BBA/Winter Build 2017/18 - Top Flite Corsair

[nhk750]

Definitely, +1 on Titebond II, I used it on everything too. I'm just experimenting with other stuff for reference and to solve issues that may come up occasionally. The Super Phatic is like Titebond, but wicks way better. It's also expensive, so probably just use it when needed like CA. BTW, that fuse looks really cool, this plane will look great uncovered when you get it together.

 

[willsonman]

Well thanks but there is a lot of work ahead. Blending and sanding of the wing then glassing and making the gear doors from glass. Then all the wing ailerons and flaps and add the tips. The fuselage will need all this glass treatment as well. Then of course there are panel lines and rivets and such.

 

[willsonman]

Another day and another update.

I made formers for the hatch using the scrap from F3 and F4. I tack glued them to the top stringer on the inside only. I then did stringers between these formers to create the total framework for the hatch. These stringers are just glued to the hatch formers, again on the inside. I did check to make sure a 6S battery would fit. I used my two 3S 5800mAh packs. Its is a bit snug but just a little jiggling and they will go in just fine.


Top fuselage sheeting is nearly done. I moved carefully along the fuselage to do this. The balsa here is thicker than the sheeting on the wings. I used a wet paper towel to moisten the outside of the sheets to make them bend and blend. Please note that there are NO reference marks on the skin as to where the hatch is to be cut... I have a little trick I'll share here how to do this. I've not seen it done by anyone but something I figured out years ago.


I hope to get the remainder of the top fuselage wrapped up this weekend. This involved the aft end sheet work as well as the balsa block on the spine. The block needs to be cut to accept the V-stab and properly shaped as well. Once that is done I can pop the fuselage off the building board and do my re-glue work with Titebond II.

 

[rockyboy]

Ok, I need to know this trick for the hatch location.

Come on Orchard. Spit it out.

 

[willsonman]

Are you on "pins and needles?" Its the only hint I'm giving for now.

 

[nhk750]

I am, with all the electric conversions I'm doing I need a good hatch building method.

 

[jaredstrees]

I'm starting my first balsa build this summer (that's building season here in Florida!) and always look forward to these tips and tricks!

 

[willsonman]

It's a goodie, fellas. But is better explained with pictures. Once I get the fuselage off the building board I can outline it in detail.

 

[rockyboy]

Looking forward to it. I'm starting a Mini-Telemaster soon and going to mod it for bolt-on wings - and really going to want to do some access hatch(es) through sheeted areas.

 

[willsonman]

On another note, I need to really start thinking about paint. My sort of go-to for this build has been details, but not at the cost of too much weight. I was also thinking of just blue all over to make things simple and really focus more attention on weathering.

The Marine units were known to remove the hydraulics for the wing fold as well as the tail hook assembly as they were not carrier-based and the weight was reduced. So now I'm re-considering doing a tail hook on my model. This would also mean that diamond tread wheels can be considered. I'm not really a fan of the green stripe look and I am for sure one for the star and white bar only, no meatball or red pinstripe. Just country insignia and numbers, maybe a splash of color here or two. This will really allow me to just shoot a base silver coat and do blue over top and weather to my heart's content.

Any references to point me in this direction would be very much appreciated.

 

[CrashRecovery]

https://pre00.deviantart.net/bd2a/th/pre/f/2009/144/c/d/chance_vought_f4u4_corsair_by_bagera3005.png

I know you said no red stripe but I included for color and lettering options

 

[SlingShot]

Wow, 5 posts in a row with no comments. Must be a record Either I'm not interesting enough or the Corsair has been so overdone that nobody really cares :black_eyed:

They care. I care. But the F4U is pretty mainstream compared to the Bugatti.

The Corsair is one of three planes that I was meant to fly, and I know that your's will be way better than any that I will ever fly. Personally, I'm just waiting for the finished airplane! It's gonna be awesome! Will it have arresting gear? :applause:

 

[PsyBorg]

Just to toss out schemes and maybe make things a bit more simple heres Callie graphics page for the F4U maybe you can draw some ideas or even use one of their schemes to dress this up after paint.

https://callie-graphics.com/collections/f4u-corsair

I like their Jolly Roger 29 and the Skyboss. The VMFT-20 LF/11 looks interesting as well.

 

[willsonman]

Yeah, I kind of started with Callie and just started thinking... then did a brain dump on my previous post. If it is a Marine scheme... no arresting gear. Just one more piece of weight on the tail that will make life more complicated. Keep the ideas coming. Pics help a lot so many thanks Ryan.

Ok, so hold on to your hats. The work done today is a 3-parter.

