1/18 Scale Blue Box F4U-1A Corsair Modification

[dodgem37]

Great show, Jay.

 

Sincerely,

Mark

[Oldbaldguy]

Since we all seem to be stuck on your tail wheel, to coin a phrase I would think if you like your dust covers you can keep your dust covers.  Would save you a lot of work, deciding and fiddling down the road.  Plus you have shown them to be historically correct for your airplane.  Like you said, bigger flobzits to ream and all.

[JayW]

7 hours ago, Allan Peters said:

I actually have a tailwheel that I bought off of ebay several years ago that matches exactly the one you referenced from Dana Bell's birdcage book, the center one on page 42. Both sides are dished with the hole on one side for the tire valve. There are six 1/4 inch thread bolts (7/16 heads) around the center holding the halves together. The data plate riveted to the side with the tire valve says it was made by Hayes Industries, gives the tire size as 12 1/2 x 4 1/2 - 4 1/2. The core halves are actually aluminum, the outer dishes are made of steel and carry the bearings and are pressed onto the aluminum cores.

 

If you would like some detailed photos, I'd be happy to shoot you some this weekend.

 

Of course, I'd love to see some pictures of that wheel!  Looking more closely at Bell page 47, it looks to me that the center and right hand picture show the same kind of wheel (but different tire).  The picture on the left is in shadow, so harder to tell, but my guess is that it has the dust covers on it.

 

Here is page 47 from Bell:

 

 

Kevin - note the tire in the center picture - that's the one I modeled, for better or for worse.

[JayW]

10 hours ago, LSP_Kevin said:

If you've found evidence to support your design choice, then that's good enough for me.

 

Thanks Kevin.  I posted page 47 in Bell volume 7 for everyone's viewing pleasure.  See the center photo for that tire.  I still might redesign it with more slots.  The process is not that hard. 

[Kaeone57]

You got this Jay!

 

Alfonso

[Oldbaldguy]

And…….if I finally correctly read the drawing you posted earlier, it appears you would not have to drill a hole in the dust cover and create a valve stem after all because the dust cover, well, covers it up.   No access without removing the cover.  Which is probably why you also see photos of Corsairs without dust covers back there - too much to mess with whenever it needed airing up.

[JayW]

11 hours ago, Oldbaldguy said:

And…….if I finally correctly read the drawing you posted earlier, it appears you would not have to drill a hole in the dust cover and create a valve stem after all because the dust cover, well, covers it up.   No access without removing the cover.  Which is probably why you also see photos of Corsairs without dust covers back there - too much to mess with whenever it needed airing up.

 

Yes!  I have thought this over too.  To take it a little further, the wheel/tire combination would have to be removed entirely just to air up the tire!  And airing up the tire (or at least checking inflation pressure) is something that must happen relatively often - probably before each mission - like many other line maintenance items where special access features are provided just for that task (like addition of oil).  Removing and replacing the wheel/tire assembly, and jacking/lifting the back of the aircraft to do so, is labor entirely incompatible with such a common task as checking air pressure.  For that reason, I would be really surprised to not find an easy way to get to that valve stem with dust covers installed.   Now - to find it.  Am hesitant to use the wheel with dust cover unless I am familiar with that feature, if it exists.

 

In the meant time, I checked the Hellcat tail wheel install drawing (Hellcat uses the same tail wheel I believe), and it specifies an option to use a wheel from any of the following manufacturers - Bendix, Firestone, Goodyear, Hayes.  The wheel, BTW is government furnished equipment.

[JayW]

17 hours ago, Kaeone57 said:

You got this Jay!

 

No I don't Alfonso!  Look at the interest level on my thread on the tail wheel.  The eyes of the modeling world are on me, it feels like, so I have to get it right.  I've got the tire - I'll give you that.  But I have to sort out the wheel and dust cover details.  Do you have any expert advise on that?  

[Kaeone57]

1 hour ago, JayW said:

 

No I don't Alfonso!  Look at the interest level on my thread on the tail wheel.  The eyes of the modeling world are on me, it feels like, so I have to get it right.  I've got the tire - I'll give you that.  But I have to sort out the wheel and dust cover details.  Do you have any expert advise on that?  

