The Vought F4U Corsair Book Review
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | February 2011 | Title | The Vought F4U Corsair |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Rafe Morrissey and Joe Hegedus | Publisher | SAM Publications |
| Published | 2010 | ISBN | 978-1906959128 |
| Format | 144 pages, softbound | MSRP (BP) | £19.99 (Approx 32.50 USD) |
Review
SAM Publications released a new title in their Comprehensive Guide series, this one covering the famous F4U Corsair. If you've seen one of the previous Comprehensive Guides, you know that these cover the aircraft from beginning to end with great information about the differences and details of each variant. This latest title is no exception.
Co-authored by Rafe Morrissey (Master Class Model Building Videos) and Joe Hegedus (Former Flight Test Engineer and Master Modeler), this title brings out many of the details of the Corsair where they count - where you can see and model them!
The title's coverage includes:
- Development and Prototype
- Corsair F4U-1 (FG-1)
- Corsair F4U-1A (FG-1A & F3A-1A)
- Corsair F4U-1D & F4U-1C (FG-1D)
- Corsair F4U-4 (FG-4)
- Corsair FG-2
- Corsair F4U-5
- Corsair AU-1 & F4U-7
- Corsairs in Foreign Service
- Modelling the F4U Corsair
The title is well-illustrated with period black & white and color photography that is augmented with contemporary color photos of restored museum and warbird examples. In addition, this title has 28 color profiles to illustrate some of the camouflage variations adopted by US Navy, Marine Corps, and Commonwealth operators of the Corsair during its wartime service. This title also has nice 1/48 scale line drawings showing the layout of the type from all angles as well as scrap drawings showing the differences in panels and details around each airframe type.
One of the other nice features of this series is the modeler's section in the back. Here the authors have listed the various kits available in different scales and variants as well as detail sets and decals that will help you take your build to the next step.
This title will definitely appeal to aviation enthusiasts as it provides a nice look at the subject with lots of nice details that will also please the detail modeler. Whether you're building the Tamiya 1/48 F4U or one of Trumpeter's 1/32 scale beauties, here is a great reference to help you detail your model accurately whether by recognizing and painting the kit details or adding your own.
My sincere thanks to SAM Publications for this review sample!