The other BBI Corsair custom - Checkerboard

[Black Lion VF-213]

This was the very first custom I did, which also was my first XD purchase.

If I am wrong, please someone correct me regarding my theory:

For every checkerboard cowled Corsair in Marines liveries that served in Korean War they all had the newer "red stripe contained in the white bar bracing the star" type roundel. When I purchased the BBI Checkerboard Corsair, I knew I immediately wanted to get started making it look correct. I finished the project when lo and behold I ran across Corsair BuNo. NX7006. It's a Corsair seen at airshows and it is the exact Corsair BBI represented in their toy. I thought oops!! I customized my Corsair incorrectly. I was consoled when a good friend who is a professor of aviation history here at the Citadel informed me that the airshow Corsair has it wrong. All Korean War Corsairs with checkerboard noses had the redstripe in the roundel.

so here it is, the BBI Corsair with the red stripes in the roundels and a host of other improvements:

1. Yellow tipped rockets and chrome strapping and dark sea blue hardpoints.
2. Chrome spinner
3. Detailed engine
4. Black inside the wheels.
5. Chrome shock absorber
6. Graphite colored fuel tank vent tubes
7. Used the smallest known drill bit to hollow out the tip of the 20mm cannons so they look more realistic and painted them gunmetal.
8. Coated canopy windows with Future.
9. Painted exhaust pipes.
10. Detailed inside of oil cooler inlets on wing roots.

There are seven pics starting with number one listed below:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/brycekoch ... pg&.src=ph

[Killerf6]

Black Lion very nice work. The little details really makes the plane stand out.

I do have a couple of questions, and a couple of tips.

The plane is obviously suppose to be a Korean war era corsair, but I thought all the corsairs used in Korea where -4 variants. Do you know if this is true? Do you know if this plane is suppose to be a cannon equiped corsair? I only ask these questions because I am a bonified corsair nut, and I'm always trying to learn as much about them as I can.

Ok now the for the tips. you stated that you used the smallest drill you could find, to my knowledge that would be a #80 drill @ .0135" that is actually to small for a 50cal in 1/18 scale, a #70 at .028" is closer to being correct for a 50cal bore in 1/18. If it is a cannon equiped bird then a #57@ .043" would be correct for a 20mm bore.

If it is a cannon equiped bird then the outside gun ports should not be there, and of course if it is a -4 then there are a couple of major inconsistancies ie the 4 bladed prop, and chin scoop used on the -4. I am in no way knocking your work what you did is fantastic, it's more like I'm knocking the manufacturer for not doing there home work on the differant variants. Just like rockets and duel drop tanks on a corsair that is suppose to be a -1A those didn't become an option until the -1D, but I digress.

Again great work you should be very proud of the work you did.

[Black Lion VF-213]

Killerf6,

Thanks for reviewing my Corsair. I guess I embellished too much. What I meant to say was that I bought the smallest drill bit I could find at my local hobby store. I can't even remember what its size is. They took it out of the tube and taped it to a piece of cardboard to sell it to me. Small and delicate. Used my Dremel with it.

As far as variants, i'm pretty knowledgeable, but not that knowledgeable. BBI painted this Corsair version to look like Korean War Corsairs. If they really wanted to get it right they would have made a -4 variant and not a -1 version. But I'm not 100% certain every single Korean War Corsair was a -4. Now that statement is based off of the fact there are at least three restored and flying Corsairs seen at airshows that are in fact -1 variants and they are painted in checkerboard nose, all dark blue, red striped bars...all alike...just like this BBI Corsair. Who knows, maybe there were a few -1's that made it to Korea. Not likely though. I'm sure these owners of these Corsairs just painted them to look that way to suit there tastes. Perhaps they couldn't get their hands on any avaiable -4 or -5 or even -7 variants.

As far as the cannons, I just thought i'd include them on my corsair, since they came with the plane, and they just look darn cool. In this Corsair package, there is a plug for the last .50 hole. However, it's a pain to get it in there and an even bigger pain to get it out. Plus once it's in there, it looks like a big pimple on the wing...just ugly. The hole looks better.

As far as rockets on -1 variants in WW2 there were actually a couple or so squadrons who used them. There are a few photos i've seen on the web of VF-84 on the Bunker Hill using rockets and even VMF-214. Not many more than that though.

Seriously I appreciate your props about my Corsair. Me too, I'm a Corsair nut. If polled it may not make it in the top 10 most elegant or beautiful of prop fighter planes of all time or even top 15 to some people, but to me and every Corsair aficianado I've ever met we all can agree there is something so mystical and alluring about its shape, style, and design that draws us to this plane and make us get pissed off when someone disses our bird.

of course I feel even stronger in the same way about the F-14. But so far and too bad there's no 1/32 or 1/18 Tomcat in existence to permit us to do customs or extoll its virtues on this board. Not giving up hope though!!

Thanks man!!

[Killerf6]

LOL I'm an F-14 junkie too.

Just an fyi VF-84 flew -1D's, and was made up of many members of VF-17, (Jolly Rogers). The CO was Roger Hedrick the XO of VF-17. The pics of VMF-214 armed with rockets was probably a later incarnation of the famed Black Sheep as the -1's and -1A's did not have the provisions for rockets. Of course there is always the possibilty that they were field modified.

