top flite corsair build questions
 

I'm building the TF 1/8 scale corsair. I was wondering if anyone could help me with a couple of questions. I hope to glass and paint. What size glass would be best? .58 or .73 Would the .73 oz add that much weight. I plan on using EZ-lam epoxy. I would like to have an engine that fits completely in the cowl. Any recs? Thanks

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

If you really insist on glassing then you want the lightest cloth you can find. Not familiar with EZ-lam epoxy. Mine had an ST.90 in it with a slimline large volume pitts muffler. It fit completely inside the cowl.
Edwin

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

thanks for the input

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

I used .5 oz cloth with laquer based polyurethrane. Excellent results. Have to use sanding sealer too.

Pete

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

I use either .5 or .6 oz cloth. No measureable difference when applied. The biggest weight adding issue with glassing is using too much resin.

I use Envirotex Lite 2 part epoxy, thinned 50% (1 part resin, 1 part hardener, 2 parts denatured alcohol), to lay the glass on. Then I roll toilet paper over it to remove the excess. After it cures, I put another coat of the same resin mix on top of that to seal the cloth completely. Wet sand andhit it with a coat or 2 of primer, sanding between coats. It takes very little primer to fill the weave and doesn't add a bunch of weight.

The trick is to thin the epoxy or it will weigh a ton.

I've been using this basic system since the late '80's, and it works great. I've heard that the polyurethane works well too, but I try not to mess with success.

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

I used .75 oz. glass and EZ Lam epoxy. The plane flew just fine on an old OS90FS on iginition. The additional weight of the finish and the extra battery for the ignition etc. didn't seem to effent the flight performance of the plane.

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

Mistral,
I went over the sheeting with sanding sealer, used .58 glass, and and Blue Can Mini-wax.....applied two coats of Mini, and thickened the third with talcum powder to fill the weave....after sanding, used rattle can gray primer, finished wet sanding with 400..
Sprayed with auto paint, and clear coat to seal up the details..Clean up involved dropping the Mini brush in a can of water...
Whole process took three days, and the finish was slicker than a ball bearing....Engine was an OS-120, it will fly with less..

Sometimes, we take all the fun out of this hobby with too much involved processes....after all, we're building model planes...not Swiss watches....

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

Thanks for the input guys. I have been fighting the wheel and retracts to get them to fit into the wing. I feel like a had to cut almost all the ribs up to the top to get them to fit. But, I got one wheel in last night.

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

I second the Super Tiger .90, fits totally in the cowl except for the hole to the glow plug and pitts muffler exhaust pipes that stick out on the underside. Plenty of power.

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

Thanks for the engine pros. I think I will prob go with the ST 90 but of the weight issue. I was wondering if anyone could make suggestions about placement of the retract air tank, fill valve and contol valve. i was thinking to place the tank in the fuselage and the valves in the wing. I have never done retracts before. Is there a disconnect between the tank and the wing for transport. Any suggestion are apppreciated

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

Looks like you're at about the same stage as I am, mistral. I located the valve in the wing and plan to mount the air tank in the fuse with a quick disconnect between the two. I'm putting my fill valve in the firewall, along with an onboard pressure gauge. I thought about locating the tank in the wing, but already had a bunch of stuff there (flap servo, air valve servo, gear door servo, gear/door sequencer). I went with a Jomar gear/door sequencer. That thing is great, as I am raising/lowering mains, opening/closing gear doors, and raising/lowering the tail wheel with it. I've gotten about all of the ideas from this forum; I've just been lurking and saving information from a bunch of talented folks with good ideas. I'm new to building, also

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

WOW!! THat looks great! So as I understand their is a quick disconnet for the robart tubing. On the gear door issue have you seen the piano wire spring setup others have used with the fiberglass formed doors.

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

I put the airtank in the wing before I started trusting the quick connects. The fill valve was in the wheel well, kind of a pta. The airtank sat on top of the center section. I've been using the quick connects for a few years now on a spitfire and now on a zero and dont have any problems with it. The fill valve on both those planes are on the side of the fuse. These are just everyday flyer warbirds (CMP) so I'm not too concerned with looks. I want functionality in this case. I have a TF giant P-47 build in process and later a yellow spitfire were I will build a hatch to concell switches and fill valves.
Edwin

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

On the gear doors, I was going to try the piano wire and spring approach. I tried to draw a setup that would work for me in Autocad and just couldn't come up with anything that I felt I could duplicate easily. As far as the quick disconnects, they (2) came with the Robart air kit.

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

thanks guys. I got all the servo trays mounted last night. Hope to start sheetin the wing this week

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

Started to sheet the outer wings. I began to glue up the sheeting by truing up the sheets using a flat bar sander. Seemed to work well. No gaps. I taped all the sheets together and then turned them over a laid the sheet on the edge of the board. I used titeboard in the joint and my kids "credit card" to remove the excess glue. Then weighted down the whole thing. Hope to sheet tomorrow. Any othe tips about applying the sheets to the ribs. CA or titebond?

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

I like to use CA to join my sheets and titebond or thick CA to attach them to the airframe.

Tom

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

I joined my sheeting on both my TF builds,Spitfire,and P-47 the same way as you did the Tite bond IMO is the best way to do this mainly for the sandability of the adhesive after it has dried,CA just turns the wood into a rock,after it was dry I pre sanded the sheeting on the up side per TF recomendations and didn't even touch it after I glued it down.

the P-47 instructions suggest you use titebond to glue the sheeting down on the bottom side, when I did this it was a mess, areas that were not fully stuck down, and just didn't get it done,even when I used pins to hold the wood to the ribs, and I ended up having to cut slits in the sheeting to wick thin CA between the sheeting and ribs to get the one side to stick fully.

on the other side I used med CA, and it turned out perfect, I did have to hold the sheeting down for a few min. but it was minor in the scheme of things.

funny thing is on the spitfire TF recomends using CA to do all the wing sheeting,the med. CA made it alot easier to get it to stick down for me and I was happy with the end results, if I had thickCA I would have used that instead of the med thickness though.

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

RCV 90 will fit inside

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...RCVcloseup.jpg

tank in/on the wing

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...serretract.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...3frontwing.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...d/2topwing.jpg

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

Hoping to finish topside of the wing today. Any suggestions to get the sheeting to bend to the shape of the wing in the gull area. I know TF recommends wetting the sheeting and then gluning. Does this work? Should I Glue sheeting down and then trim afterwards?

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

I have used windex which works good,I like a 50/50 mix of denatured alcohol and water,it makes the wood quite flexable, and the alcohol evaporates fast to speed drying,also some people use ammonia which windex has.

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

thanks I'm going to give that a try!

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

thanks for the advice. Windex worked great. It actually caused the wood to warp in the correct angle with little manipulation by me. I had to do some major custom sanding to get the pieces to fit correctly. I added some balsa filler to the spar to make everything flush.

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

Your work is looking nice on this. Sheeting those gull areas is a good challenge.

Keep it up!
Tom

RE: top flite corsair build questions
 

Back at it again. Had to take a break from the wing. Started on the fuselage. Has anyone pu a retractable tail wheel in this bird. I thought of trying a robart retractable tailwheel with an Air Cylinder hooked up to the air system. I also thought of used a pull-pull system for steering. Any ideas. By the way Windex works great to help bend the sheeting!