GROUP BUILD - Top Flite Giant Scale F4U Corsair
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year all!
Started adding some detail to the fabric covered pieces. Non functioning trim and boost tabs. The fuse is just about ready for covering!
getting there !!!
Started adding some detail to the fabric covered pieces. Non functioning trim and boost tabs. The fuse is just about ready for covering!
getting there !!!
Looks great, nice work. How did you go about recessing your hinge points? A lot of installs I see have a large chunk cut out of the LE of the control surface and that's how I've got mine, but yours looks much cleaner. And I see you do have some ply to hide the hinge line of the rudder, are you adding the same for the elevator?
Now that the in-laws are gone and my garage has been reclaimed from the piles of cardboard, styrofoam, and wrapping paper, maybe I can get back on mine this week. Just need to decide what to tackle next - tailwheel retract, tail surfaces and fairing blocks, flap hinging, or wingtips. Probably save the wingtips til later so I don't beat them up while hinging the flaps.
Now that the in-laws are gone and my garage has been reclaimed from the piles of cardboard, styrofoam, and wrapping paper, maybe I can get back on mine this week. Just need to decide what to tackle next - tailwheel retract, tail surfaces and fairing blocks, flap hinging, or wingtips. Probably save the wingtips til later so I don't beat them up while hinging the flaps.
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later
cheers Bob T
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I'm only adding ply on the top trailing edge over the flaps as Bob T just mentioned. I do have a pretty good size chunk removed for the knuckle of the hinge point...nothing special there.
Today I started playing with some al. tube. plastic covered wire and small brass nuts I found to try to figure out how to dress up the Frank Tiano dummy radial. Not fun trying to drill holes in the aluminum ignition ring I made for the plug wires but I got it done eventually. Heres a pic of 1 cylinder (8 more to go) I'm not doing much more than this other than paint and weathering.
Today I started playing with some al. tube. plastic covered wire and small brass nuts I found to try to figure out how to dress up the Frank Tiano dummy radial. Not fun trying to drill holes in the aluminum ignition ring I made for the plug wires but I got it done eventually. Heres a pic of 1 cylinder (8 more to go) I'm not doing much more than this other than paint and weathering.
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well guys hear is the dwg of the jig I used when I did my flaps, and I get a full 45 deg's at full flaps but I have dialed them back to about 30 and for our field that is good with a bit of power till just before touch down.
Hope this helps
Cheers Bob T
Corsair Brotherhood #6
Hope this helps
Cheers Bob T
Corsair Brotherhood #6
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After a year and a half as a hangar queen I got a flight on my Corsair. I couldn't fly it because of a lack of a decent runway and trouble with the Saito 450. I finally broke down and put ignition on the 450 and that settled the engine down. Really nice to have it fly again.
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It would be a good idea to give some extra air for the engine cooling.
I got bored with sanding and decided to start thinking about the dummy radial.
I'm using a Frank Tiano resin cast 9 cylinder.
Question: I'll be using an inverted G62 like most everyone else. Should a remove the bottom 1 or 2 cylinders of the dummy for air flow?
thanks
Steve
I'm using a Frank Tiano resin cast 9 cylinder.
Question: I'll be using an inverted G62 like most everyone else. Should a remove the bottom 1 or 2 cylinders of the dummy for air flow?
thanks
Steve
Cooling is very important. What I would do is open it up in front of the cylinder so that the edges are directly in line with the edges of the engines fins, and only the fins. If you can keep the crankcase hidden, do it. Also adding baffles that run from the dummy to the engine will increase the cooling as it directs the airflow right to the fins and not swirling all around inside the cowl. What is even more important is that you have twice or three times as much exit area through the cowl flaps, so make sure those are all open and not blocked in any way. Put a backer on your dummy engine so the only airflow is through the opening to the engine, and your engine will be very happy.
After a year and a half as a hangar queen I got a flight on my Corsair. I couldn't fly it because of a lack of a decent runway and trouble with the Saito 450. I finally broke down and put ignition on the 450 and that settled the engine down. Really nice to have it fly again.
Last edited by Auburn02; 12-29-2016 at 06:52 AM.
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A lack of a good runway has been a problem, I was hosted by a flying buddy at his club with a very nice grass runway. Our club is working on fixing the runway but until it improves i'm not flying anything the size of the Corsair.
