Indianapolis RC South

I hope mine turn out this good!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO5diaabCl8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO5diaabCl8)

Have an update on your progress?

It would be interesting to see the finished product...

I've delayed work on the folding wings until I can get my retracts the way I want them. I do not want to use air tanks and I have contacted a guy who makes electronic actuators powered by batteries. He has been very busy since the show in Toledo and may not be able to design a set for me until later this year.
In the meantime I have started on the cockpit. I want to have this in place first so I will know where to route the wires, pushrods, etc. I purchased a 1/6 scale F4U Corsair kit from Viking Cockpits. I still have to do a lot of work because the space for cockpit kit is too narrow so I will need to make side panels by hand. I made the seat frame by hand too because I did not like the one that came with the kit.

Here are some up to date pictures.

Thanks for your interest.

Thanks for the update!   Look like it's gonna be a masterpiece when it is finished.  Keep us up to date with your progress!

These pictures show how I assembled the seat.

The width of the fuselage at the cockpit is too narrow for a scale cockpit so I had a decision to make: either shrink the cockpit kit (panels, walls, etc) or widen the fuselage. Since I wanted a scale looking cockpit I elected to widen the fuselage. Of course, I did not want to weaken the structure so this is what I did:

I changed the subject to reflect the changed topic. It's not just about the folding wings now, but showing the complete build. I am in no way an expert or even advance in building, so maybe this should be titled "How not to build a Corsair" ;)

Anyway, the walls needed some horizontal braces added to them so I added them. There is a lot of filler, sanding, and straightening to be done, but you get the idea from these pictures.

I worked on the throttle quadrant this weekend. I started by placing the support onto the side wall. Building the quadrant was labor intensive but rewarding. As you can see it still needs some filling, sanding, and painting but overall I am satisfied.
The throttle lever is functional. It will move with the throttle on the plane moves. The pilot's hand will be fixed to the lever so it will appear as though he is controlling it.

That's really cool Richard...  are you vacuum forming the plastic?

Richard,

You might want to check out the F4U training video I posted...
http://www.indyrcsouth.org/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,30/topic,369.0 (http://www.indyrcsouth.org/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,30/topic,369.0)

Enjoy!
Chuck

Chuck,
Thanks - I have that one and several others, but keep sending them! I never know when I'll see one I don't have.

Pat,
No, I'm not that good!  ;) The cockpit kit came from Viking Cockpits. I'm making some modifications/additions to it though but it is saving me a lot of work.

The cockpit kit did not include the box that connects to the gear/dive brake lever so I fabricated one.

Here's some pictures with several parts connected.

Next I fabricated the emergency release levers.

I cut out the area for the wing fold lever, added the wing fold lock pin lever, tailwheel lock lever, and trim tab knobs. I then dry fit everything onto the side wall. It's 'rough' looking, but with some more trimming, filler and paint it should be ok.

Here's some pictures with the parts attached.

As I mentioned I still need to do some sanding, filling, and painting but the parts are together.  I will take them off the wall for painting though.

I need to add a couple more horizontal supports on the wall, and the switches, breakers, buttons, etc.

After painting and clear coating I will add the decals. I still have some more decals to make because the kit didn't have them all. I'm still researching what all of the decals say but I have most of them.

Does anyone have a closeup picture of the Vought nameplate?

some links for ya:

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/AWA1/301-400/walk334_Corsair/walk334.htm

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/AWA1/101-200/walk136_Corsair/walk136.htm

http://www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com/F4USTUFF.html

http://www.f4ucorsair.com/

http://www.kiwiaircraftimages.com/corsair.html

where I found most the above links:  http://www.craigcentral.com/models.asp

Thanks Pat - I haven't seen all of those.

This weekend I worked on the seat.
I made the attachment brackets using styrene, straight pins, and used very thin wire for the springs.
I could not find any references to the purpose of the hook, but perhaps it was for stowing the oxygen mask.
The handle was pulled up to unlock and the pilot would use his legs to raise or lower the seat height.
The headrest was not thick enough so I cut the front off and added a strip of styrene. After bonding it the seam can just barely be seen. It will not be noticeable after filling, sanding, and painting.

