ghodges Posted February 18, 2025 Report Posted February 18, 2025 (edited) It's been a while since I did an on going build here, so here goes..... This is the Wings vacuform O2U-1 Corsair biplane.... the very first Vought Corsair, which was an armed Scout/Utility plane with light bombing capabilities used by the USN in the late 1920s and early '30s. The model can be built on floats or wheels as it was used both ways by the Navy and Marine Corp. It's a nice vac kit with well formed parts and decals for 3 different planes included. The down side is that it has no metal parts besides the prop and engine, and provides only airfoil strut stock for the builder to make the struts for the wings and landing gear instead of providing them ready made in metal for modeler. In the pic above the parts have all been removed from the backing sheet and sanded to shape. The upper and lower wings, the tail planes, and the rudder (cut and removed from the fuselage) have been assembled and the fuselage taped together so as to rough out both cockpit openings and also open the bottom fuselage to accept the bottom wing. The slot for the tail planes has been carved out too. I've substituted a much better resin engine from my spares box for the kit's crude metal R-1340 9-cylinder radial. The notches for the engine cylinders have also been carved into both the fuselage front as well as the oil cooler engine face cover, and the oil cooler vent slots have been opened. Note there's a large V shaped gap behind the gunner's cockpit where the kit's molded in raised head rest was removed as the Marine variant I'm building (the one in the drawing) doesn't have that. I used plastic rod and H channel to make the tubular fuselage interior "cage" structure. The control sticks were also made from rod, bent to shape, and their grips made by flattening the top of each rod with pliers. The resin seats are form the spares box. Their molded in shoulder harnesses have since been ground off as the seats only had lap belts at that time. Pics of the finished and painted interior structure..... the instrument panels were made using the tradition sandwich method where the rear white plastic part is painted black and the IP markings are made by scratching off the black paint within the IP holes using a pin. The front piece is detailed and painted to taste and added on top of the IP backing. The IP "glass' for each instrument was created using UV cured clear resin in each hole. Various items typical for this time period's very simple cockpits were added such as scratchbuilt throttle quadrants, hand hydraulic pumps, pe trim wheels, pe rudder pedals, and various control levers. The seats are just sitting in the interior for the pics and will be added at the end of the build. The throttle quads will also be drilled out after all the painting is done so their throttle handles can be added later. As mentioned, the kit supplies airfoil strut stock to make the needed N struts and landing gear struts from. Here you can see the N struts that were cut and superglued together and the aileron actuators for the wings that have been scratchbuilt and then drilled and pinned. The kit provides 1/48 sized drawings that aid in measuring and making theses items. The cabane and gear struts will have to wait until after the bottom wing has been glued in place on the fuselage. Here, the fuselage has been glued together. The gray V area is where that gap has been filled with Air Foam epoxy dough, which is a very light form of epoxy putty/dough that can be applied and smoothed with a wet finger just like it's more clay-like cousin ApoxySculp. This is where the model stands as of today. Questions, critiques, and comments welcome! More soon! Gil Edited March 8, 2025 by ghodges
Ron Bell Posted February 18, 2025 Report Posted February 18, 2025 I have several 1/72 vac bi-planes in my stash, but what keeps me from diving in is that you have to make your own struts and no airfoil stock is provided. I have a stock of some from "days of yore" but I used up all the smaller stuff years ago. I can't even remember the company that made it but I think they are DOA now. Your vac work is always so neat and mine always looks like I did it with a chain saw.
ghodges Posted February 18, 2025 Author Report Posted February 18, 2025 Yep.... my supply is getting low too. I'm thinking this would be a "no brainer" for some 3d Printer type to make and offer..... In fact, I'm going to email that idea to a guy in our club who just printed me a sweet looking 1/48 M-46 Patton tank! Maybe he'll take up the gauntlet! Gil
Nick Filippone Posted February 18, 2025 Report Posted February 18, 2025 Contrail marketed airfoil struts but, as you say, they are long out of business. There is or was a product called “Strutz” - airfoil section lengths out of metal. They are sturdy and therefore useful when weight- bearing becomes important but otherwise are not as easy to glue or use. Nick
ghodges Posted February 18, 2025 Author Report Posted February 18, 2025 The Corsair I'm building needs a Scarf Ring machine gun mount for the gunner's cockpit. I made it this way... After measuring the diameter of the rear cockpit opening I took a length of H plastic strip and curved it into the appropriate sized hole in a circle template. It was then heated with a hair dryer on high heat/low blower to help "set" the shape. This is the result.... ready to be superglued to the top of the cockpit opening, which it has been now. I also got the bottom wing glued and blended into the fuselage and a primer coat on to check the work done thus far. Cabane strut work is on the schedule for tomorrow, and then the landing gear struts. More pics then! Gil
Ron Bell Posted February 18, 2025 Report Posted February 18, 2025 FWIW, here's a PE scarf ring. I used their 72 scale one and it's very nice. Very fiddly in that scale, but nice. https://www.super-hobby.com/products/Lewis-Mk-II-Single-Machine-Gun-On-The-Scarff-Ring.html
