AX 365 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 (edited) Here's an opportunity to finally build that Tamiya Hose Nose in my stash. It's kit 61061, the one with the yellow cowl band on the nose. The only aftermarket is going to be decals to build it up as the Corsiar flown by Hampton Gray, VC, Royal Canadian Navy, These are the markings sported by the VWOC Corsair shown here: http://www.vintagewings.ca/Aircraft/tabid/66/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/8/language/en-CA/The-robert-Hampton-Gray-Goodyear-FG-1D-Corsair.aspx No photos yet. I just took the shrink wrap off the box. The plastic is virgin and remains unfondled. The directions on the decal sheet say to lop off the wingtips; to square them off a la Fleet Air Arm. Not gonna happen. Rounded wintgips it will be. Going for look and not accuracy. Why start now!? Our own martin_sam_2000 has some good walkaround reference photos of the VWOC Corsair on his website. I'll be referring to those as I plod along. Thanks for letting me play. Mike Edited July 26, 2012 by AX 365 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 Photos... Box Art Clear sprue in bag Parts sprues Decals from White Dog More pics as I progress... Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CorsairMan Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Oooooh! Are those decals still available???? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joe Hegedus Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I don't think those decals have been available for at least a decade, maybe 15 years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted June 21, 2012 Author Share Posted June 21, 2012 Oooooh! Are those decals still available???? PM inbound Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted June 21, 2012 Author Share Posted June 21, 2012 Started gluing plastic last night. Will stop by the LHS on the way to the dentist and pick up some EZ Masks for the canopy and the appropriate blue paint. I've decided to build it with extended wings. Won't be that much of a shelf hog anyway. Will paint interior green this evening or when I start vacation on Monday. My weekend shift is afternoons so it pretty well requires me to work, sleep, spend a few hours with the missus and then sleep, work....you get the idea. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martin_sam_2000 Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I will be watching this one for sure!! This build is on my list of things to do(same kit..different decal manufacturer). BTW..thanks for the p0lug for my website(link for the walk-through is here if anyone is interested) Sean Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 BTW..thanks for the plug for my website(link for the walk-through is here if anyone is interested) Sean No problem, Sean. Nice to have access to good reference photos. No more photos yet but I've painted glued the cockpit together along with the engine. Ive started some construction of the wing centre section. So far, this model is literally falling together. I'll take and post more photos later on this afternoon. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 Photos as promised... Cockpit with decal IP and seatbelts Engine Sidewalls with some shading for depth Wheel Wells with some shading Constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks for looking. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew Doppel Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Nice start Mike. Nothing better than a nice Corsair Regards Andrew Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CorsairMan Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 I'm liking the start of this one. 2 questions for you - did all FAA corsairs have the wings clipped? I know the first batch (with the sea camo paint) definitely did.. but did they all? If so, its a super easy cut to the wing tips - just beyond the ailerons. I'll check my books on that one. Also I'll check to see if the FAA corsairs had the window underneath or if it was omitted. Might save you some masking! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mawz Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 (edited) I'm liking the start of this one. 2 questions for you - did all FAA corsairs have the wings clipped? I know the first batch (with the sea camo paint) definitely did.. but did they all? If so, its a super easy cut to the wing tips - just beyond the ailerons. I'll check my books on that one. Also I'll check to see if the FAA corsairs had the window underneath or if it was omitted. Might save you some masking! All the operational FAA corsairs had clipped wings, it was a requirement to fit into RN Carrier hangars. As to the Window underneath, those were not present on FG-1D's like Gray's. RN Corsairs were a mix of F4U-1 variants, so early ones could have had the windows but 1841 Squadron was operating all late-production Corsair IV's, which were FG-1D's. Edited June 30, 2012 by mawz Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted July 3, 2012 Author Share Posted July 3, 2012 (edited) CM and mawz: Thanks for your input. I knew about the clipped wings but I'm not sure how I would go about filling the void left after the cut. I'm guessing I would have to fill it with plastic sheet or something and do some sanding and filling. I'm not sure if it's worth the aggravation. I might just leave the tips as they are. I didn't know about it not having the window underneath. That'll be easy; just paint over it. Nice and simple. I also took CM's advice on the wings. As you can see in the photos above, I've built and attached the centre section of the wings and attached them to the fuselage, as per the directions. With CM's suggestion, I glued the tops of the wings to the centre section already attached to the model. The joint is amazingly tight. I let them dry for a few hours making sure the dihedral was correct. I then glued the bottoms in place. The joint is tight and spot on. There is no need for any kind of filler. This method also eliminated the need for the folded or extended wing parts inside the wing. This was a great tip and I know it lessened what could have been some colourful language at the bench. Thanks, CM. No photos of the work referred to but I'll post something after I come back from holidays. Mike Edited July 17, 2012 by AX 365 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CorsairMan Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Good point - the only time I did the clip was with a 1/72 kit and there was no void. On the bigger kit there might be a small one. Plus you would have to reshape a set of tip lights. Excellent on the wing construction - I am glad it worked! Definitely the way to build those wings with minimal fuss. