Corsair "Tutae Wera"

[Bryce]

With the new 1/32 Tamiya F4U-1D now out it seemed to me an ideal time to model NZ5416 . Looking at the Ventura decal set now it would appear it has the older 1A framed canopy. Could this Corsair have been a 1A rather than a 1D? A lot of information out there says it was a 1D.

[Dave Homewood]

Does this help? A photo and a cropped close up of the aircraft sent to me some years back by the late John Scullin who lived at the Rukuhia dump for a while.

[alanw]

Aug 25, 2017 19:42:44 GMT 12 Bryce said:

With the new 1/32 Tamiya F4U-1D now out it seemed to me an ideal time to model NZ5416 . Looking at the Ventura decal set now it would appear it has the older 1A framed canopy. Could this Corsair have been a 1A rather than a 1D? A lot of information out there says it was a 1D.

Hi Bryce,

RNZAF F4U-1D's were issued the Serial range (with the exceptions of NZ5397-99),
of NZ54XX - NZ55XX, so yes was a 1D

You also need to remember that the RNZAF were issued under Lend Lease early
production F4U-1D's, which not only had the "Framed" canopy, but also the thinner
Propellers also found on the F4U-1A
Looking at NZ5416 where it sits in the serial range, (F4U-1D's starting at NZ5397)
it would seemingly fit into the early production aircraft range.

Just one thing (in my opinion), if using the Ventura V3269 set, the Pacific Roundel
is the wrong colour (too light)

www.venturapublications.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=257

Regards

Alan

[Bryce]

Gentleman thank you for your help. I'll change tack a bit and model "Verna' an FG1-D.
Imagine if the scrap yards were still there!
All that effort to see them rotting away.
Bryce

[Bryce]

There was a Gloria Lyons Corsair too any photos?

[Dave Homewood]

I have never seen a photo of the Corsair marked as Gloria Lyons. There must be one out there.

[davidd]

Please note, no such thing as an FG1-D, that SHOULD be FG-1D (although I believe that some of these aircraft had this incorrect designation painted on their rudders - probably confusion at the factory!) Also there was never any such Corsair as an F4U-1A - this was an early 1950s "invention" by Chance Vought when they were celebrating some sort of company anniversary, and naturally everybody has taken their lead (unfortunately). As these were all official US Navy designations, CV had absolutely no authority to "meddle in Navy business". In fact RNZAF only ever operated F4U-1, -1D and FG-1D models, and used these designations exclusively. All three early "models" of the F4U-1 were officially designated thus, with no suffix letter, including the original "birdcage" model, the "bubble-top" (birdcage with a bubble in first top section for rear view mirror) and the last with the first "blown" or "bulged' sliding canopy with just the upper horizontal curved side frames. There were also the -1B (supposedly designation for lend-lease aircraft for Royal Navy, and -1C (with four-cannon armament on reduced range, no leading edge tanks.) And like Dave H, I live in hope that a Gloria Lyons Corsair snap will emerge one day.
David D

[Dave Homewood]

Another interesting note regarding nomenclature, Bryan Cox pointed out to me that during WWII they never heard of the Corsair being manufactured by Chance Vought. He said they were always referred to in the RNZAF as the Vought-Sikorsky Corsair, and he pointed out some official paperwork posted into his logbook backing this up.

Chance Vought actually died in 1930, and his company thereafter was owned by United Aircraft Corporation, who merged their Vought division with their Sikorsky division at Hartford, Connecticut, in 1939, as Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft. It was under this tenure that the Corsair design was developed. In 1942 United Aircraft re-established Vought as a separate division from Sikorsky, but as late as 1944 the Corsair was still being referred to as a Vought-Sikorsky design within the RNZAF it seems.

