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

[JayW]

3 hours ago, geedubelyer said:

is there any mileage in scratchbuilding the whole wing?

 

Hmmm - you want to add another year to this project?    A very intriguing thought Guy.  The biggest problem would be to attain a good match with the center wing, both its trim or its contour.  Got any ideas?  The rest would be a job for Peter Castle!    

[geedubelyer]

Haha, yes. I just don't want this journey to end!

 

How do the kit wings look? Are they reasonably accurate in silhouette and cross section? If so, I'd use them as a template and employ techniques similar to how you and Peter have created wing forms before. 

 

Formers + balsa or filler?

Skin with litho. 

 

Roberts your Dad's brother and Fanny's your Mother's sister. 

 

For a man with your talent and joie de vivre, a week, tops......

 

HTH

Edited April 20, 2023 by geedubelyer

[Woody V]

7 hours ago, JayW said:

The wing - I have done one thing only on wings so far, and that is to attempt to break one apart (a top half and a bottom half).  I failed.  Did that a few months ago.  It is glued together so firmly that I am afraid I will destroy it to get it apart.  So that is an issue. 

 

Think about doing it destructively with minimum damage. If you haven't already, try using a jeweler's saw. The blades are available super thin so you won't have to worry about a large gap. 

Just throwing this out for consideration.

[scvrobeson]

Wow, what a difference from where you started.  This truly is a labor of love build.

 

 

 

Matt 

[JayW]

14 hours ago, Woody V said:

If you haven't already, try using a jeweler's saw.

 

Woody I have the Tamiya thin saw - is that about the same?  

[Ironwing]

stellar...

[wingman777]

I vote to leave the gun bays closed and wings unfolded, keep it more simple and let the work just speak for itself.

[Woody V]

6 hours ago, JayW said:

 

Woody I have the Tamiya thin saw - is that about the same?  

 

Not really. A jewelers saw is like a coping saw, but with a very fine blade.

[JayW]

I'm doing a new rudder - I will post progress soon.  Meanwhile - you know squadron commander Tom Blackburn was responsible for the skull and crossbones emblem VF-17 was know by.  Not sure when it happened relative to adoption of the emblem, but VF-17 was also known as the "Jolly Rogers".  That name stuck, and Navy fighter squadrons have used it ever since.  Here is another in series of totally bad-to-the bone naval fighters that have sported the skull and crossbones, and the name Jolly Rogers:

 

   

 

Enjoy.

[Maybach_man]

On 4/21/2023 at 2:31 PM, JayW said:

 

Woody I have the Tamiya thin saw - is that about the same?  

Peter does some really fine thin photo etch saws

[JayW]

3 hours ago, Maybach_man said:

Peter does some really fine thin photo etch saws

 

At this point, I am just beginning to formulate a wing plan.  The way I see it currently, and this might change, I am going to use the existing wings and not do alot of scratch building.  And importantly, I think I will not split them apart, which would mean I don't need the jewelers saw.  The more I research the wing drawings and inspect the wings I have, the more I like them.  The shape and planform appear to be pretty close, and the thickness is as well.  Also, panel lines are not far off.

 

Soon I will post a much more detailed plan for comments.  At this juncture though, I think it is going to involve a scratch built aileron and flap, dremmeling out the areas where fabric skin is present (I will use 0.005 inch thick plastic sheet like I did on the elevators), and add rib caps in those areas for the sheet to lie on top of, hopefully to give it a bit of drape.  The rest, I will skin in aluminum.  That will include the entire leading edge forward of the spar, the gun bays, and the inboard end at the wing-fold region.

 

We shall see.

 

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by JayW

[geedubelyer]

Sounds like a plan 

[JayW]

Super-Hornets too.  Engage!

 

  

[JayW]

Just a couple of shots of the new (and hopefully) improved rudder:

 

 

 

Note the thin plastic skin where the original one has doped tissue.

 

The major steps:  

 1.  Basic skeleton (done)

2.  Basic skin (1 of two done)

3.  circle section leading edge - ribs and skin (in process)

4.  Balance weight tower skeleton  (in process)

5.  P-38 filler - balance weight tower

6.  Tab skeleton, skin, drive rod  

 

A good scratch built rudder is a large project indeed.  I have checked and double checked everything I do, every measurement I make, trying to make sure it is perfect.  So far so good.....  Later. 

Edited April 27, 2023 by JayW

[geedubelyer]

Alot of work for sure Jay but judging by the results you've shown you'll be happy you did it. 

Great job so far.