G14-100 Monogram Speedee-Bilt Vought F4U-5 Corsair - Flying Scale Model - (F4U5)
Wood Model Kit, Box Condition: Good++
Rare and highly prefabricated scale rubber powered wood flying model from the early 1950s. Before there were plastic models, there were wooden aircraft kits. These usually came in two types - solid and stick and tissue. The solid models were static and usually contained a few blocks of balsa and sometimes a detail part or two. These "Make Wood Look Like Plane" models required a very high level of skill in carving and finishing. The stick and tissue variety were slightly easier to build and provided the ultimate thrill - they could fly when complete with rubber power (and later with free-flight gas and eventually RC). They still required a great deal of skill, so manufacturers sought ways to make model building more accessible to everyone. One idea was pre-carving and/or prefabrication. This raised prices, naturally. Many manufacturers launched lines of 'easy' to build flying models but only Monogram succeeded in making an entire line at an affordable price that would actual fly. The original "Speedee-Bilt" kits were in one-piece two-color boxes. In the early 1950s, shortly before plastic kits were available, Monogram changed to the 'hardbox' with a lithographic slick glued to the top as this kit. This Speedee-Bilt Corsair features die-cut and pre painted blue wooden parts, completely formed airfoil wing (the famous "Monofoil"), fully carved wooden fuselage nose section, carved and painted wheels, plastic front cowling with engine front, pilot, machine guns & four bladed propeller, clear vacuform canopy (still mint and perfectly clear- no yellowing), fully formed wire landing gear struts, rubber motor, full decals, sand paper, covering tissue (also blue) and more. The instructions are detailed and highly illustrated. Never started. Inside, the kit is as it left the factory. The small parts are still sealed in the original wax paper bag. The parts that were never factory sealed have been inventoried complete with all parts, decals and instructions. The decals and instructions are in 'excellent' condition with light to moderate yellowing as the only flaw. There is even a small catalog showing the entire Speedee-Bilt line at this time as well as Monogram's first plastic kits.
This item has been sold.
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