Great work! Keep the updates coming.  It's great to witness the skilled craftsmanship going into this project that is so hard to find anymore...

Thanks for your comments, but I would hardly call what I am doing "skilled" or "craftsmanship" hahaha

I plan on doing more this weekend so I'll get some more pictures uploaded soon.

I finally got some time on the bench.
I want to add some detail to the floor like the manual hydraulic pump, the O2 and CO2 tanks, etc. But first I need to add a floor and foot supports.
The plans for the fuselage call for a full width plank that supports the blocks that the wings screw into to hold them in place. After reviewing this I decided the supports could be epoxied to the sides of the fuselage and that will provide enough strength.

Here's before and after cutting the support.

Floor, side panels, and foot supports in place.

I was emailed the following F4U-1 cockpit picture that helps with my search:

(http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u221/rwright142/1A-HiRes2.jpg)

Can anyone provide the wordage of the switches in the highlighted section below:
(http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u221/rwright142/1A-HiResSwitches.jpg)

Also, if anyone has close-up pictures of these placards that would be great!
(http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u221/rwright142/1A-MidResLabels1.jpg)

Thanks in advance.

I've taken some pictures of the Corsair firewall, edited then merged them together using Photoshop. After scaling them down I've printed them out and will use them to produce the illusion of the metal wall. I will use this same process for the floor.
What do you think? Does it look realistic? For the floor, when I place items on top of the printout it will give it a 3D effect. I think it should look good.

I made some progress on the Bomb arm/release lever. Here's the full scale version then my copy. As you can see there is still a lot of sanding and filling to do but the pieces are taking shape.

I went the the Tri-state Warbird Museum over the weekend for some more pictures and videos of their Corsair. I found out something interesting about this FG-1D. It never saw combat, however it did fly in the "Baa Baa Black Sheep" movie and TV series. One of the tour guides pointed out 2 small holes in the fuselage that had been repaired. He said that was where they installed a smoke device. He said this Corsair was the one you saw get shot down. So, if you ever get to see the movie or TV series you'll know the one that gets shot down is currently under restoration in Cincinnati Ohio.

While I was filming, one of the tour guides introduced me to nice guy Hunt. He actually flew a Corsair in WWII!  I spent over 2 hrs with him. What a great experience. He took me around the place and showed me pictures, articles, models, etc. that he donated. There is even a display of all of the trainers he flew up to the Corsair. Very nice display.

nice guy never saw combat but just flew training missions. The stories he told were very enjoyable. He told me that once he had to make a deadstick landing from 500 ft!  He also pointed out that Corsairs had the ability to tow a target banner so others could practice shooting a moving target. He showed me picture of him flying the Corsair and he told me to look closely at the picture. He pointed out several small holes in the fuselage between the cockpit and the vertical stabilizer!!!  Someone had peppered his Corsair by accident!  WOW!!!  He said he didn't even know it until he landed.

nice guy is 83 and last year was diagnosed with cancer. However, he looks good and the prognosis is good.

God Bless the men and women who serve, no matter in what capacity. They all fight for our freedoms.

I made some more progress on the cockpit this weekend. I printed out a copy of the picture of the Corsair floor and will use that for the floor like I did for the firewall. The one you see was printed out on an ink-jet printer so it is not the best looking. The final one will be printed on a color laser printer to look more realistic.
A friend sent me a wiring diagram of the switch panel and with a picture of one as a model I had to  guess the layout. I think  the attached one is what I will use.
My next step will be to add some hydraulic hoses. If I can find some thick thread or fishing line I thought I would try that. Any suggestions on what to use?

Looks like you're making some serious progress...  :)

For the hydraulic hoses, I'd suggest using solid electrical hookup wire with black insulation.
The nice thing about the solid wire is that you can bend it to shape and it will stay.