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I Finally started to work a little on the corsair again. I have strug the top of fuselage and rounded the formers to get rid of the triangular shape of the rear fuselage which for me is the most irritating feature of the top flite airframe. I also posted a pic of the forward turtle deck hatch that I've been making as well. My intent is to fly this plane and not compete with it so I will be moving the servo's as far forward as possible along with placing all batteries behind the firewall as well. It's requiring a lot of design as I go but so far I'm happy with it.
Do I see airfoiled tail surfaces too? Still thinking about building those for mine since I haven't glued my stabs on yet. I found plans for those somewhere but never saved them or printed them out.
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as a matter of fact you do. I got the plans for these from Chad V. he was kind enough to email them to me and they worked out great. I still need to build the elevators but the stabs and rudder are done and waiting to sheet the upper fuse. Hopefully that will happen before the new year. still working out the details on how my hatch will detach for access and still mount the cowl. I have an idea but still need to work it out. The canopy will stay attached to the hatch and give access to the cockpit, servo's, batteries and switches when removed. Hoping for nothing external including filling the fuel tank.
I PM'd Chad and had a similar discussion, looks like I may get that done after all. How do you plan to alter the fuse to accept the airfoiled horizontal stab? Will you remove the flat plate entirely or build up braces between it in and the new stab to match the airfoil?
Last night I got my air cylinder location for the tailwheel retract figured out and made the pushrod (2-56 rod with a carbon sleeve). It might be a huge PITA getting the pushrod connected when the model is all done and finished, but I can manage. I think it's going to function quite well.
Last night I got my air cylinder location for the tailwheel retract figured out and made the pushrod (2-56 rod with a carbon sleeve). It might be a huge PITA getting the pushrod connected when the model is all done and finished, but I can manage. I think it's going to function quite well.
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I still intend to use the top block. I'll just have to cut it to match the airfoiled vertical stab. the horizontal stab should be easy enough to build the support structure to fit. I still need to figure out the control linkage to the tail. with my servo's being moved further forward and to the sides of the fuselage.
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Grumman-cats
Just a comment, if you have seen a full size Corsair in a straight and level flight they seem to fly tail high, so when I built my second one I put 1 degree of positive incidence in the horizontal and it made a difference in a fly by, and I set wing, horizontal and engine using longitudinal spine on the side's as it parallels the center line on the fuse side view drawing.
But that's just me
Cheers Bob T
Corsair Brotherhood # 6
Just a comment, if you have seen a full size Corsair in a straight and level flight they seem to fly tail high, so when I built my second one I put 1 degree of positive incidence in the horizontal and it made a difference in a fly by, and I set wing, horizontal and engine using longitudinal spine on the side's as it parallels the center line on the fuse side view drawing.
But that's just me
Cheers Bob T
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It may not come as too big a surprise but I've deviated from the instructions a little bit more. The upper shell was quite stiff and aligned well so I decided to finish the fuselage structure before sheeting. this will allow me to install the tail wheel and the finish the forward servo installations cleanly and accurately. I need to move on to finishing the hatch so that it can easily be removed and the tail group. once that is complete I will sheet and figure out what I'm going to do with that wing. I would prefer that the airframe will sit on it's gear so that leaves me with a dilemma on how to handle the outer wings. My TF Fw-190 wing is crazy long and makes the fuselage difficult.
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I'm using a Tiano dummy radial.. about 12oz glued to the fiberglass cowl.
question: Do you think 4 strong magnets would hold the cowl in place rather than screws?
question: Do you think 4 strong magnets would hold the cowl in place rather than screws?
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I've been considering the same thing. the industry has learned a lot over the last few years in regards to how much holding power is required to keep things in place. I'm thinking that if I can install some pins that the cowling has to engage and then magnets to hold it to the firewall it will work. The plane never fly's in reverse.
I have my doubts about magnets no matter how strong they are. Twice I lost hatches that were secured with strong magnets. If you do use magnets, what I found to work is to secure one magnet to the fuse, and another to the part you are securing and let them magnets stick to each other rather than using a steel rivet as the attachment point. You also want to secure it in such a way that is snaps in place and is difficult to remove. The more magnet points you use the better the holding power, four may not be enough.
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+ 1 with what acdii said, all though I have never lost one but I have friends that have, and as far as holding the cowl in place these bigger engine's shake no matter how you mount them and I have soft mounts on mine, over the years I have gone thru 3 cowls and have found the best for me has been 4 exterior button head screws with rubber backed washers and a thin layer of c/f on the inside of the attach points
Cheers Bob T
Cheers Bob T