F4U-5N NP-21, VC-3, K6 Korea, July 1953, Lt Guy Boredelon
When this kit was first released I grabbed it and quickly started the build. Thoroughly enjoyed it and I finally had a -5N. It was much later that I found out it was “not quite right” in the aft fuselage, and until then I was quite happy with it. Okay, I’m still quite happy with this kit.
This is another 17 year kit that just needed decals. This one actually had the most damage from the styrofoam, requiring I sand and touch up the paint. Luckily, only the black needed new paint as the Glossy Sea Blue was thick enough that a very light sanding was all that was necessary. Of course, none of the dangly bits were on, so that needed adding as well.
The Subject
F4U-5N, NP-21 from VC-3 was assigned to the USS PRINCETON; Lieutenant Guy Boredelon was operating from K6 in July 1953 when he completed his 5 kill at night, becoming the only US Navy ace of the war. Since it’s an “only” I had to do it.
The Model
Construction was easy and straightforward. I remember at the time thinking I had to pick up another for the other set of decals in the box (red markings on a black machine) instead of the light blue on dark blue I chose.
I understand this kit is a bit of an anomoly, in that the wing represents a mix between the older F4U-4 and earlier wing and the later AU-1/F4U-7 wing. I’m not sure what’s right but it looks like photos I’ve seen for the pylon and gun configurations. On my next -5N I’ll study it more and see if there is something to it.
To my eye the worst part of this kit is the prop. It just doesn’t look right but at the time there really wasn’t a replacement available. I may be able to find something that’s right, even replacing with a P-47 prop would be better. The wheels are also on the skinny side so I replaced those with True Details wheels. They made a huge difference.
Paint is the same as the other Corsairs — overall Glossy Sea Blue, by Aeromaster (enamel). The anti-glare panel is simply a flat black, probably Tamiya. Sealed with Future (Kleer) before I put the decals on.
The canopy had been masked oh those many years ago and the paint and masking had essentially merged into one. Plus some paint had gotten underneath the masking (obviously not a very good masking effort). I lightly sanded the areas where I didn’t want paint and remarkably was able to clean and buff out the clear areas without having to repaint. A couple of coats of Future (Kleer) and it looked perfect!
I didn’t use the kit decals because they looked undersized. Instead I used the decals from Superscale sheet 72-244, Korean War Aces #2. While the decals look quite nice, I have to say even using the Microscale system these decals were delicate and a couple of them fell apart on me. Luckily I was able to nudge them about a bit using a wet paintbrush and get them aligned. It’s obvious in a couple of locations to myself.
Summary
All in all I like this kit, however the Italeri Corsairs need improvements in order for them to look right. This one only has the wheels redone and needs a new prop, although I’ll save a good prop for a repeat of this kit as another subject in the future. I did enjoy building this one and it’s obviously a Corsair!
Thanks for looking…
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