You should be able to find it in different sizes at a hardware store or maybe Radio Shack.

I have some wire, but I want to keep it as light as I can (since I'm adding so much weight anyway). I've heard that spraying hairspray on thread makes it stiff. Maybe fishing line would be best, but I don't know if I can find the gauge I need.

Thanks for the suggestion.

More progress. I will be changing the colors of some of the levers like the dive brake handle. You'll also notice a few placed where I need to add some touch-up paint. I should have sanded more before I painted. I didn't realize how much the paint shows the errors. Oh well, I'll live with it.
Anyone know the best way to keep the decals from coming up? I notice one or two will come up on the ends. I'll spray a coat of dull coat when I'm finished and that may keep them down, but if anyone has any ideas please let me know.

Some of you may have noticed I had to take a few liberties. The early -1's did not have dive brakes but I liked the look if it so I added it. I guess it is possible that the ones the Jolly Rogers flew may have had them.

Since I did that, I moved the flap lever from the brace which the throttle quadrant is located to where you see it now. To me, this is a more logical position. In older -1's and the 1D's they flap lever is closer to the instrument panel but again, it's conceivable that the 1A had them where I have mine.

Also, the CO2 tank should be further back but the area 'back there' will be hard to see with the seat in place. Much of the floor will be hidden anyway but I wanted the tank to have some possibility of being seen.

The bomb arm/release lever in the picture I have of the full scale -1A does not show it as being primed with the flat black. I made the assumption that since it was still in the factory they just hadn't painted it yet. I will just have to guess how the lever and knobs were painted. I don't know if I should use yellow, white, keep it black, or paint it some other color. What do you think?

The elevator trim wheel should be slightly forward but the kit had it where it is shown. I guess I could have cut it out and repositioned it but the difference is minor.

Next will be the switch panel, throttle quadrant connection rods, and the flap activation rods. BTW, the throttle lever will move when the radio throttle lever is moved. My pilot will have his hand on the lever so it will appear that he is actually changing the throttle.

Richard,

I normally use Microsol Decal Set to help keep my decals from coming up.  It helps pull them down into the details of whatever it is I'm putting them on.  Testor's also makes a decal set solution, but I've had better luck with Microsol.  There apparently is another called Solvaset, but I've not tried it.

I've found a couple of links that may provide some useful information:

http://www.modelsbuzz.com/forums/general/15460-which-is-hotter-solvaset-or-microsol.html (http://www.modelsbuzz.com/forums/general/15460-which-is-hotter-solvaset-or-microsol.html)

http://www.showrods.com/acrobat_articles/applying_decals.pdf (http://www.showrods.com/acrobat_articles/applying_decals.pdf)

Hope this helps...
Chuck

Thanks Chuck - very informative links.

I should not have called them decals. They are just printed on sticky paper. I have applied some white glue under them and that is working.

Here's the switch panel design I am going for. Does anyone know the color of the "GUNS" switch safety cover?

For you Corsair fans, I have received permission to share my pictures and videos of the FG-1D in Cincinnati undergoing restoration.

I am building a 1/6 scale F4U-1A and in doing research I found this FG-1D and asked the Tri-State Warbird Museum for permission to visit and take pictures and video. They graciously invited me but told me the Corsair was in bad shape. It was in good enough shape for me to get many pictures and videos and they are helping me in my build. The FG-1D and F4U-1A have many similarities.

The museum has many planes in their collection: P-51D Mustang, T-6D Texan, TBM-3 Avenger, B-25 Mitchell, Boeing Stearman Model 75, Link ANT-18 Trainer, and others.
The website for the museum is here:
http://tri-statewarbirdmuseum.org (http://tri-statewarbirdmuseum.org)


Here are the pictures and video from my visit. I will be adding more soon:
http://s169.photobucket.com/albums/u221/rwright142/Corsair%20Graveyard/?albumview=slideshow (http://s169.photobucket.com/albums/u221/rwright142/Corsair%20Graveyard/?albumview=slideshow)