ghodges Posted February 19, 2025 Author Report Posted February 19, 2025 Thanks Ron! Ordered that, plus some 3D printed Lewis gun cartridges, as well as some clear colored position lights! I had only the "battered remains" of a pe Scarf ring from an 45yr old old Fototcut pe sheet that would have been tough to use, and scratchbuilding the notched elevation posts would have been a bear! Gil
ghodges Posted February 21, 2025 Author Report Posted February 21, 2025 Got two important jobs done today! Got the landing gear struts made! This pics shows how the rear tubular leg braces are made to slide within each other with one tube brace sitting inside a guide sleeve on the other. Here's each individual leg.... the guide sleeve for the one leg brace tube was made by drilling out a length of U strip stock and the supergluing it between the sections of plastic rod. And also, the cabane struts were made and installed... They were made in the same manner as the N struts for the wings... and no.... they don't fit "perfectly".... but they will with some gentle "persuasion"! They also still need to be blended into the fuselage and eventually the top wing at the end of the build. Next up is drilling all of the holes for the rigging and the tail plane actuator wires and adding the tail planes! More pics then! Gil
ghodges Posted February 25, 2025 Author Report Posted February 25, 2025 (edited) Still making progress, though it's mainly getting smaller (but needed) things done. With the landing gear legs and cabanes on and blended in, this pic shows the test fitting of the wire wheels and checking on the overall "sit" of the model. You can also see where all of the fuselage nose vent slots have been deepened using a motor tool. This rear view shows the PE aileron actuators (modified spare parts) have been added to the wings, the tail planes and their control cable connectors have been added, and the area ahead of the front cockpit has been drilled out to accept the telescopic gun sight that will be added at the end of the build. Also, though very hard to see, all of the control line and rigging holes have been drilled out too. This bottom view just generally shows the final configuration of the main gear struts and the scratchbuilt tail skid. Other various details that have been worked on..... the kit metal prop has had its initial polishing (but needs more); 100lb bombs and their racks have been grabbed from the spares box (and the bottom wings drilled out to accept them); A length of electrical wire covering has been cut to fit around the upper edges of the front cockpit to act as padding; A telescopic gunsight has been grabbed from the spars box; and two Falcon vacuform PT-17 windscreens have been cut out to fit the Corsair and the front one modified to fit over the gunsight. I'm still awaiting the arrival of the Scarf Ring I ordered (thanks Ron!) to work on that, and will focus next on building the exhausts up for the engine. Comments, questions, and critiques welcome as always! Gil Edited February 25, 2025 by ghodges
ghodges Posted February 26, 2025 Author Report Posted February 26, 2025 Got the "doped silver" onto the Corsair using airbrushed Model Master Aluminum. The engine was painted AK Extreme metallics Steel, and now awaits a heavy black wash to bring out its details. I've also sprayed the wire wheels Tamiya TS-83 Metallic Silver and primed the engine oil cooler facing in aluminum. The engine has had its exhausts stacks added using plastic rod. The interior pic of the engine oil cooler facing shows the strips of white plastic tape used to form the vent slot "sliding doors", each one positioned to be just visible so each slot looks 90% open. Hopefully this detail will be easier seen once the front is painted and a wash has been applied. I'm finally into some of the painting stages. Next is painting the rudder, the tops of the tail planes, and top wing white to serve as a base coat for the coming application of the Chrome Yellow and the start of the red/white/blue rudder striping. More pics then! Gil
ghodges Posted March 3, 2025 Author Report Posted March 3, 2025 The painting is done on the Corsair..... The wind screens, gun sight, and seats have also been added to the model. Next up is decalling! Gil
ghodges Posted March 5, 2025 Author Report Posted March 5, 2025 (edited) The top wing is on and the decals applied.... Next up is the rigging! Gil Edited March 5, 2025 by ghodges
Ron Bell Posted March 5, 2025 Report Posted March 5, 2025 (edited) Always a scary step adding that top wing. Will it fit? Is it aligned correctly? I really like those yellow winged planes of the 20's-30's. Edited March 5, 2025 by Ron Bell
ghodges Posted March 5, 2025 Author Report Posted March 5, 2025 (edited) Yeah.... you're right! Even with test fitting, when you make/align/fit your own struts it's problematic. I had to add some filler at the top of the cabanes as that was easier than making any other adjustments. Also, with the top wing finally "fixed" in place I also had to shorten the aileron actuator struts (to be added later) after test fitting them. All in all.... completely acceptable for the shelf sitter this was always going to be! Gil Edited March 5, 2025 by ghodges
ghodges Posted March 7, 2025 Author Report Posted March 7, 2025 (edited) Finally done! The brass/pe Scarf Ring/Lewis gun items I ordered in the mail arrived today so it was assembled and added to the model, along with some 3D printed resin Lewis gun ammo drums inside the rear cockpit. The markings came in the kit and depict a plane used on a Medal of Honor mission where the pilot and gunner helped rescue 18 Marines trapped behind enemy lines in Nicaragua in 1928. And for those of you who have sharp eyes..... "ham-handed me" managed to bust one of the nice, 3D printed wire wheels seen above during the painting stages, so I had to get another set from the spares box! Questions, comments, and critiques welcome; as always! Gil Edited March 8, 2025 by ghodges 1
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