DONE @p.3 +++ 1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings ‘Corsair’ Mk. V; Royal Navy 805 NAS, 1948

[buzzbomb]

very good.
Subtle change works very well.

[Dizzyfugu]

Christ that's a bloody good looking Corsair 👍

Thank you. It looks faster than the real thing, the big spinner does wonders to the Corsair's shape, and the new tail adds a purposeful touch. With an different livery this would also work well as an Unlimited Reno Racer! 

[Wardukw]

Well matey when I see something that nice I ain't going to keep my trap shut 🤣
And yeah those changes truly makes it one of a kind Diz ☺️ 😊

[Old Wombat]

Really nice looking build, Dizzy!

Probably a bit slower than a Sea Fury, but not by much.

[Vulcan7]

Best looking Corsair I've seen, can't wait for the box art         

[Dizzyfugu]

Slow progress with pics, some have been edited by now, though.

[Dizzyfugu]

Another preview. 


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[comrade harps]

The squared up Attacker tail fin is a master touch.

[NARSES2]

Best looking Corsair I've seen,

Agree with you there 

[jcf]

The new tail surfaces give it a very Vultee look.


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[Wardukw]

Epic ..totally epic T man 😍

[Dizzyfugu]

As the week comes to its end, I can present you the Corsair V in full glory and with its background story.


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Some background:
In the early days of World War II, Royal Navy fighter requirements had been based on cumbersome two-seat designs, such as the fighter/dive-bomber Blackburn Skua (and its turreted derivative the Blackburn Roc) and the fighter/reconnaissance Fairey Fulmar, since it was expected that they would encounter only long-range bombers or flying boats and that navigation over featureless seas required the assistance of a radio operator/navigator. The Royal Navy hurriedly adopted higher-performance single-seat aircraft such as the Hawker Sea Hurricane and the less robust Supermarine Seafire alongside, but neither aircraft had sufficient range to operate at a distance from a carrier task force. The American Vought F4U Corsair was welcomed as a more robust and versatile alternative.

In November 1943, the Royal Navy received its first batch of 95 "birdcage" Vought F4U-1s, which were given the designation "Corsair [Mark] I". The first squadrons were assembled and trained on the U.S. East Coast and then shipped across the Atlantic. The Royal Navy put the Corsair into carrier operations immediately. They found its landing characteristics dangerous, suffering a number of fatal crashes, but considered the Corsair to be the best option they had.
The Royal Navy cleared the F4U for carrier operations well before the U.S. Navy and showed that the Corsair Mk II could be operated with reasonable success even from escort carriers. It was not without problems, though: one was excessive wear of the arrester wires, due both to the weight of the Corsair and the understandable tendency of the pilots to stay well above the stalling speed, and because of the limited hangar deck height in several classes of British carrier, many Corsairs had their outer wings "clipped" by 8 in (200 mm) to clear the deckhead. However, the change in span brought about the added benefit of improving the sink rate, reducing the F4U's propensity to "float" in the final stages of landing. The Royal Navy developed further modifications to the Corsair that made carrier landings more practical. Among these were a bulged canopy (similar to the P-51 B/C's Malcolm Hood), raising the pilot's seat 7 in (180 mm), and wiring shut the cowl flaps across the top of the engine compartment, diverting frequent oil and hydraulic fluid spray around the sides of the fuselage so that the windscreen remained clear.


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The Corsair Mk I was followed by 510 "blown-canopy" F4U-1A/-1Ds, which were designated Corsair Mk II (the final 150 equivalent to the F4U-1D, but not separately designated in British use). 430 Brewster Corsairs (334 F3A-1 and 96 F3A-1D), more than half of Brewster's total production, were delivered to Britain as the Corsair Mk III. 857 Goodyear Corsairs (400 FG-1/-1A and 457 FG-1D) were delivered and designated Corsair Mk IV. A total of 2,012 Corsairs were supplied to the United Kingdom during WWII, and British Corsairs served both in Europe and in the Pacific. Despite the large number of aircraft, the Mk IIs and IVs were the only versions to be actually used in combat.

