AU-1 Corsair NAS North Island (1956)
Historical Context
On January 19, 1956, at Naval Air Station North Island, California, a rare appearance of the AU-1 Corsair was photographed wearing a new Navy paint scheme. This aircraft marked the transitional phase from the overall Glossy Sea Blue to the light gray-over-white standard.
The exact paint scheme observed:
Top surfaces:FS 36440 Light Gull Gray
Bottom surfaces: FS 17875 Insignia White
This scheme was part of the evolving Navy doctrine emphasizing better thermal performance and visibility control, particularly under operational conditions near the coast and over water.
| FS 17875 | FS 16440 | ||
| Insignia White | Light Gull Gray | ||
| General | Lower / Flaps | Upper | |
| Fighters (1977-) | Overall | ||
| Color matches | |||
| Gunze Aqueous | H316 | H314 | |
| Gunze Mr Color | C316 | C314 | |
| Humbrol | – | 129 | |
| Model Master | 1745 | 1729 | |
| Revell | – | – | |
| Tamiya | – | (X-20) | |
| Vallejo Model Air | 71.279* | 71.121* | |
| Vallejo Model Color | (70.820) | 70.986** | |
| AKAN | (73146) | 72014 | |
| AK Interactive | AK 2052 | AK 2051 | |
| AK Real Colors | RC222 | RC220 | |
| AMMO by Mig | – | A.MIG-241 | |
| Colourcoats | ACUS36 | ACUS01 | |
| Hataka | HTK-_043 | HTK-_048* | |
| Lifecolor | – | UA 025 | |
| Mission Models | MMP-104 | MMP-069 | |
| Mr Paint | MRP-99 | MRP-98 | |
| Xtracolor | X141 | X137 | |
| Xtracrylix | XA1141 | XA1137 | |
Kits & Aftermarket Extras
Recommended Kit:
Hasegawa 1/48 AU-1 Corsair (minor cockpit and shape tweaks required)
Decal Options:
Victory Productions VPD48001 (includes era-correct AU-1 markings)
Super Scale or Ultracast sheets for AU-1 / F4U-4 Corsairs
Aftermarket Enhancements:
Wolfpack Design WPDWW48018 Cockpit Set (resin, 1/48)
Quickboost / True Details: seats, exhausts, and other detail bits
E-Z Masks for insignia and canopy precision painting
Build Strategy
Assembly: Watch for forward fuselage alignment – consider ledge reinforcement or sanding.
Cockpit: Resin detail set from Wolfpack gives serious realism boost.
Painting:
Decaling: Apply Victory or Super Scale decals with Micro Set/Sol for clean blending.
Weathering: Light washes or oils for realism – keep subtle, as these birds weren’t heavily worn.
Final Finish: Semi-gloss or satin clear coat to match the 1956 Navy appearance.
F4U-1 “Birdcage” Corsair 126 – “Tojo Eats Shit”
This specific AU-1 Corsair from NAS North Island is an excellent project for anyone who wants to build a rare and historically accurate post-war naval aircraft, with a clean but distinctive finish.
https://thanlont.blogspot.com/2009/03/f4u-corsair.html