Official FlightLine F4U-1A Corsair 1600mm (63") Wingspan

[RCAV8R]

Yes they are...and I agree about weathering! With the Spitfire I couldn't find many photos of planes that were that worn, but with the Corsair, they are as plentiful and varied as the paint schemes and insignia! Rob

[Beeg]

Yes they are...and I agree about weathering! With the Spitfire I couldn't find many photos of planes that were that worn, but with the Corsair, they are as plentiful and varied as the paint schemes and insignia! Rob

Think about the environment they were operated in. The vast majority of Corsairs were island based. South Pacific islands were mostly atolls or corral based runways which is really gritty. Now think of the ground crews jumping up on those planes with corral bits in their boots and on their trousers.
Conversely, look at ship borne Hellcats and Spitfires or even Corsairs. They may be a little faded but they don't exhibit the "wear" of island based planes.

[BRGT350]

Here is a tip for fading the paint on the Corsair, use white and light grey pastel chalks from Hobby Lobby or an art supply store. Layer it up way more than you think you should as when you clear coat it to seal the surface, the pastels will really be toned down. I used tan, grey, yellow, orange, and white to fade the OD on my B-17. Just keep layering until you get the effect you want and it may take a few attempts at layering, clear, and then more pastels to deal with how the clear will reduce the appearance of the light colors. Go easier on the blacks and dark browns as clear will make them more pronounced. I do all my fading first, then clear, and then exhaust, oil, fuel, grime, and dirt layers.

Beeg is totally right about how the carrier based and island based planes weather very differently. The carrier planes are always cleaner and the crews kept them cleaner. Trying to clean a Corsair parked on the corral with all that white dust, salt spray coming from the Pacific (because of the relative low height of the islands, I fully expect more salt spray on the island planes than the carrier), and constant operations made the island planes a terrible mess. If you find pictures of them on the their take-off run, there was usually a massive white cloud of dust coming up from the prop and tires. The dust was so bad that the gun ports were always taped off. You can see the light colored tape covering the guns in pictures.

[downwindleg]

Being that the Corsairs didn't get carrier qualified for awhile 'til the oleo struts and early stall got fixed, the Marines got them first. Hince the island based planes and those Marine squadrons like the Black Sheep and the Jolly Rogers were born. BTW as I understand, the tape over the gunports was also to cut down on drag and when it came time to use the guns, they simply fired right through the tape. You can sometimes notice the torn tape as the guns fire in vintage footage.

[BRGT350]

I wouldn't doubt the tape being used to cut down drag as well. I haven't looked enough to see if carrier based planes had the tape or not. I have seen them on the land based ones. For some reason it is easier to find land based Corsair pictures compared to the carrier based ones.

[RCAV8R]

The Brits used the tape in Europe to prevent freezing of the barrels as they climbed to altitude, and I read somewhere that the armorers also used the tape as a way for all personnel to recognize when a ship had been successfully re-armed. There are lots of pictures of the Spitfires and Hurricanes with the tape, and the FL Spitfire model shows the red squares as part of the yellow decal on the leading edge where the .303's were placed. Needless to say, the ground based fighters in the Pacific had plenty to be concerned about to protect the guns from the sand and coral dust, as has been pointed out. Rob

[BRGT350]

Thanks Rob, I was about 99% sure the Spits and Hurricanes had the tape as well. I forgot about the freezing part and I do recall that from one of my books.

[OV10]

Some more pics of the "D" model;)

George...........So glad you are involved in the unveiling of this because you bring a deeper perspective from a user point of view and as well to that of a modders interest.:Cool:
Having said that, gotta know what the prop shaft diameter is :Thinking:

I indicated on post #55 that this prop and etract really opens the door for the Hellcat and others.
There has only been one choice for several years for a F6F after the discontinuance of the 1400 FMS which is the 1250mm Dynam.:Yawn:

Speaking of the etract.........learned the other day from a discussion with MRC's Mike K. that this Corsair has the same as the Skyhawk except that the F4U strut pin is 5mm versus 4mm on the A-4.
The SKU # for the F4U is the same as the A-4 but with a U added as the last number.;)
These etracts are going to be a game changer for modders having had to deal with the pricier FMS or Eflite rotating gear so hopefully MRC keeps these plentifully stocked.:Cool:

