FT Mini Corsair Build

[dehager]

Here is my latest build and a rather vague interpretation of Gregory "Pappy" Boyington's F4U Corsair. Just enough detail if you stand back a few feet and to be recognizable in flight. Patiently waiting for the weather to break here in Eastern PA so that I can go for the maiden flight.

For this build I opted to only use aileron and elevator. On the Mini P-51 I felt that the rudder did not really add to the flying experience on a small park flyer. The weight is 6.91Oz (196g) without the battery but I am still working on the CG. On my FT Mini Mustang I prefer the flying characteristics with the lower weight of a 2S battery and a 3S has little effect on the CG as the battery is directly above the CG. I have slightly trimmed the back of the powerpod so that the battery could be slid further forward but it will likely require a small amount of nose weight in the cowling, ~0.50oz. The P-51 was 7.65oz (217g) and I was able to use a spinner to help balance but no spinner on the Corsair. Overall great build and a big thank you to FT and Peter Sripol for an awesome design and drawings by Dan Sponholz !

- FT speed build kit
- Createx airbrush paint
- Waterslide Inkjet decal paper
- Vacuum formed canopy
- Motor "Radial" 2205 2300kV
- Battery 2S 850mAh lipo
- Spektrum AR410 Rx
- FT 20A ESC w/Xt-30 Connectors
- FT ES9051 5g Servos
- Prop APC 9X4E

 

[buzzbomb]

That's a beautiful build with a high level of detail! If it flies as good as it looks, your maiden is going to be a dream!

 

[mach1 rc]

Incredibly scale super nice build. The mustang and the corsair go amazing together.👍

 

[sky guy]

Wow! That is an extremely beautiful result. Can't wait to see pictures of it in the air.

Excuse my ignorance if this is obvious to everyone, but how did you round over and finish the leading and trailing edges of your stabilizers and elevator.

 

[CrazyFastFlying]

Both the P-51 and the Corsair look AWESOME!! Very well done!

 

[dehager]

Wow! That is an extremely beautiful result. Can't wait to see pictures of it in the air.

Excuse my ignorance if this is obvious to everyone, but how did you round over and finish the leading and trailing edges of your stabilizers and elevator.

Hi Sky Guy,

I use a sealing iron to round over the corners. It provides a nice look, a harder edge and prevents the paper from lifting. In addition to the iron I also seal the edges with a coat Deluxe Materials Eze-Kote, a water soluble laminating and finishing resin. No smell, water cleanup and dries in minutes unlike epoxy. It does not add any significant weight as it mostly evaporates while it dries and leaves a hard film. It is really awesome for finishing edges and applying fiberglass cloth, sands and paints well.

I also use the iron for attaching the card stock parts. Alphatic resin wood glues, Sig Bond, Titebond Original have a unique property in that they can be reactivated by heat. I prefer Titebond Original. 1) Paint a thin coat of wood glue on both surfaces and allow to dry, about 10-15 minutes. 2) Position the card stock and tack in place with the iron. 3) Go around the perimeter to completely set and seal. No mess or burnt fingers!

 

[dehager]

Thank you all for the comments!!!

Maiden flight thread posted in over "The Flite Deck - Videos":
https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/ft-mini-corsair-maiden-flight.60969/

 

[sky guy]

Hi Sky Guy,

I use a sealing iron to round over the corners. It provides a nice look, a harder edge and prevents the paper from lifting. In addition to the iron I also seal the edges with a coat Deluxe Materials Eze-Kote, a water soluble laminating and finishing resin. No smell, water cleanup and dries in minutes unlike epoxy. It does not add any significant weight as it mostly evaporates while it dries and leaves a hard film. It is really awesome for finishing edges and applying fiberglass cloth, sands and paints well.

I also use the iron for attaching the card stock parts. Alphatic resin wood glues, Sig Bond, Titebond Original have a unique property in that they can be reactivated by heat. I prefer Titebond Original. 1) Paint a thin coat of wood glue on both surfaces and allow to dry, about 10-15 minutes. 2) Position the card stock and tack in place with the iron. 3) Go around the perimeter to completely set and seal. No mess or burnt fingers!

Dehager, thanks for taking the time to write this up. I'll give it all a try.

 

[dutchmonkey]

Hi Sky Guy,

I use a sealing iron to round over the corners. It provides a nice look, a harder edge and prevents the paper from lifting. In addition to the iron I also seal the edges with a coat Deluxe Materials Eze-Kote, a water soluble laminating and finishing resin. No smell, water cleanup and dries in minutes unlike epoxy. It does not add any significant weight as it mostly evaporates while it dries and leaves a hard film. It is really awesome for finishing edges and applying fiberglass cloth, sands and paints well.

I also use the iron for attaching the card stock parts. Alphatic resin wood glues, Sig Bond, Titebond Original have a unique property in that they can be reactivated by heat. I prefer Titebond Original. 1) Paint a thin coat of wood glue on both surfaces and allow to dry, about 10-15 minutes. 2) Position the card stock and tack in place with the iron. 3) Go around the perimeter to completely set and seal. No mess or burnt fingers!

View attachment 148512
View attachment 148511

How hot on the iron?

 

[dehager]

Good question dutchmonkey. My iron is set about 310F / 154C. For me it works well for forming foam and hot gun glue cleanup.

 

[dutchmonkey]

Thank you i will have to give this a try

 

[buzzbomb]

Thank you i will have to give this a try

@BATTLEAXE has created what I consider to be the current definitive video on how to iron foamboard. It is an excellent place to start. You can find it on page one of this thread:

https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/battleaxe-quick-tips.60501/

 

[dehager]

Success in balancing the Mini Corsair with no additional weight!!!