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 A few more photos to show the progress and illustrate what CM was referring to with the wing joints. These are the joints on the upper half of the wings...first the right side then the left: Lower wing...right then left: Construction so far: Prop - tips painted yellow and masked in order to spray the blades and hub: As you can see, I've added the rocket rails but not the under fuselage hard points. The Corsair, in my humble opinion, is one of those airplanes that looks much better without drop tanks and bombs slung under the fuselage. HVARs are okay but anything else looks wrong. As I alluded to earlier, I'm not going to clip the wings. I probably could but with my namesake's law - you know, Murphy's Law - never far away, with my luck... Hopefully painting will start today. I still have slightly less than two more weeks of vacation to go. With any luck at all, I'll get this project done before I go back to work on 30 July. Thanks for checking in and I'll post more photos as I progress. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CorsairMan Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Perfect wing joins - well done! You are motoring along nicely. I can't wait to see it painted. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted July 23, 2012 Author Share Posted July 23, 2012 Well the painting is done. I've sprayed it with two coats of Model Master enamel, FS 35044, with the second coat going on a bit earlier this evening. The prop was painted black on Wednesday then the blades were masked and the hub, wheels, and struts were painted with Alclad aluminum on Thursday. I'll probably dirty them up a bit with a wash to break down the shine. I'll gloss coat tomorrow - with new Model Master Glosscote and thinner - to prevent the debacle I had with my 441 Sqn Sabre in the In Defense of Europe GB. I'll post a few more photos tomorrow to illustrate the progress. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted July 23, 2012 Author Share Posted July 23, 2012 Photos of painted model as promised... Wheels, gear and prop... Gloss may be sprayed this afternoon or this evening. Thanks for looking. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CorsairMan Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 ooooo this one is going to be nice! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 Three coats of Model Master Glosscote applied yesterday. Decals applied today, a combination of kit stencils and the main White Dog decals for the Robert Hampton Gray markings. The main markings went down very nicely with a slight coat of Solvaset to help settle things into a few panel lines. The only problem encountered with the kit decals are those designed to replicate the wing walkways as depicted in this photo: http://www.martinsammodels.com/Webpage/Pages/Real%20Aviation/Walkarounds/Corsair/Pictures/022.jpg The went on nicely but a slight application of Solvaset caused them to wrinkle slightly. A second application didn't fix the problem. It's not too bad but it is noticeable. I'm contemplating sanding down those decals and painting the area; something I should probably have done in the first place. Here are the photos... Wrinkled Wing Walks Should I sand away or leave as is? Comments and constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks for looking. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CorsairMan Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 You know me - glutton for punishment. I say fix it and you will love the result. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MaRiO FDZ Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I was going to say the blue was too light but the clear coat made it just right. Nice work!! Take Care Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rightwinger26 Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I say leave the walkways. Modern naval a/c have nonskid textured walkways, I can only assume WWII birds did too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CorsairMan Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I was going to say the blue was too light but the clear coat made it just right. Nice work!! Take Care I think its dead on too. Which paint did you use if you don't mind me asking? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 I was going to say the blue was too light but the clear coat made it just right. Nice work!! Take Care That was my thought too when I initially sprayed the two coats of paint. I didn't anticipate the gloss coat darkening the colour as much as it did. I'm sure the camera flash helped lighten things a bit too in the pre gloss coat photos. I say leave the walkways. Modern naval a/c have nonskid textured walkways, I can only assume WWII birds did too. They did but not as severe as what the decals show them to be. I was going to attempt to sand them off and paint them flat black. I looked at my handiwork and decided that I can live with this very minor setback. I can be a bit of a masochist when it comes to repairing stuff like this but it's not worth the time and effort, IMHO. These minor wrinkles aren't going to kill the overall appearance of the finished product. I think its dead on too. Which paint did you use if you don't mind me asking? Model Master Insignia Blue - FS35044. Two light coats followed by three light coats of Model Master Glosscote. A fourth, and maybe fifth, mist coat will be sprayed later today to seal the decals. Thanks for the feedback folks. It's appreciated. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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