Night Whispers: 1/48th Hasegawa F4U-5N Corsair

The 2001 release of the 1/48th Hasegawa F4U-5N Corsair still may be the definitive version of this particular aircraft in 1/48th scale. Despite its age it had nice features and is relatively easy to build (no wing fold though - if that is important, you will have to consider your options).

Notable Kit Features:

• Good overall shape and detail of the -5N is captured

• Fairly straight-forward build

• Proper outer metal wings depicted (as opposed to fabric on earlier F4U versions)

• Finely engraved panel lines

• Separate flaps which can be positioned down

• Clear, thin transparent parts

Build Inspiration:

These beefy looking Corsairs are a great add on to a F4U collection, so getting a post-WWII bent-wing bird into the stash didn't take long. (Getting it built did take a little longer :) I went with the kit decals for this build which featured "Night Ace" Lt. Guy Bordelon aircraft of VC-3 Detachment D named "Annie Mo" and completed a simple Out-of-Box build. Unfortunately, Bordelon's F4U-5N Corsair did not survive the war intact. About a week after his fifth kill, the Corsair was wrecked in an accident while being flown by an US Air Force Reserve pilot. (I'll bet the Navy had something to say about that mishap for a while afterwards!)

Heads-Up Report:

• Reported that the instrument panel is inaccurate

• The gunsight provided in the kit is the N‑5 used by the F4U‑5, rather than the gyroscopic N‑20 sight used in the F4U‑5N (Not that I noticed:)

• No wing-fold option

• Fitting the cowl can be slightly problematic

• Kit has a slight mould seam forward of the cockpit (which should be carefully sanded off)

• Radiator inserts in the wing roots needed to be trimmed down to fit

• Missing T-shaped aerial under the rear fuselage

• Wingtip and spine navigation lights could be replaced by clear sprue

Kit Additions / Modifications:

• Out-of-Box build (every once in a while I do a "don't overthink it" build)

Note: Wolfpack Design made a wing-fold set for the Corsair (if you want to go that route)

Finishing:

The paint scheme on this aircraft is the standard USN Navy Blue with a black anti-glare panel along the full length of the nose (although later research indicates it may have been flat dark blue). The radar radome nose was painted black although it is often depicted in an off-white shade. The light blueish national markings of the decals seem to depict the actual application (as per a reference photo I recall seeing). I had read that the national markings were just over-sprayed in a mist of Navy Blue however it would appear that this was not the case. Aside from a bit of exhaust staining, I didn't do any weathering on this aircraft

The After-Build Report:

The 1/48th Hasegawa F4U-5N Corsair kit is not quite as nice as the Tamiya -1 Corsairs and does not have the wing-fold included, however it comes a close second as far as build experience and is one of the few available kits that delivers a late model Corsair into your Hangar. Note: Revell did a release of this Hasegawa plastic as well. If you want a F4U-5, F4U-5N or AU-1 Corsair in your collection and weren't planning on folding the wings then I would recommend this kit for you.

Hobby Boss did a release of the -5/-7 kits however they apparently still have the outer wings, elevators, rudder of the -4 kit (which have fabric covered surfaces) among some other minor issues. On the plus side, the Hobby Boss kits have the folded wing option.

Completed build #117 - December 2009 using the 1/48th scale Hasegawa #JT75-2200 kit.

Feel free to comment or ask any questions - Keep on building, gain experience, challenge yourself if you like, but try not to stress yourself out over the build - it is supposed to be an enjoyable hobby after all - Cheers

F4U-5N Corsair of VC-3 regularly flown by Lt. Guy Bordelon - Wrecked at K-6 Airfield Korea 1953