Heres my start into warbirds.

What do you think so far? I've built and flown several of the Dynaflite P-51's, and have a .60 size kit when I get around to it. I really like the way they fly. They're not scale...but hey, they look like a P-51(a little) and fly pretty darned good. My local Hobby shop still has a Corsair kit, and I keep kicking around the idea of buying it, just 'cause they are getting harder to find. I suspect in the air it will still look like a corsair, someone used to make an F2-g conversion for the Dynaflite kit that looked pretty good. I'd like to find a P-40 and a Spitfire also, but the E-bay prices are a little far-fetched in my opinion...I like 'em, but I can live without 'em!

well this is my 4th kit. My first was a Great Planes big stick 40, second was Sig Kadet senior, third was Braun hobbies Aihawk 1. Compared to my other kis I built this is by the hardest. The reason I say this is that the instructions are vague and there are no pictures and the plans are hard to figure out. I am slogging through it slowly. Made a couple of Mistakes already, thankfully they were fixable without too much trouble. Ill fill in the rest of the story when I get farther along in the build.





Charles

Charles,

I flew a Dynaflite Corsair for years. It had an old beat up Saito .56 in it. That thing flew forever. It is definitely funscale on the ground, but once it is in the air, there is absolutely no mistaking it for a corsair. I had so much fun with it. It was the airplane I always ended up dragging to the field when I had some spare time. Sorry I gave it away...

Are the plans full size and all there? My .40 size P-51 has a full set of plans, minus wing ribs, so I can build them from scratch. But, my .60 size corsair only came with a wing layout and an instruction sheet, I don't want to buy the kit if I don't get a full size set of plans.

Otherwise, it sounds like the Dynaflite P-51, not terribly easy to build! But, they do build light for the wing area, and will float in for a landing. I like these to contrast the other stuff I fly, some people carry a 4*40 or an old high wing trainer when they want to relax, I like the P-51. I've had a Great Planes stick .20 (with a .40 size engine), and the Dynaflite p-51 is comparible to this in flight characteristics, no bad habbits to speak of, not a pattern plane, but capable of most maneuvers, except 3-D stuff of course. I suspect the Corsair has those same good characteristics.

The plans have a full wing, rudder and elevator layout, but no rib veiws. So if your missing ribs be hard to replicate. The fuse is a side view not much assembly detail.



Charles

In regards to the wing, there are several different types of computer programs out there that will print you templates for ribs of any size, any airfoil and with the cutouts for the spars and stuff. I have used them for many planes where I had fuselage plans, but no wing rib plans.

Yeah, wing ribs are about the easiest thing, I can either enter the original tip and root rib into my cad program and loft the rest. Or, I can just use some of the ribs I already have and design my own wing. If there is a full side view and wing and tail, I'm pretty happy. The fuselage formers would be a bonus. The .40 size P-51 has everything but the ribs, but it does have a tip and a root, so it is no problem to scratch them. I'll also have the complete kit, if I buy it, so I can trace what's missing on the back of the plans. I just hate it when you get no full size plans, a LOT of the older kits come this way.

here is an update on my progress. wing is 99% complete and fuse is about 70% complete.

heres 2 more pics

Cool, keep on posting, I'd be interested in any thing you learn along the way. I usually learn something while building a kit that would make the next one a lot more simple, so let us know what you learn.

Austin

Hey there Charles...& all,I hope you can help.I am only now putting my Dynaflite corsair into service after building her 11 years ago.I was busy building/flying 18 other models since then & have acrued enough "extra"gear over the years to outfit her without taking another bird out of service!The problem is that after all these years the plans are missing.I need to know the CG point/range & where the rudder control horn mounts...@ the LE(hingeline) of the rudder?The linkage I installed years ago does not seem to line-up well with the horn at the hinge.The goldenrod is too bindey.It would seem better if the horn were back a lot from the hinge(an inch)but that may be a sloppy linkage too.Maybe you could let me know what the plan shows.

Mine has a scratchbuilt fiberglass cowl & fabric covered control surfaces,it will be powered by a new OS .46.Maybe later I will try it with my Saito .56...sort-of commited to my tigermoth right now.

Looks like your doing a great build job there.I read these things are fun to fly & can hardly wait for the feilds to be bare & dry so I can fly her& find out for myself!(still covered with a little snow here...Canada).

Thanks for any help guys.

Regards,
M.Q.

here are a couple of pics of the plans. One shows where to balance the plane the other shows the rudder. unfortunatly it dont show where to mount the horn. When I find this out I will let you Know.

Charles,
Thanks alot for the help.The C.G question is done.I'm beginning to think that my pushrods are exiting the fuse in the wrong places as last night I discovered that the elevator pushrod exits the fuse too close to the control horn to allow proper movement.As I say,I built her a long time ago & did not have a lot of building experience...& was maybe a little hurried!If the plans show(I hope)the location where the pushrods exit the fuse I would certainly benifet from a picture of that as well.I may likely have to resituate my pushrods to allow proper movement.What a hassle...I just want to fly her!

Thanks again Charles...

Regards,
M.Q.

Ps: I mistakenly posted these questions in another thread I think...forgot that I did here already...oops!

ok here is a pic of the plans that shows where the rudder cable comes out of the fuse.

Hey Charles,
I have printed the pics & will compare them to my model when I get some time.I may end-up removing the sullivan goldenrods(?)& replacing them with good old fashioned dowel-type pushrods using the exhisting(correct or not)holes.They are alot more forgiving with regards to placement...although a sloppier arrangement in most cases I've found,what with all those dog-leg bent wire linkage & such!

Thanks again,

M.Q.

I have finished the major portion of the build and started covering. Unfortunately the corsair is on the back burner for now since I re kitted both of my trainers. Should have them back in trim for this weekend. Then I will be able to finish the corsair.

Just found this build . Im putting one of these back together . Did you ever finish it ?? How do they fly ??

Her's mine (the one in front). It has a Great Planes Corsair cowl (available from Tower for about $10), modified Hobbico mechanical rotating retracts, and Saito .50 for power (.56 wasn't available when I bought kit).
It has well over 1,000 flights, was my 1st warbird, and flew absolutely GREAT! I still have it, but it could stand a re-build (too much pilot abuse). I highly recommend ANY of the old DynaFlite funscale warbird kits as a 1st warbird. The have some of the flying characteristics of the more scale warbirds, but but are still easy to fly. Great for the transistion (sport to warbird).

That looks pretty decent Corsair Jock .Ill have to try to find a cowling like that .. 1000 flights !!! Must be on your favorite plane list ..L.O.L... I bought this one used and Fed Ex half killed it . [:@] Cant wait for the snow to melt ..Maybe a Corsair with retractable Skis ??? L.O.L...