I'm not positive that all corsairs in Korea were -4's but I was under the impression that they were. It is difficult to go buy the birds you see at airshows as I have seen quite a few later variants painted up like -1A's. A perfect example is "Marines Dream" The real "Marines Dream" was a -1 birdcage flown by Ed Oleander with VMF-214, the one seen at airshows is a -1D painted in the tri color scheme normaly seen on -1A's.

If the corsair doesn't make the top ten, then the people polled have no taste.
It is one of the most beautiful planes in flight and the sound of that PW R2800 is pure bliss.
It is also the best prop driven fighter bar none. I know all you P-51, and F8F fans will say no your birds are, all I can say is no other warbird stayed in production longer than the corsair.

Again real nice work on your corsairs.

[MightyMustang]

LOL I'm an F-14 junkie too.

Just an fyi VF-84 flew -1D's, and was made up of many members of VF-17, (Jolly Rogers). The CO was Roger Hedrick the XO of VF-17. The pics of VMF-214 armed with rockets was probably a later incarnation of the famed Black Sheep as the -1's and -1A's did not have the provisions for rockets. Of course there is always the possibilty that they were field modified.

I'm not positive that all corsairs in Korea were -4's but I was under the impression that they were. It is difficult to go buy the birds you see at airshows as I have seen quite a few later variants painted up like -1A's. A perfect example is "Marines Dream" The real "Marines Dream" was a -1 birdcage flown by Ed Oleander with VMF-214, the one seen at airshows is a -1D painted in the tri color scheme normaly seen on -1A's.

If the corsair doesn't make the top ten, then the people polled have no taste.
It is one of the most beautiful planes in flight and the sound of that PW R2800 is pure bliss.
It is also the best prop driven fighter bar none. I know all you P-51, and F8F fans will say no your birds are, all I can say is no other warbird stayed in production longer than the corsair.

Again real nice work on your corsairs.

killerf6,

I'm a fan of the Corsair as well BUT to use your quote "It was the best prop driven fighter bar none" may be stretching that a bit. The F6F Hellcat was the best prop driven fighter in the Pacific. A 19-1 kill/loss ratio, produced the most Aces in the Pacific war ect, the list goes on. Saburo Saki the Japanese Ace fought both the Corsair and the Hellcat and he said that the Hellcat was the best he fought against as was said by many other Japanese Aces. The Hellcat is rarley mentioned because of the fact that it didnt have the graceful elegant lines of the Corsair, Mustang or Spitfire and it didnt have the publicity machine behind it as did these other fighters I just mentioned. If it had all these things the Hellcat would be more recognized I'm sure. Like I said I'm a big Corsair fan as well but I wont call it the best prop driven fighter bar none. That honor in my opinion goes to the Hellcat. Thank god though we had both fighters when we did because if not the war in the pacific may have been alot different.

[Killerf6]

I'm not basing my statement on just WWII. The corsair was in production until 1957, much longer than any of it's contempararies, and was in service with foreign countries up until the early 1980's, equalled only by the P51. The F6F's production ended with the war, and was in fact due to be replaced by the F8F, which had already been deployed at the wars end. The first squadron of F8F's were in fact on carriers heading for Okinawa when the Japanese surrendered.

Now don't get me wrong I think the F6 is an awsome fighter, (notice my screen name) and it was instrumental in our success in the pacific. It just can't match the corsair in design and length of use. The corsair has better speed, better range, better high altitude performance, and can carry more ordnance. An F4U even shot down a Mig 15 during the Korean war, you can't say that about the F6F. So that is why I feel that the corsair is the best prop driven fighter bar none.

[MightyMustang]

I'm not basing my statement on just WWII. The corsair was in production until 1957, much longer than any of it's contempararies, and was in service with foreign countries up until the early 1980's, equalled only by the P51. The F6F's production ended with the war, and was in fact due to be replaced by the F8F, which had already been deployed at the wars end. The first squadron of F8F's were in fact on carriers heading for Okinawa when the Japanese surrendered.

Now don't get me wrong I think the F6 is an awsome fighter, (notice my screen name) and it was instrumental in our success in the pacific. It just can't match the corsair in design and length of use. The corsair has better speed, better range, better high altitude performance, and can carry more ordnance. An F4U even shot down a Mig 15 during the Korean war, you can't say that about the F6F. So that is why I feel that the corsair is the best prop driven fighter bar none.

Killerf6,

Great points buddy and I respect your opinion. I guess I'm a little biased towards the F6F due to the fact that it has always been my favorite fighter plane of WW 2 in the Pacific. I just wish it would get a little more respect is all but I guess because it wasnt as beautiful as the Corsair (God she was a beauty!) it wont ever get as much respect as it should have. But as I have said before thank god we had both fighters when we did.

[Killerf6]

MightyMustang just remember that the F6F was known as the "Ace Maker", and the corsair was known as the "Ensign Eliminator", so I would say that the F6F did get the respect that it deserves by the people that count the most, the men who flew them.