program into account – a decent initial entry for the group build. The overpainted former US markings do not stand out as much as I expected, but this just adds to the subtle overall impression, IMHO.
With greetings to Wenzel and his creative input – some good ideas just take time to enter the hardware stage!

su27rules · February 05, 2017, 07:36:34 AM

DogfighterZen · February 05, 2017, 07:52:31 AM

Great work as always, Dizzy! I especially like the look of the overpainted US markings.

TheChronicOne · February 05, 2017, 07:53:46 AM

Faaaaantastic!!! I love the duality going on... From one nation to another and also in the real world, from one member to another, from the profile to the physical model. Very, very nice work!

PR19_Kit · February 05, 2017, 08:16:34 AM

OUTSTANDING work Thomas, that REALLY looks the part, and the backstory just HAS to be true, doesn't it?

Snowtrooper · February 05, 2017, 01:00:13 PM

Impressive. The drastic weathering is especially nice

Glenn Gilbertson · February 05, 2017, 03:38:09 PM

Very realistic - well modelled!

Dizzyfugu · February 06, 2017, 12:14:30 AM

Quote from: Flyer on February 05, 2017, 07:47:29 AM
Personal favorite pic, pilotless ghost plane (or is the pilot hunched over picking up loose change?) passing overhead to land, looks real enough to me that I can almost hear it!

LOL, well, there's actually a pilot on board, but he's sitting so low that the figure is hard to see at all, and even the headrest towers above the pilot's head.

Besides, thank you very much - glad you like it (after all, it's based on one of PantherG's profiles). Simple, but subtle and effective - turned out well, and the F4U looks strangely plausible/natural with the Red Stars.

And, as another side note: the weathering looks dire, but from color pics of USMC aircraft in the Pacific TO I found in literature the operational aircraft could even look worse, heavily sun-bleached and the front section literally drenched in spilled oil. I tried to find a compromise, and I think it looks good. Still drastic, but quite realistic.

Now up to the next GB project, the "Fastback".

zenrat · February 06, 2017, 12:53:01 AM

Good one Dizz

Like it a lot.

Did it occur to you that instead of overpainting the whole US marking and then painting red stars it would be quicker (IRL anyway) to paint the white star red before overpainting the circle and bars?

What are the white lines in front of the cockpit for?

Dizzyfugu · February 06, 2017, 01:00:48 AM

The white stripes are some kind of tape. The F4U was prone to oil leaking (the weathering is NOT exaggerated!), and the seams in front of the windscreen were frequently "isolated" in this fashion.

For the national markings, I stuck with Wenzel's profile - but I know that another "practice" was to simple overpaint the white star (on early roundels w/o bars) with a red one. Sometimes the blue disc was overpainted with white (e. g. on P-39s). I have never seen a Soviet Lend Lease aircraft with US bars still visible under the Red Star, so I think the completely overpainted variant depicted here is quite plausible. And it adds to the gritty overall look.

zenrat · February 06, 2017, 01:56:18 AM