Overall the Mini Corsair flies great but I am not happy with the needed addition of 1.50oz of lead weight in order to get the CG correct. With these easy modifications I was able to get the CG correct with no weight using a 2S 850mAh. I am super excited to fly this minus all the lead weight. So if it all works out I will post the firewall files for printing.

After Maiden Flight #2, my next plan will be for scratch built version 2 so that I can achieve proper CG with any battery between a 2S 600 and 3S 850. A slight extension of the firewall should be enough to be able to use the battery for balance and not ruin the lines or proportions. But for speed build kit owners all you need to do is not use the swappable power pod.

Old weight: Corsair 6.95oz + 2S 850mAh 1.83oz + 1.50oz lead weight = 10.28oz total flying weight
New weight: Corsair 6.95oz + 2S 850mAh 1.83oz = 8.78oz total flying weight

Removal of the swappable power pod is key to providing room for the battery. As you can see in the first picture the battery can now be slid all the way to the firewall without the power pod.

1) First item was to remove the swappable power pod and install the motor with a new firewall that attaches directly to "03 Nose/Power Pod Mount" part of the Speed Build kit. I printed a firewall but you could easy make one out of plywood. *** Don't forget to cut and add the right thrust into the "03 Nose/Power Pod Mount" part. ***

2) Relocate the ESC to the top of the "01 Fuselage" part of the Speed Build kit and make an access hole in the turtle deck former.

3) You now have room to install the battery all the way forward to the firewall for CG balance. There is now enough room for a 3S 850mAh battery which should balance most builds.

Version 2

 

[Dobie53]

Gorgeous!!
Did you vacuform the canopy yourself or order it?
Thanks!

 

[Marek L.]

Success in balancing the Mini Corsair with no additional weight!!!

Overall the Mini Corsair flies great but I am not happy with the needed addition of 1.50oz of lead weight in order to get the CG correct. With these easy modifications I was able to get the CG correct with no weight using a 2S 850mAh. I am super excited to fly this minus all the lead weight. So if it all works out I will post the firewall files for printing.

After Maiden Flight #2, my next plan will be for scratch built version 2 so that I can achieve proper CG with any battery between a 2S 600 and 3S 850. A slight extension of the firewall should be enough to be able to use the battery for balance and not ruin the lines or proportions. But for speed build kit owners all you need to do is not use the swappable power pod.

Old weight: Corsair 6.95oz + 2S 850mAh 1.83oz + 1.50oz lead weight = 10.28oz total flying weight
New weight: Corsair 6.95oz + 2S 850mAh 1.83oz = 8.78oz total flying weight

Removal of the swappable power pod is key to providing room for the battery. As you can see in the first picture the battery can now be slid all the way to the firewall without the power pod.

1) First item was to remove the swappable power pod and install the motor with a new firewall that attaches directly to "03 Nose/Power Pod Mount" part of the Speed Build kit. I printed a firewall but you could easy make one out of plywood. *** Don't forget to cut and add the right thrust into the "03 Nose/Power Pod Mount" part. ***

2) Relocate the ESC to the top of the "01 Fuselage" part of the Speed Build kit and make an access hole in the turtle deck former.

3) You now have room to install the battery all the way forward to the firewall for CG balance. There is now enough room for a 3S 850mAh battery which should balance most builds.

View attachment 148765
View attachment 148763
View attachment 148764

Version 2
View attachment 148770

Hi, awsome work! After couple months of struggling with CG and a few modify-crash-fix iterations I wanted to scrap this beautiful plane. My final idea was similar to your's, but I needed a confirmation whether it's worth it. Now she flies great, thank you!

 

[EGTL]

Beautiful finish on this Mighty Mini. Thanks for sharing your power pod reduction/removal mod. It helped me balance out properly without any extra weight.

 

[Rex227c]

Success in balancing the Mini Corsair with no additional weight!!!

Overall the Mini Corsair flies great but I am not happy with the needed addition of 1.50oz of lead weight in order to get the CG correct. With these easy modifications I was able to get the CG correct with no weight using a 2S 850mAh. I am super excited to fly this minus all the lead weight. So if it all works out I will post the firewall files for printing.

After Maiden Flight #2, my next plan will be for scratch built version 2 so that I can achieve proper CG with any battery between a 2S 600 and 3S 850. A slight extension of the firewall should be enough to be able to use the battery for balance and not ruin the lines or proportions. But for speed build kit owners all you need to do is not use the swappable power pod.

Old weight: Corsair 6.95oz + 2S 850mAh 1.83oz + 1.50oz lead weight = 10.28oz total flying weight
New weight: Corsair 6.95oz + 2S 850mAh 1.83oz = 8.78oz total flying weight

Removal of the swappable power pod is key to providing room for the battery. As you can see in the first picture the battery can now be slid all the way to the firewall without the power pod.

1) First item was to remove the swappable power pod and install the motor with a new firewall that attaches directly to "03 Nose/Power Pod Mount" part of the Speed Build kit. I printed a firewall but you could easy make one out of plywood. *** Don't forget to cut and add the right thrust into the "03 Nose/Power Pod Mount" part. ***

2) Relocate the ESC to the top of the "01 Fuselage" part of the Speed Build kit and make an access hole in the turtle deck former.

3) You now have room to install the battery all the way forward to the firewall for CG balance. There is now enough room for a 3S 850mAh battery which should balance most builds.

View attachment 148765
View attachment 148763
View attachment 148764

Version 2
View attachment 148770

I had an Idea and I want to bounce it off some people, is it possible to print the whole front pod assembly on a 3d printer,the mighty mini corsair always seems extremely tail heavy,would this possibly fix this issue,as well as making it stronger in the nose