Posts: 860
Joined: 2/12/2002 From: Richmond Hill,
ON, CANADA Status: online
Todd,
It's covered with 1/2-oz fiberglass cloth. I used Minwax Polycrylic to adhere it to the airframe. Then I did Luke's trick with the thinned Bondo to fill any remaining weave. For the panel lines I used 1/64" chart tape, primered over the chart tape, then peeled off the tape. I used automotive paint for all colours. The base blue I used is too light, too bright. I don't know what I was thinking when I picked that shade of blue.
For the weathering I used black charcoal and sandpaper to get black "dirt". On the wing, I smeared it on the chordwise panel lines and just behind the spanwise panel lines, then wipe it off backwards. On the fuse, I smeared it on the vertical panel lines and just below the lenghwise panel lines, then wipe it off downwards. I also "dusted" everything with baby powder and wiped backwards on the wing and downwards on the fuse. But when I clearcoated it all the baby powder seemed to disappear. It's no show winner, but I'm very pleased with my results given that it was all my first attempt at scale.
Look to add a month or more to your project if you want to fiberglass and paint. It took me longer than that because I had to experiment and try everything out on scrap first. The worst part about it is all the sanding. I thought it would never end. But it's worth every effort because when it's all said and done, you'll have an ugly weathered airplane that doesn't look like it just rolled out of the factory (if that's the look you want). And the big bonus for me is that you won't get any of those unscale bubbles from the sagging monokote.
I hope this helps.
Juice
< Message edited by Juice -- 11/25/2003 10:20:35 AM >
Posts: 28
Joined: 11/13/2003 From: Harvest, AL, USA Status: offline
I don't want to be a pain in the butt, but I thought this thread is intended to deal with mods to the Top Flite 60 size Corsair to make it appear more scale like. I personally would like to see the forum members keep it that way. There is a forum devoted to Fiberglassing etc. I go there when I want the kind of info you are submitting here. Thanks. Semper Fi Dick
Posts: 860
Joined: 2/12/2002 From: Richmond Hill,
ON, CANADA Status: online
quote:
ORIGINAL: cap10fan I am new to scale building and am just curious what finish you used on your Corsair.
I guess I could have just answered with "I finished it with fiberglass and paint".
quote:
ORIGINAL: cap10fan I am also very impressed by your gear door set-up and would appreciate some info on this as well.
I owe you an answer to this as well. I was hoping to post some pictures of the gear doors but my monitor at home died on me (I'm limited to surfing at work when nobody's watching ).
But to tell you the truth, I don't like the way I did my gear doors (basically they are made with shaped balsa sheets laminated with carbonfiber cloth for stiffness). If I were to do them over again, I would do it exactly like how Luke did it (made with fiberglass and epoxy). Luke was also able to make them functional. I was NOT. I tried, but in the end I just stuck them into the wheel well with velcro. They greatly improve the static appearance, but I have to take them off when I fly it.
For now I'll take the easy way out of this by adding a link to Luke's website. He does a very good job of explaining how it's done (photo illustrated also!)...
Luke's Corsair Project (but you can't get on his website until the beginning of next month because his visitors will exceed his ISP's monthly download limit before the month is over)
If anyone is still interested, I can post about how I did my gear doors... after I get a new monitor.
Juice
< Message edited by Juice -- 11/26/2003 12:02:46 AM >
Posts: 88
Joined: 10/24/2002 From: Christchurch, NEW ZEALAND Status: offline
I was rapt when I stumbled across this thread. I lost my Corsair about 6 months ago when radio failure turned it into free flight model, it did 3 large circuits before hitting a fence. All the grumbles I had, and a few more have been covered here so the new Corsair I am just starting will be far better. I wanted a Corsair that looked like it was on active duty, so for my money it had to be glassed and painted. I sprayed several areas (such as wing leading edges) with aluminium paint before top coating, then I rubbed off the top coat to give real wear and tear and weathering appearance. The real Corsairs had very noticeable panels on the nose and on the wings. these were battered and bent by use and the edges stuck out etc, so I made litho panels to suit with scored panel lines and impressed rivets (circles) and when I stuck them on I made sure some edges stuck up a wee bit, and I worked them to get a few ripples, dents etc. Very realistic for little extra work, and not too much weight penalty as I didn't glass these areas. The U/C doors were easy to make and were fully functional. unfortunately I haven't got any decent photos to show, but they were hinged with DuBro pinned hinges, snapped open or shut by a weak 'over-centre' spring made from a bow shaped length of fine piano wire and the opening wheels just pushed them out of the way to open them. Closing occured by having a stiff wire attached to each door that was caught by the wheel as it came back up. The Corsair has to have a retracting tail wheel, the dangling thing that comes with the kit looks all wrong. I made a retracting tail wheel and with hinged scale doors that just looked superb and worked perfectly. I simulated machine guns by putting strips of duct tape over the holes, as this is what the New Zealand airforce did with the Corsairs they flew in the Pacific in the war.
