F4U-1A Pappy Boyington Scale Model (Free Shipping)

 

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F4U-1A Pappy Boyington Scale Model (Free Shipping)

Item#: AF4U1BLTS

MSRP Price: $231.95

Factory Direct Price: $164.95

Wing Span: 19
Length: 15.25

Manufacturer: Chance Vought

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F4U-1A Pappy Boyington Scale Model (Free Shipping)

FREE SHIPPING within the U.S. (additional rates apply for other destinations)

Introducing Factory Direct Models F4U-1A Corsair Scale Model Aircraft, This Model Airplane Replica was hand crafted with absolute precision using the finest Philippine Mahogany. Working from our library of blueprints, reference materials and their photographs, Factory Direct Models master artisans recreated this historic military warplane into an incredibly desktop display model.

Please note that the stand shown in this photograph may vary or change with the model you receive.

We also make Custom Made Airplane Models to meet your specifications with the capability to include your company logo and inscribed inscription plaque to make your model a personalized work of art. If you would like personalized Custom Model Model Please Call (866) 580-8727.

F4U-1A Corsair History:

Stories of Pappy Boyington are legion, many founded in fact, including how he led the legendary Black Sheep squadron, and how he served in China as a member of the American Volunteer Group, the famed Flying Tigers. He spent a year and a half as a Japanese POW, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, was recognized as the Marine Corps top ace (more on that below). Always hard-drinking and hard-living, Pappy's post-war life was as turbulent as his wartime experiences.In November 1943, Pappy was publicly credited with 20 aerial victories (his actual total was almost certainly less, but that's another story). The press had begun to pay attention to the Marine Corps ace.On November 26, at Turtle Bay on Espiritu Santu, Boyington posed in the cockpit of plane #86, decorated with 20 little Rising Sun flags, and painted Lu**belle. The bystander's arm obscures two letters of the word, which was either Lucybelle or Lulubelle. At the time, Boyington was involved with Mrs. Lucy Malcolmson, and Frank Walton recalled the name on the plane as Lucybelle. Makes sense, at the time

This model is the one flown by Pappy Boyington. The aircraft first flew on 29 May 1940. It was immediately obvious that the aircraft was fast – it would soon become the first single seater fighter to reach 400 mph in level flight (earlier aircraft had reached that speed in a dive). This made it 50 mph faster than the Bf 109E. Cruising speed was 180 mph. It was also highly manoeuvrable. However, there were some problems with the aircraft. The "birdcage" cockpit canopy was too restrictive, and visibility was poor. More seriously, the aircraft was difficult to land – the port wing tended to drop at low speed, and it bounced on landing, not acceptable behaviour in a carrier aircraft. Despite these flaws, the high performance of the Corsair was obvious, and after tests in October 1940 the Navy placed an order for a production version.

The aircraft the Vought delivered was significantly different from the prototype. The cockpit was moved back three feet. This allowed the fuel tanks to be removed from the wings and placed in front of the pilot. This in turn allowed the installation of three .50 calibre machine guns in the each wings. The cockpit canopy was slightly improved, giving more space for the pilot to move. The under wing anti-aircraft bombs were replaced by two small bomb racks for normal bombs. Finally, the engine was changed to the Pratt & Whitney XR-2800-8, giving 2,000 hp. The top speed rose to 425 mph. These changes did delay the production of the aircraft, but made it a much more potent fighter.

The Navy ordered 584 Corsairs. However, when the production aircraft arrived the Navy decided that it was not safe for carrier operations. In addition to the problems in the prototype, the new cockpit position reduced visibility when landing. Accordingly, the first Corsairs were allocated to the Marines and to land based Navy squadrons.

The Royal Navy also received a large number of Corsairs, and almost immediately began operation them from carriers. The Corsair was first used in action from a carrier on 2 April 1944, when aircraft based on HMS Victorious took part in an attack on the German battleship Tirpitz. The British had a couple of advantages when using the early Corsair from carriers. The first was that accident – the aircraft hangers in the British carriers were not as tall as those in American ships, and so eight inches had to be chopped off the wings of the Corsair. One side-effect of this was to make the aircraft easier to handle in a stall, and thus easier to land on a carrier. More significant was that British carriers such as the Victorious had armoured flight decks. This eliminated one major problem with the Corsair on American carriers – it was eventually discovered that the arrestor hook was acting as an axe, cutting its way through their wooden flight decks.