The first, and also most important, European FAA Corsair operations were the series of attacks in April, July, and August 1944 on the German battleship Tirpitz (Operation Tungsten), for which Corsairs from HMS Victorious and HMS Formidable provided fighter cover. From April 1944, Corsairs from the British Pacific Fleet took part in several major air raids in South-East Asia beginning with Operation Cockpit, an attack on Japanese targets at Sabang island, in the Dutch East Indies. In July and August 1945, RN Corsairs took part in a series of strikes on the Japanese mainland, near Tokyo, operating from Victorious and Formidable. It was during this late phase of the war that the Admiralty was expecting new and more powerful indigenous naval fighters to become available, primarily Griffon-powered Seafires and the Hawker Sea Fury, a navalized derivative of the Hawker Tempest fighter powered by the new Centaurus radial engine. Both types, however, faced development problems, so that the Royal Navy approached Vought and requested a new variant of the proven Corsair, powered by the British Centaurus engine and further tailored to the Royal Navy's special needs. This became the Corsair Mark V.


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The Corsair V was based on the newest American variant, the F4U-4, but it differed in many aspects, so much that it effectively was a totally different aircraft. The F4U-4 was the last American Corsair variant that would be introduced during WWII, but it only saw action during the final weeks of the conflict. 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). 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. The unarmored wing fuel tanks of 62 US gal (230 L) capacities were removed for better maneuverability at the expense of maximum range. 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 an internal armor glass plate of the earlier variants. The canopy was furthermore without bracing and slightly bulged – an improvement adopted from the Royal Navy Corsairs.
The original "4-Hog" retained the original armament of six 0.5" machine guns and had all the external load (i.e., drop tanks, bombs, HVARs) 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, and the F4U-4P was a rare photo reconnaissance variant with an additional camera compartment in the rear fuselage, but fully combat-capable.

The Royal Navy agreed to adopt the new F4U-4 but insisted on the British Centaurus as powerplant and demanded British equipment and armament, too. The latter included four Hispano 20 mm cannon in the outer wings, adapted wirings for British unguided rockets under the outer wings and a four-channel VHF radio system, a radio altimeter and a G2F compass. Vought reluctantly agreed, even though the different engine meant that a totally different mount had to be developed in short time, and the many alterations to the F4U-4's original airframe would require a separate, new production line. Since this would block valuable resources for the running standard F4U production for the USN, the Corsair V was outsourced to the newly established Kaiser-Fleetwing company (a ship builder with only limited aircraft experience so far) and designated FK-1 in American circles.


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


As expected, the development of the FK-1 alone took more time than expected – not only from a technical point of view, but also due to logistic problems. The Centaurus engines and most vital equipment pieces had to be transported across the Atlantic, a hazardous business. The first precious Centaurus engines for the development of the modified engine mount were actually transferred to the USA through the air, hanging in the bomb bays of American B-24 bombers that were used as transporters to supply Great Britain with vital materials.

Because Kaiser-Fleetwings had to establish a proper production line for the FK-1 and supplies for raw F4U-4 airframes had to be diverted and transported to the company's factory at Bristol, Pennsylvania, delays started to pile up and pushed the Corsair Mk. V development back. The first Centaurus-powered Corsair flew in January 1945 and immediately revealed massive stability problems caused by the engine's high torque. Enlarged tail surfaces were tested and eventually solved the problem, but this measure changed the F4U-4s standard airframe even more. It was furthermore soon discovered that the early Centaurus engine suffered frequent crankshaft failure due to a poorly designed lubrication system, which led to incidents of the engine seizing while in mid-flight. The problem was resolved when Bristol's improved Centaurus XVIII engine replaced the earlier variant. Tests and adaptations of British equipment to the airframe continued until May 1945, when the Corsair V was eventually cleared for production. But when the first of 100 ordered machines started to roll off the production lines the war was already over.

