NZ5350 "Struggle Buggy" Corsair questions

[chrisr]

Evening all.

This photo shows NZ5350 with it's famous "struggle buggy" name.

fotoweb.airforcemuseum.co.nz/fotoweb/archives/5003-Search-the-Collection/Collection/PR4368.jpg.info

My question relates to the colour of the wheels. Warren Russel's excellent book notes RNZAF Corsairs wheels were painted many colours, including:

NS Intermediate Blue
NS Sea Blue
White
Duck Egg Blue or
Unpainted Magnesium alloy.

Anyone want to guess what colour the wheels are on NZ5350 are in the above photo. It doesn't look to be white or NS sea blue to me, the shade almost looks closest to the NS intermediate blue on the wings. That said, the colour of the wheel furthermost from the camera looks to be similar to the undercarriage leg, which would be white, so I don't know.

[Dave Homewood]

My guess is unpainted alloy.

[chrisr]

Thanks Dave.

[chrisr]

Another question.

The dark haphazard patches which run the length of the wing, what is that? Is it some kind of sealant for the wing fuel tanks? If so what colour would that be? Fresh painted Intermediate blue?

[shorty]

Corsairs don't have wing fuel tanks

[chrisr]

So just paint touch ups then?

[shorty]

Or perhaps fabric repairs /rejuvination?

[noooby]

Looks like 5339 has an inscription under its cowl number too.

[chrisr]

Apr 7, 2023 5:45:27 GMT 12 noooby said:

Looks like 5339 has an inscription under its cowl number too.

\

Also just visible in this photo

www.asisbiz.com/il2/Corsair/RNZAF/pages/Vought-F4U-1D-Corsair-RNZAF-21Sqn-NZ5339-White-39-with-31-Servicing-Unit-over-Bougainville-01.html

Warren Russell notes in his book "Note how the white hand painted cowling numbers "39 are positioned low down on the cowling and underlined in white".

[davidd]

Who said Corsairs didn't have wing tanks? All F4U-1s certainly did when they left the factory (and I presume early Goodyear and Brewster-built Corsairs had them too). However they were deleted from production when the F4U-1D model came on line and were never reintroduced. Problem with these tanks was some poor engineering design which led to these tanks springing rivets after a certain period of service (I believe vibration from the guns being fired was transferred from said guns through bracing brackets and thence directly to the inner face of the leading-edge tanks which formed leading edge of the outer mainplane). However this description of the fault may not be entirely accurate, as I have never seen a detailed description of the tanks or brackets - the tanks had no type of anti-leak protection, and these tanks were normally used first, hopefully before entering combat). Further comments invited! NZ5339, 5347, 5350, etc., were definitely F4U-1's. I believe all F4U-1s had their leading edge tanks rendered inoperative some time in about mid-1944, and this was probably a modification approved by the US Navy and manufacturers and probably mandatory across all air forces operating the type at this time.