1:48 Vought F4U-1A Corsair
Item #61070

About the Vought F4U-1A Corsair

After enduring heavy losses to the Japanese Navy's Zero fighters
in the early stages of the Pacific War, the U.S. Navy became
focused on developing new fighters capable of turning the tides
of aerial combat. Among those fighters was the Corsair, first
developed to be a high speed, carrier borne aircraft. Built
around the new Pratt & Whitney R-2800 2000hp engine, and turning
the largest propeller ever attached to a fighter plane (4m dia.),

this gull-winged wonder was destined to be a success.

In June 1942, the F4U-1 production models made their maiden
flight. However, due to their restricted forward field of view,
and because of a propeller wash effect caused them to stall left
wing first during low speed landings, they first were used as
land based fighters. Succeeding the F4U-1 in the summer of 1943
was the F4U-1A, which was equipped with an extended rear wheel
landing gear shaft, a slightly modified glazed canopy, and a
small triangular strip of metal bolted to the right leading edge
of the wing to equalize the stall and avoid the roll to the left
at touch-down.

Despite these improvements, the new F6F Hell Cat was adopted as
the main carrier-borne aircraft, and the first combat Corsairs
became relegated to land based US Marine squadrons in the South
Pacific. Major Boyington and 2nd Lieutenant Hanson of the U.S.
Marines, Lt. Kepford of the Navy and other ace-pilots, bravely
flew the F4U-1A into fierce air-combats, overpowering the
Japanese Zero fighters with tremendous top speed and six 12.7mm
heavy machine guns.