FG-1D Corsair

This is a 1/72 Hasegawa kit simply called "Corsair FG-1D U.S. Navy Reserve". It was a sheer impulse buy in Manhattan, and I do like the late WW2 and Korean War dark blue finishes. The kit is probably from the 1970s, since it has raised panel lines and comparatively few parts, but it came together very nicely. It was painted with Testors acrylic paint and coated with Future floor polish in an attempt to portray a clean and well-maintained aircraft. The decals were of good quality and settled nicely with Solvaset on the Future. The Corsair is, as usual, mounted on an old CD, together with a pilot in the cockpit as well as a ground crew member from the Italeri modern pilots and aircrew set. The pilot is a standard Airfix pilot, and the scene is supposed to be a USN reserve training unit around the time of the Korean War. Unfortunately, the decal sheet did not contain any information about what unit they are supposed to represent.

The FG-1D was actually built under license by the Goodyear Company, and not Chance Vought. Introduced in 1940, manufacture of the Corsair ceased as late as December 1952, allowing the type to boast the longest production run of any American piston engined fighter. In all 12,571 Corsairs were built.