First up was to sand and trim pieces of the sheeting and then shape the spine. I had marked the side of the spine as it flattens slightly toward the cockpit. The V-stab is only dry fitted here but I wanted to show how well the balsa blends into the stab at this point. Really great stuff.


My 3D printed razor planer made quick work of this an a big mess!

 

[willsonman]

This post is for those needing a hatch idea for balsa builds

So the hatch work is really straight forward. Start with thin sewing pins and you will insert them from the inside of the fuselage. The corners of the hatch are great but you cannot always get to them easily so I just use to for each side of the hatch. You can see in this image that I colored the inside edge of the hatch stringer with a black marker to better differentiate the hatch stringer from the fuselage stringer. Just insert the pins between them carefully. Pins between the ply plates will be more difficult to insert but push gently with something metal and they will go in and not kill your fingers.


The pointy ends will stick through and now you have perfect guides for a straight edge to cut.


And here you can see the faint pencil lines. I use a heavy vinyl measuring tape from our sewing kit to lay across the curved part and make a straight line. Heavy card stock will do just as well. Now remove the pins. Some tweezers can be helpful so you are not killing your fingers. I push on the pointy end to back them out and then grab the heads from below with my tweezers.


Now is the scary part. You have to TRUST that the pins did their job and they always have for me. Cut very carefully along the lines you made using a #11 blade. You want #11 so you do not get heavy handed and have better precision. Just score the balsa on the first pass. This is not a race. Make a few passes until you feel the skin give way and when you go over the stringer you can feel some resistance. Once all the skin is cut as you see below, then go back and cut the main stringer free giving you a hatch. You may have to pop some glue joints as some may seep if you use thin CA. You can see the skin lifting here, That was intentional.


With the hatch out, clean up your edges with a sanding bar and use some additional CA in spots that may need it.


Put your focus on the hatch again. Glue the skin all around and then check your fit in the hole. DO NOT SAND THE HATCH FIRST. Check the fit of the hatch after you have sanded the hole. You may not need any additional sanding work on the hatch. If the fit is not great, THEN sand the hatch.


Closure will be two hinges on one side and a couple of magnets. I'll do that later but any questions on this... feel free to ask. BTW, this took about 10 minutes to do. STUPID easy and makes quick work of something the first time, every time.

 

[willsonman]

With the hatch cut free, I used a cotton swab and a ply plate to push Titebond II into corners and reinforce glue joints. I put the glue on the ply plate and use as needed. This way I do not add more glue than I need and help save some precious weight.

The fuselage gets the Robart cradle treatment now as we start to build up the bottom half. I applied all the formers as instructed up to FB9. This former will support the tail gear. I stopped at FB8 and went back and applied Titebond II to every joint and this is how she currently sits. Needless to say I am thrilled with such progress today.


I've got a biweekly video update to process but I'm very pleased with where we are.

 

[rockyboy]

Very clever and clean on the hatch method! Will absolutely be using that - thank you!

 

[willsonman]

You got it!

 

[nhk750]

With the hatch cut free, I used a cotton swab and a ply plate to push Titebond II into corners and reinforce glue joints. I put the glue on the ply plate and use as needed. This way I do not add more glue than I need and help save some precious weight.

The fuselage gets the Robart cradle treatment now as we start to build up the bottom half. I applied all the formers as instructed up to FB9. This former will support the tail gear. I stopped at FB8 and went back and applied Titebond II to every joint and this is how she currently sits. Needless to say I am thrilled with such progress today.

I've got a biweekly video update to process but I'm very pleased with where we are.

Do you mean you have a video of building this? Where is the link, I want to see! Also, I have not gone over any of my joints on my Hog Bipe build and I use Titebond II to build with too. I haven't reinforced joints before as I usually use a generous amount of Titebond and wipe off the excess as I build. Should I be going over my joints and applying Titebond to reinforce?

Your battery hatch method rocks, I think I overthought and over engineered the hatch on my Hog, plus my hatch doesn't fit all that tight, but I will modify it some more when I get there.

 

[willsonman]

No, just a sum up video on my YT channel of what I've done over the last little bit.

I use Titebond to go back over spots where I just used CA to hold things together. I do not trust airplanes that are only held together with CA unless they are quite small. The glue is far too brittle and with how the temperatures and humidity fluctuate in my area, a brittle airplane is the last thing I need. Titebond II is fantastic for me. If I lived our in AZ or UT, absolutely I would only use CA.

The other part is that I am spoiled by my foam builds. They go together so much faster than balsa and the CA really helps the project keep up. But yeah, going back over each joint to make sure things are safe does eat a lot of time.