Posts: 1193
Joined: 2/11/2003 From: Toronto,
ON, CANADA Status: offline
I for one appreciate the extra info that is provided (juice's answer re: finishing is what comes to mind). Saves hunting for it.
If I might offer a suggestion, if your answer is already posted elsewhere, just insert the url in your post. If it's not, you were going to post your answer in any case so just post it where it SHOULD go then insert the link into your other answer.
I still really enjoy reading the added info though where ever it is.
Posts: 1907
Joined: 4/14/2002 From: Parchment,
MI, USA Status: online
hoonnz, VERY Nice looking and detailed Corsair, I love it when someone does their homework and does a different finish/ scheme. I noticed you added pitot tube and navigation lights, among the many other details, nice touch. Pardon my ignorance on foreign Corsairs, is that French? Also, as this is meant to be a 'Show and Tell How' thread, not a 'Show and Tell', info/ details/ pictures and or drawings on you operating gear doors would be greatly appreciated by all who are following this thread.
< Message edited by CorsairJock -- 11/29/2003 2:36:17 PM >
_____________________________
Avatar: Electric Powered, Highly Modified Hangar 9 Corsair
Posts: 88
Joined: 10/24/2002 From: Christchurch, NEW ZEALAND Status: offline
I'm happy to share, especially since I have found so much great info here. First, the model is of NZ5385 which is one of 400+ Corsairs that the New Zealand Airforce had thanks to lease-lend and which flew out of Piva in the Solomons in WW2. this particular one was one of the few Kiwi planes that had nose art and it was named 'Aline'. Unfortunately she was painted on after the photos were taken, and just before the brush with the fence. The tail wheel was knocked up from a Klett tail wheel, attached to a cut-down light steel hinge. I dreamed up a clever mechanism for raising/lowering and later found it is identical to the way Robarts work, so I won't explain that. Steering is by way of cables which are run through holes in the former, slightly above the pivot point of the hinge so that as the wheel comes up the cables go slack. 2 weak springs then straighten the wheel so the doors can close around it, and it doesn't try to turn with the rudder. I marked out the doors by measuring from scale drawings, then had to do a little sanding to make the entire length of the hinge line straight. For hinges I used Dubro or similar small hinges with removable pins, I put one length of piano wire through about 12 hinges, then cut the row down to simulate one long hinge of scalish width. The tongue of the steel hinge that the Klett arm is bolted to extends on and is bent up (into the fuse) to enable 2 ball links to be attached. These are then clipped to the doors and cause them to open and close with the raising and lowering of the wheel. The photo's aren't too good, but I hope they show what I mean. The aerials and pitot tube I made from aluminium tubing, the streamlined stuff for the aerials. I used some nylon tube that is used as the outer for piano wire pushrods to mount them as it gives when you bump them or whatever. (Don't say crash!) By the way I put scale exhausts on mine, and ran them right through the firewall as they gave a useful extra cooling air exit. I rolled them from litho plate - great stuff. Finally, to make the tail surfaces airfoil-shape, I sheeted with medium-light 1/4"balsa instead of the relatively heavy 3/32"(?) provided in the kit. By the time you sand that to correct shape I believe it adds next to no weight for little extra work. Most of it ends up as sawdust. Trench out the bottom centre to fit the mount.
happy landings HoonNZ
P.S. has anyone come up with a better way of attaching the cowl? Trying to get at those cap screws deep in the pitch black bowels of the cowl, past baffles and exhausts and throttle cables etc. makes stamp collecting look quite tempting as a hobby.
< Message edited by hoonnz -- 11/30/2003 8:44:44 PM >
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RE: Juice's Finish - 
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