Magic Factory F4U-1A/2 Corsair, 1/48th Scale, Kit No. 5001, Part 1
By Phillip Friddell on 16th Mar 2024
So here we have it, another 1/48th scale F4U kit to accompany Tamiya’s classic rendition of Chance Vought’s immortal Bent Winged Bird. At first thought it’s worth wondering why, because that Tamiya offering is so very good in any of its three available variations, and the whole thing really does beg the question: Do we actually NEED another Corsair in this scale? In truth the answer is probably no, because Tamiya’s U-Birds have withstood the test of time so well, but those kits are 20+ years old now, so maybe we actually ought to take a look at this new kid on the block. After all, there’s always room for improvement, right?
Taking first things first, this freshman offering is actually a twofer, with two complete kits living within its largish box. You can build both a -1a or a -2 from what’s in there, and at a very reasonable price too. That’s one for the guys at Magic Factory.
Then there are the parts that make up that pair of models, and there’s a lot of good to be said in that regard because everything is crisply and precisely molded, and mostly accurate. There’s a tiny fret of photo-etch in there too, as well as a nicely done set of canopy masks for both variants, although those things are pretty much a given for high-end kits in today’s market. The decals, which we haven’t used yet, provide markings for a total of four different airplanes and appear to be well done, although time will tell on that one. There are optional tire and wheel combinations, both treaded and smooth, and there are optional cowl flaps, either opened or closed. One kit is dedicated to folded wings while the other has them molded in the spread position, and there’s detail in the gun bays with covers that actually fit should you prefer not to have big honking holes in the wings of your completed model. There’s also a radome for the -2, but that’s expected, isn’t it? It should also be noted that the component parts of that pair of kits are identified and packaged in such a manner as to virtually eliminate confusion regarding which parts go where and for what. The handful of other manufacturers who package multiple models in the same box could learn a lesson from these guys!
The kit’s design is innovative and provides components that completely eliminate the fuselage seams we normally have to address, which gets major points from us, and surface detail is precise and neatly engraved. That’s the Good, so let’s look at the Possibly Bad, although we’ll say right now it’s a conditional sort of Bad, one of those bads that may not bother most people. Taken either way there are only a couple of things to contend with, or maybe ignore—we chose the latter but that’s just to show you what a box stock effort will get you.
Our issues here lie in two places; the overstated fabric and rib detailing, and the kit’s rivets, most of which shouldn’t be there because of the way the F4Us were designed and constructed. There are a number of universal head rivets (those are the ones that stand proud of the surface) visible up around portions of the nose of the real airplane, but you shouldn’t be able to see them anywhere else. There’s also a problem with the flaps as attached to the extended wings option, because they should be retracted unless the airplane’s guns are being serviced or it’s otherwise undergoing maintenance in that area, and Magic Factory have fallen into what we’re going to call The Corsair Step Trap and included the boarding step in the innermost starboard flap, which in fact was a real thing but one that did not appear on the F4U until the advent of the somewhat later -4 variant. All of these things, except for the universal head rivets, are simple enough to fix and you ought to be aware of them, but you can also get a fine model by simply building what’s in the box.
For what it’s worth, the kit’s design allows for the ultimate issue of a Fleet Air Arm bird and also provides the opportunity for Magic Factory to replicate any other short-nosed Corsair as well, and that includes the -4. That makes us very happy indeed, and it ought to make you happy too.
As you can see from the photos we’ve provided (and yes, our work surface really does look like that because it’s there to build stuff on and not to use as a stage to pose models for photographs!), we’re well along with this project so stay tuned as our U-Bird continues down its flight to completion. In the meantime, we need to go nastify a fuselage and vertical tail, so stand by! We’ll be back before you know it with yet another thrilling chapter in the pursuit of the U-Bird!!