Note the Vought-Sikorsky 'VS' emblem on this from Bryan's logbook when converting to the Corsair:

[Bryce]

Hi All.
In the absence of any photos of the "Gloria Lyons" Corsair it would be safe to say that the overall colour would have been the "glossy sea blue".
If we were to ask where the name would be I would say under the starboard side of the canopy in a similar position to "Tutae Wera".
Transferring the P-40 Decal (large or small) may give us an indication. Or if smaller perhaps right near the nose??.
I'm also interested in the "Silver Corsair" thread found elsewhere on this forum.
Cheers
Bryce

[Bryce]

Sorry all me again!
Nip onto You Tube P47 Dottie May is airborne.
In the same video there is a Corsair tucking in very nicely.
Also a shot from behind of a Corsair take off lots of right rudder by the looks of it.
Bryce

[alanw]

Sept 3, 2017 21:16:08 GMT 12 Bryce said:

Hi All.
In the absence of any photos of the "Gloria Lyons" Corsair it would be safe to say that the overall colour would have been the "glossy sea blue".
If we were to ask where the name would be I would say under the starboard side of the canopy in a similar position to "Tutae Wera".
Transferring the P-40 Decal (large or small) may give us an indication. Or if smaller perhaps right near the nose??.
I'm also interested in the "Silver Corsair" thread found elsewhere on this forum.
Cheers
Bryce

Hi Bryce,

According to Pete Mossong's site and ADF Serials the RNZAF Corsair "Gloria Lyons" was an F4U-1(a),
RNZAF Serial NZ5233, and I would pick the Gloria Lyons name would have adorned the cowling.

From Pete's site
rnzaf.hobbyvista.com/gl.html

Early RNZAF F4U-1D's were delivered in the USN 3 or 4 tone Scheme (depending on your take on the USN Scheme)

Regards

Alan

[Dave Homewood]

I asked No. Servicing Unit member Ron Hildreth this week if he remembers seeing the Gloria Lyons Corsair but he has no memory of it on the unit. He definitely recalls the three P-40's, but the Corsair must have gained the name after he'd returned to NZ.

[noooby]

According to one website I looked at, (adf serials???) Gloria Lyons F4U-1 was only on strength for about a month before it was written off. So photos probably are not out there.

I hope to be proven wrong though!

[Bryce]

What we need is some kind soul with computer graphic skills to whip up a profile.
Bryce

[aotea]

It's been difficult to find any consistent info on NZ5233 -So this is my best guess of what she may have looked like in the month that she wore the Gloria Lyons art.  As noted by others in this thread, there don't appear to be any photos of her. But I did locate some images/drawings/models of other aircraft from the same squadron at or around the same time (late May 1944).  I chose the USN 4-tone scheme as this seems to be the livery that the -1a's arrived in.  (The later FG-1D's appear to have arrived in all-over Glossy Sea Blue)  But we all know how much variation there was in RNZAF Pacific wartime colour schemes, so this may be wildly inaccurate.
The Gloria was created based on the different styles used on the P-40's.  Each was slightly different, so this is my take on trying to keep consistent with the feels of the noseart used. 

Cheers

Greg T

 

[Dave Homewood]

That's cool. Make an actual model of it depicted like that - that's a guaranteed way to make a photo turn up just after you've finished it.

[aotea]

Dave if there are any photos of the actual bird out there I'll be more than happy to make any changes necessary. 

[Bryce]

Thank you Greg T for the fine Corsair picture. It looks fantastic. If you don't mind I will save it.
Bit of chopping of serials and perhaps the Gloria Decals from Venturas P-40 N set we could bring her back to life.
Just to throw another spanner in the works is there any truth to the Ngatea Swamp Corsair?
Thanks Again
Bryce

[30sqnatc]

Sept 28, 2017 20:45:57 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

That's cool. Make an actual model of it depicted like that - that's a guaranteed way to make a photo turn up just after you've finished it.

So true

The picture is an amazing desktop

[Bryce]

NZ5531
Need to know if the above was an F4U-1A or a 1D. All sorts of different images out there for the silver Corsairs.
Bryce