Posts: 2901
Joined: 5/28/2006 From: Janesville,
WI, USA Status: offline
Hello,
I am basicly finished with my son's 1/8 scale TF Corsair and now it's time. I have cleaned and orginized my shops so I have a very good work area for this size project. I have inventoried all the fuselage parts and looked at all the other laser cut parts. I layed them all out so I could see if any were damaged. I found one part for the stabalizer that had the LE 1/4" broken off. IEverything was in bags and after I emptied the bag I found the piece and glued it back in place with Great Planes Pro Glue. The entire plane will be built with it unless I am forced to use CA for a quick bond. Anyway here are all the parts, sticks and sheeting. Hope to get started today. Pictures will follow as I build.
Posts: 438
Joined: 8/3/2002 From: N. Scituate, RI, USA Status: offline
Hi Gibbs, Looking forward to your build. Is the Cowl and canopy available? How about retracts? Who cut your kit? What are you planning to use for power? Post lots of pictures. Thanks, Fred Menna Check6
Posts: 2901
Joined: 5/28/2006 From: Janesville,
WI, USA Status: offline
Fred,
Retracts seem to be the only problem. Darrel at Seirra is backed up and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. I am using a 3W 200cc 20hp. engine and turning a 32" 3 blade Solo prop. You get the canopy and cowl directly from Don Smith when you order the plans. You will have to order them but he is quite good about getting them out quick. Here is what I have done so far today. The formers are not glued but I am test fitting everything first. Right now I am waiting on the TiteBond to dry and then I can adjust the top and bottom crutch. It's been a long time in the waiting to get to it so I figure I am going to do it right and take my time. Oh yeah Laser Cut USA in Florida cut my kit. Dino at Meister Scale is affiliated with that Co. and he did a great job. He supplied everything I will need as far as wood is concerned and it is high quality too.
Posts: 2901
Joined: 5/28/2006 From: Janesville,
WI, USA Status: offline
Glue dried. It was time to get on with it. This Corsair is bigger than I thought it would be. Anyone building this plane beware of the plans. The are not accurate. Don blew up his 100" to make the 120" and in doing so all the wood seems much bigger than it actually is. So if it looks like 3/8" it is actually as the plan reads and is a 1/4" and so on. So far it seems prtty straight forward though.
Posts: 2901
Joined: 5/28/2006 From: Janesville,
WI, USA Status: offline
Today I founf a lot of things that were wrong on the plans. I had to cut notches for stringers which were not on Don's parts plan. Also the wing saddle formers were not notched enough. And they also are not in a perfect line for the stingers. It,s a good thing that this plane gets planked instead of large sheets that have to set on a perfectly straight stringer. Don should have re-drawn the 120" and not blown up the 100". I have been spending all day on this half of the fuselage. I am sure glad I didn't glue anything yesterday. I would have never gotten the wing saddle in if I had glued all the formers in yesterday. Now it's all glued. Here it is.
Posts: 2901
Joined: 5/28/2006 From: Janesville,
WI, USA Status: offline
Yesterday I finished up all the little things needed on the left side of the fuselage and then I made 16 supports to hold the left side level so I could build the right side over it. Here are some more pictures. I wish someone else was building this plane so we could scratch our heads together. Beleive me this build is not a walk in the park. Most of it is flying by the seat of your pants and just carving a Corsair out of a bunch of wood.
Posts: 644
Joined: 1/17/2002 From: Carrollton,
VA, USA Status: offline
I am in the latter stages of a Don Smith Cessna T-50 build. I found that there are alot of "Miracles" that appear on the drawings. I have had more than my fair share of things that the drawings show that are simply impossible in reality. Most of the time I simply keep throwing balsa at the problem and eventually, have hours of carving and sanding, I have what I am looking for.
Posts: 2901
Joined: 5/28/2006 From: Janesville,
WI, USA Status: offline
Jeff,
I know what you mean. I am making modifications just to build the thing. Usually that is a given. Luky for me I've been modifying for quirw some time. I am almost finished with the fuselage rough framing. I have to wait while the kit cutter make me some formers that will acually work and not what he was shown to cut. I have my TW retract, air tank, and air system on it's way so I can be doing something while I wait for the 6 parts. I will make a home for the tank and install the TW retract. Here she is now.
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All Forums >> RC Airplanes >> RC Warbirds and Warplanes >> 1/4 Scale F4U-1A Don Smith Plans Build 
1/4 Scale F4U-1A Don Smith Plans Build - 
I wanted to show you what I'm waiting to dry and how it looks so far. 
not in this hobby anyway!!