Never seen a dust cover on a Corsair tail wheel in any picture of an in service aircraft at all. Whether it be a F4U-1, -1"A"-D or even a -4, -5,-7 or AU-1. To be honest, didn't even know it existed as I've never seen it before, LoL

[Kaeone57]

Like I said you got this, Jay!

[airscale]

On 5/6/2022 at 6:31 PM, JayW said:

 

Jeez - if it wasn't for the desk clutter, this could 100% be an F4U in the shop getting some wrenchtime..

 

..looks real Jay, and that is that...

 

incredible work and attention to detail and awe inspiring to watch develop

 

Peter

[Oldbaldguy]

Way too much other stuff yet to come on this build.  I move we take a vote.  Settle the science, so to speak.  I vote for a ribbed tail wheel with no dust covers.  Jay gets to pick which one.  Then he does the all the work while we all watch, wine glass in hand.  Seems reasonable to me.

[JayW]

I have done some more tail wheel Rhino modeling - a tire with more slots around the periphery, and a "Hayes" wheel assembly.  Thanks to Allan Peters, who sent me a bunch of photo's of that brand of wheel, which apparently was used as often as not on Corsairs.

 

First that page 42 from Bell volume 7 again:

 

What you see modeled here is from the center pic:

 

 

And this is from the RH pic:

 

 

The difference is the tire - one with the bolder (less numerous tread slots), and one with the finer (more numerous) tread slots.  That tire with the finer slots was hard to make, and didn't turn out as clean as I want - the flat portion and bulge leave a bit to be desired.  But any irregularities will probably not show up - it's a pretty small part.

 

I will listen to preferences from those interested in commenting.  Already know Kevin's preference.  After that, I think we can all agree we have beaten the tail wheel to death! 

 

A post on fuselage belly skinning comes soon. 

 

Edited May 16, 2022 by JayW

[LSP_Kevin]

20 minutes ago, JayW said:

I will listen to preferences from those interested in commenting.  Already know Kevin's preference.

 

I actually didn't have a preference - just wasn't aware of the tyre variant with fewer slots. But viewing them together, I'd have to say I do lean towards the version with more of them.

Kev

[JayW]

The next task would be to finish skinning the forward fuselage.  This work had to wait until the diaphragm was installed, part of the engine accessories compartment work.  Last I posted any skinning work was early March:

 

 

Belly skinning - everything aft of the belly door.

 

First, skin panels just below the engine accessories were added - easy work:

 

 

 

Note how the forward edge of the aluminum skin rests on the diaphragm.   Oh, and do not worry about the long gap between the wing skins and fuselage skin - that will be covered entirely by a wing-to-fuselage attach angle.

 

Then it was on to the complex little panels on the forward belly.  One of them is shown here, on the bench:

 

  

 

That part was my first foray into severe compound curvature paneling.  So annealed material was used, along with some vigorous coaxing with a balsa wood stick and a popsicle stick.  Turned out OK!

 

Take a look at the completed belly skinning:

 

   

 

 

 

I am reasonably pleased with this result.  But, as I knew, the un-skinned wing panels stick out like sore thumbs now, with their juvenile looking depressions that are supposed to be rivet patterns.  A couple of pics to illustrate:

 

 

 

 

Here is what I am NOT going to do - skin the wings.  Too much has already been done on the lower wings - the landing gear and the LG doors.  Also flaps and their lower doors are already installed.  And if I don't do the lower wing surfaces, then I can't do the upper wing surfaces.

 

What I will do is putty over the rivet patterns and some/all of the panel lines.  I am TERRIBLE at that.  I have to do better than my past efforts; would be tragic not to.  I normally use putty (Tamiya or Squadron), sand it down best I can, and try to re-scribe with tools meant for the purpose.   What I want to do is that, plus use my awl punch for fastener patterns, rather than drill starts.  But I worry that putty or whatever I use to fill in the old rivet patterns will not hold up to the awl.  Soooo, I am asking for advise from you masters.  Panel lines and fastener pattern restoration 101. 

 

In addition to any surface resto work on the wings, I believe my next adventure is the removable panels over the engine accessories compartment.  Can't wait!

 

Take care.

 

 

Edited May 26, 2022 by JayW