At that time many of the Fleet Air Arm's carrier fighters were Seafires and Lend-Lease Corsairs. The Seafire had considerable drawbacks as a naval aircraft, notably the narrow undercarriage, while the Corsairs had to be returned or purchased. As the UK did not have the means to pay for them, the Royal Navy Corsairs were mostly pushed overboard into the sea in Moreton Bay off Brisbane, Australia.
Since the Corsair V had not been part of the Lend Lease agreement with the United States, the Royal Navy was not able to easily retreat from the production contract and had to accept the aircraft. Because the Royal Navy's intended new standard shipborne fighter, the Hawker Sea Fury, was delayed and almost cancelled during this period of re-organizations and cutbacks, the Admiralty bit the bullet, used the inevitable opportunity and procured the Corsair V as a stopgap solution, even though the original production order from May 1945 was not extended and effectively only 95 Corsair Vs were ever produced in the USA and transferred as knocked-down kits via ship to Great Britain.


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The first re-assembled Corsair Vs entered Royal Navy service in August 1946, but their frontline service with 802 and 805 NAS, both based at Eglington (Northern Ireland), was only brief. Following the successful completion of weapons trials at the A&AEE Boscombe Down, the Sea Fury was eventually cleared for operational use on 31 July 1947 and quickly entered service. The Corsair Vs were gradually replaced with them until late 1948; 805 NAS was the first unit to abandon the type when 805 Squadron was reformed as a Royal Australian Navy FAA squadron operating Hawker Sea Fury Mk II aircraft. In 1950,  802 NAS was assigned to HMS Ocean and equipped with the Hawker Sea Fury, too, and sent to Korea.
Most Corsair Vs were then relegated to the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) in August 1951, where they replaced Supermarine Seafires and took over their role as classic fighter aircraft, despite the Corsair V's strike/attack potential with bombs and unguided missiles. Most of the time the Corsairs were used for lang range navigation training. RNVR units that operated the Corsair V included Nos. 1831, 1832, 1833, 1834, 1835 and 1836 Squadrons. No. 1832, based at RAF Benson, was the last RNVR squadron to relinquish the type in August 1955 for the jet-powered Supermarine Attacker, and this ended the Corsair V's short career.


General characteristics:
    Crew: One
    Length: 34 ft (10.37 m)
    Wingspan: 40 ft 8 in (12.10 m)
    Height: 15 ft 4 in (4.68 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× Bristol Centaurus XVIII 18-cylinder air-cooled radial engine with
      2,470 hp (1,840 kW) take-off power, driving a 4-bladed
      Rotol constant-speed propeller with 14 ft (4.3 m) diameter

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 453 mph (730 km/h, 397 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:
    4× 20 mm (0.787 in) Hispano Mk II cannon in the outer wings, 250 RPG
    A total of 11 hardpoints under the wings and the fuselage for a total ordnance of
    4,000 pounds (1.800 kg), including drop tanks, up to 16× 60 lb unguided aircraft rockets on twin
    launch rails and/or bombs of up to 1.000 lb (454 kg) caliber



1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1); aircraft '145/JR (TF632)' of the Royal Navy 805 Naval Air Squadron; Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (Northern Ireland), summer 1948 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kaiser-Fleetwings 'Corsair' Mk. V (FK-1) +++ Fake box art by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


While a classic F4U with a British Centaurus engine sounds simple, and actually is, getting there was not as easy as it sounds – the ventral air scoop came to the rescue. With some more small mods like the new tail surfaces the aircraft got a subtly different look from its American ancestor(s). The Corsair V IMHO has now a very Blackburn-ish look, thanks to the big spinner and the square fin! And I wonder what I will do with the other Centaurus from the conversion set?

[Wardukw]

Absolutely epic ..the only words which really come to mind.   

[Sport21ing]

Almost a cross between a Corsair and a Firebrand XD

For the surplus engine, maybe a Hellcat one?

[PR19_Kit]

No. 1832, based at RAF Benson, was the last RNVR squadron to relinquish the type in August 1955 for the jet-powered Supermarine Attacker, and this ended the Corsair V's short career.[/i]

Coooer, that would have been  just the time when I was there! Perhaps the Firebrand I thought I saw there was actually a Corsair V?

What a CRACKING model Thomas, one of your very best.