[TiredIronGRB]

George...........So glad you are involved in the unveiling of this because you bring a deeper perspective from a user point of view and as well to that of a modders interest.:Cool:
Having said that, gotta know what the prop shaft diameter is :Thinking:

I indicated on post #55 that this prop and etract really opens the door for the Hellcat and others.
There has only been one choice for several years for a F6F after the discontinuance of the 1400 FMS which is the 1250mm Dynam.:Yawn:

Speaking of the etract.........learned the other day from a discussion with MRC's Mike K. that this Corsair has the same as the Skyhawk except that the F4U strut pin is 5mm versus 4mm on the A-4.
The SKU # for the F4U is the same as the A-4 but with a U added as the last number.;)
These etracts are going to be a game changer for modders having had to deal with the pricier FMS or Eflite rotating gear so hopefully MRC keeps these plentifully stocked.:Cool:

Thanks Charlie, I go at this stuff exactly like that...as a modder with an interest in getting some safe rate and expo info to pilots then they can go crazy from there. The prop shaft is 8mm :)

[Jose23]

Just pre-order it. can't wait to fly it

[TiredIronGRB]

Gorgeous day today but no one to video and I couldn't wait any longer, I had to maiden this thing...I will do a video when Steve comes down in a few days but I just can't express how much I love this plane, I put several flights on it today and tried three different batteries in it. It flys like an old friend right out of the box since I fly a Corsair almost every day but this one is a pure joy to fly. Taxied out nice and built speed till the tail was off the ground with minimal rudder to keep it straight, she rotated nice and flat. I did several circuits and only used two clicks of up elevator, I set the flaps to 2 sec with no elevator mix and she landed like I had her in my hand with half and full flaps with about 10-15% throttle.

[fieldofdreamsflyer]

One day I will own one once I get my life squared away which I been working really hard on.

[TiredIronGRB]

One day I will own one once I get my life squared away which I been working really hard on.

Good to hear:Cool:

[TiredIronGRB]

I used the Admiral 6S 5000 first and it balanced per the manual with it all the way forward, I flew for 4 minutes and had 75% left.
Next I used the Admiral Carbon 6S 5100 and moved it back about a half inch, I had a better vertical on the Carbon and flew 6 minutes and had 30% left (more spirited flying).
The last batteries I used were the Roaring Top 6S 6250 all the way forward, it did fine but wasn't as punchy.

[Helmsman52]

Wow the snow came and went! Nice evaluation and pics George :Cool::)

[Aros]

Sweet George! Sounds like she's a real *****cat. Look forward to the videos when Steve can come down. Another FlightLine Victory!

[fieldofdreamsflyer]

Gorgeous day today but no one to video and I couldn't wait any longer, I had to maiden this thing...I will do a video when Steve comes down in a few days but I just can't express how much I love this plane, I put several flights on it today and tried three different batteries in it. It flys like an old friend right out of the box since I fly a Corsair almost every day but this one is a pure joy to fly. Taxied out nice and built speed till the tail was off the ground with minimal rudder to keep it straight, she rotated nice and flat. I did several circuits and only used two clicks of up elevator, I set the flaps to 2 sec with no elevator mix and she landed like I had her in my hand with half and full flaps with about 10-15% throttle.

I want one so bad but that will be a dream for me

[downwindleg]

Wow, very cool George. Wouldn't a sliding canopy and functional cowl flaps be the cat's meow? Already thinking about adding pushrod sleeves in front of the cylinders but that might be too much for this small of a scale. Also, maybe some robart scale main wheels for more realistic spokes. Got my decals from Callie today but looks like a month before the shipment comes in.
Brad

[Aros]

I should have told Alpha to bring the cowl flaps out a smidge. Love the look of the cowl flaps flaring a touch. Now functional cowl flaps? That's just crazy sauce Brad! LOL

[TonyGagJr]

What size decals from Callie are correct for this plane? I love the FLRC planes but their decals are terrible.