F4U Corsair / Boyington Black Sheep Squadron

F4U Corsair airplane model. The F4U was one of the most successful fighters of WWII. It achieved a claimed 11.3 to 1 'kill ratio' in the Pacific. It was fast, but had some handling problems, and early versions tended to 'bounce' upon landing because of their stiff undercarriage. Therefore, it was at first restricted to land-based marine units and equipped all USMC fighter units in the Pacific in the second half of 1943. After some modifications, it was used also for shipboard operations, but continued to require careful handling. The vast majority of F4U sorties (54470 out of 64051) were flown from land bases. The F4U had an inverted gull wing, a streamlined fuselage of circular cross-section and a big propeller. The cockpit was set well back, and the restricted view was a serious problem. 12571 were built, of which 4017 by Goodyear and 735 by Brewster as the FG and F3A, respectively.

The F4U was made famous by Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington who scored 22 kills (6 additional kills flying the P-40 as a Flying Tiger) in the Corsair. His achievements resulted in receiving the Medal of Honor while Commanding Officer of the VMF-214 Black Sheep. This model is painted to reflect the best known of the Corsairs he flew.

Mahogany Wood. Scale: 1/32. Wingspan 15 inches, Length 12 1/2 inches.