With the basic airframe complete, I gave it a good once over. I wasn’t completely satisfied with the way the undersurface camo looked so I mixed up some thin dark green and highlighted a few areas a little further. I drilled out the ID and navigation lights so that MV lenses could be added. I really like the overall look that these provide. They may be a bit “over-scale” but I prefer them over the painted on look. I also used a larger clear MV lens for the landing light. Prior to adding the lenses, I gave the entire model a coat of AK-Interactive Ultra Matte Varnish. I used 0.063” lenses in blue, red, green, and amber for all the colored lights.
I painted and weathered the engine and installed the engine and cowl to the fuselage.
The prop was first painted flat black and then the prop boss and tips were masked off. I primed the yellow areas on the prop with a flat with before airbrushing the yellow. With the masks removed, I added a clear coat followed by more panel line wash to highlight the detail.
Getting Some Legs
Now it was time to start getting the ancillary bits in place. I wanted to add some extra detail to the landing gear struts so I fashioned locking springs from copper wire wrapped around a hypodermic needle.
I used a tiny drop of CA to attach them to the gear. I also added brake lines from the same copper wire. If you look closely at the reference photos, these Corsairs had the late war stamped wheel hubs. These, however, are not included in the Tamiya kit. I turned to Barracuda Studios to provide the required wheels/hubs. These are excellent cast resin wheels and are highly recommended.
With the gear complete, it could be attached to the wheel bays.