Book Review of Chance Vought F4U Corsair
XF4U-1, F4U-1, F4U-1A, F4U-2
Top Drawings No. 53
Author: Maciej Noszczak
Kagero Publications
ISBN: 978-83-65437-81-5
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $24.95
ISBN: 978-83-65437-81-5
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $24.95
In February 1938, the United States Navy opened a competition for a new fighter. It's maximum speed and operational ceiling were to exceed all the machines that the American aviation had at this time.
Among others, the Chance Vought company entered the competition. The Corsair was designed by a team of engineers led by Rex Beisel, the company's chief constructor.
The prototype XF4U-1 was flown on May 29, 1940. The Corsair was powered by an eighteen-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine. That was the largest and the most powerful radial engine ever installed in a single-seat front fighter.
THE BOOK:
Kagero is a book publisher based in Lublin, Poland.
The book is soft-bound and in English and Polish laguages. It comes in a re-sealable clear envelope.
The cover art shows 2 side views:
1. A F4U-1A BuNo 50007 USMC Division known as "Jack's Jokers" (VMF 115), Leyte Gulf, December 1944.
It is navy-blue over a gray undercarraige. It has a red and white spiral on the propeller spinner, a black and white checkerboard on the front of the cowling and a small area high on the front of the rudder and on the fuselage tail cone. It has the white stenciled fuselage number 007 on its sides.
2. A F4U-1A from VMF 111 "Devildogs", operating over Gilbert Archipelago, March 1944, Makin Island.
It too is navy-blue over a gray undercarraige. It has a white stenciled 122 on the nose, 100 yellow bombing mission marks under the cockpit.
In the background is an above view of a F4U-1A BuNo 49850 from VMF 217 "C" Squadron, Guam Island, August 1944.
It too is navy-blue over a gray undercarraige with a white circle with a yellow rabbit on it on the nose and "Bayou Baby" in yellow on the fuselage sides in front of the cockpit a stenciled yellow 850 fuselage code.
All three of the above illustrations are repeated in the book. 850 is a 4-view in the book.
For black and white line drawings there are 13 of them:
1. A 3-view of a XF4U in 1/48th scale.
2. A 3-view of a F4U-1 in 1/48th scale.
3. A 2-view of a F4U-1 in 1/48th scale.
4. Another 2-view of a F4U-1 in 1/48th Scale.
5. Another 2-view of a F4U-1 in 1/48th Scale.
6. A 5-view of the engine of a F4U-1 in 1/32nd scale.
7. Another 2-view of a F4U-1 in 1/48th Scale.
8. Another 2-view of a F4U-1 in 1/48th Scale.
9. A 2-view of a F4U-2 in 1/48th Scale.
10. Another 2-view of a F4U-2 in 1/48th scale.
11. A side view of a F4U-1A in 1/48th scale & 8 illustrations of bombs in 1/24th scale.
12. A 3-view cutaway drawings of a F4U-1 in 1/24th scale.
13. 5 side views of the F4U-1 and F4U-2 in 1/72nd scale and one 3-view.
There are 6 color illustrations, counting the front and back covers.
As a bonus inserted into the book is a black sheet that has stencil cut canopy masks to use on either a 1/72nd scale or 1/48th scale model kit of the Corsair. Neat!
Highly recommended to both aircraft historians or plastic modelers alike.
I want to thank Casemate Publishing, the N.American distributor of Kagero books and the folks at Kagero for this review sample.
A complete listing of Kagero titles can be viewed on Casemate's web site at:
Among others, the Chance Vought company entered the competition. The Corsair was designed by a team of engineers led by Rex Beisel, the company's chief constructor.
The prototype XF4U-1 was flown on May 29, 1940. The Corsair was powered by an eighteen-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine. That was the largest and the most powerful radial engine ever installed in a single-seat front fighter.
THE BOOK:
Kagero is a book publisher based in Lublin, Poland.
The book is soft-bound and in English and Polish laguages. It comes in a re-sealable clear envelope.
The cover art shows 2 side views:
1. A F4U-1A BuNo 50007 USMC Division known as "Jack's Jokers" (VMF 115), Leyte Gulf, December 1944.
It is navy-blue over a gray undercarraige. It has a red and white spiral on the propeller spinner, a black and white checkerboard on the front of the cowling and a small area high on the front of the rudder and on the fuselage tail cone. It has the white stenciled fuselage number 007 on its sides.
2. A F4U-1A from VMF 111 "Devildogs", operating over Gilbert Archipelago, March 1944, Makin Island.
It too is navy-blue over a gray undercarraige. It has a white stenciled 122 on the nose, 100 yellow bombing mission marks under the cockpit.
In the background is an above view of a F4U-1A BuNo 49850 from VMF 217 "C" Squadron, Guam Island, August 1944.
It too is navy-blue over a gray undercarraige with a white circle with a yellow rabbit on it on the nose and "Bayou Baby" in yellow on the fuselage sides in front of the cockpit a stenciled yellow 850 fuselage code.
All three of the above illustrations are repeated in the book. 850 is a 4-view in the book.
For black and white line drawings there are 13 of them:
1. A 3-view of a XF4U in 1/48th scale.
2. A 3-view of a F4U-1 in 1/48th scale.
3. A 2-view of a F4U-1 in 1/48th scale.
4. Another 2-view of a F4U-1 in 1/48th Scale.
5. Another 2-view of a F4U-1 in 1/48th Scale.
6. A 5-view of the engine of a F4U-1 in 1/32nd scale.
7. Another 2-view of a F4U-1 in 1/48th Scale.
8. Another 2-view of a F4U-1 in 1/48th Scale.
9. A 2-view of a F4U-2 in 1/48th Scale.
10. Another 2-view of a F4U-2 in 1/48th scale.
11. A side view of a F4U-1A in 1/48th scale & 8 illustrations of bombs in 1/24th scale.
12. A 3-view cutaway drawings of a F4U-1 in 1/24th scale.
13. 5 side views of the F4U-1 and F4U-2 in 1/72nd scale and one 3-view.
There are 6 color illustrations, counting the front and back covers.
As a bonus inserted into the book is a black sheet that has stencil cut canopy masks to use on either a 1/72nd scale or 1/48th scale model kit of the Corsair. Neat!
Highly recommended to both aircraft historians or plastic modelers alike.
I want to thank Casemate Publishing, the N.American distributor of Kagero books and the folks at Kagero for this review sample.
A complete listing of Kagero titles can be viewed on Casemate's web site at: