F4U-4B Corsair – Academy 12267

Scale Models
Model:  F4U-4B Corsair “Korean War”
Brand: Academy
Number: 12267
Scale: 1:48
Released: 2011 (new box)
Tools: 1987 + new parts from 1993
Rating:

This kit is based on tools dating back to 1987 but actually have some nice details for such old tools. The engine and cockpit has some nice details but sadly neither match fotos of a real Corsair engine/cockpit. Notice that some other kits allow you to build the wings stowed when parked on a carrior or extended for flight however this kit only has the wings cast in one piece that can not be stowed.

The kit contains 6 sprues + 1 sprue with canopy clear parts. Engine and cockpit has some nice details, however no decals are included for instrument panel so it must be hand painted. Optional rockets, bombs and fuel tank allow for various builds.

Instructions consists of only 4 black/white pages with 10 steps and clearly shows where to cut or drill holes for optional rockets. There are some errors in the instructions with wrong part number and the optional fuel tanks are displayed in step 10 but no previous steps show how to build or paint them, so some confusion may occur for beginners but otherwise it is a very easy build with a simple paint scheme. At step 4 it should be better described where to drill or cut holes and for what optional parts. 

Pros

  • (Mostly) easy to follow instructions except for a few errors.
  • The kit includes bombs, rockets and fuel tanks; rockets require drilling some holes in wings.
  • Canopy consists of two parts, i.e. it can be build both open and closed.
  • Some nice details on engine and cockpit – but do not expect it to match the real plane!

Cons

  • Only black/white instructions
  • Very basic decal sheet; no decals for instrument panels or seat belt.
  • Some errors in instructions
  • Ejector pins on visible surfaces (tires, inside cockpit) require some cleaning up and rescribing (tire pattern) before painting.
  • This kit is based on old tools from 1987 and parts do not fit as nicely as on newer kits – expect to use some plastic putty!

Conclusion

I think this kit deserves two stars due to good (but not great!) value-for-money,  some nice engine and cockpit details + optional cannons, rockets, bombs and fuel tanks. Based on the age of the tools used for this kit I expected major issues with fitting the parts but only noticed some minor problems that was easy to fix with plastic putting. 

For a beginner this is a cheap, easy to build kit with some optional weapons and fuel tanks then this kit is OK. I would however recommend paying a little more and go for e.g. a Tamiya or Eduard.