Corsair F4U Folding Wings

DR 1, That usually doesn't happen till the model goes through the trees:) Seriously, I recall an article in one of the mags a few years back, though I cannot find it or remember if it was the Top Flight kit or not, perhaps someone else has some info. I even did some web searching and came up dry. rick markel

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I've never seen a Corsair that small with scale like folding wings. I've been researching the subject myself (my step father flew Corsairs with the Marines and I wanted to build one). The Top Flite kit builds very, very heavy to begin with if given any level of detail and paint. The extra wing folding gear could make it a real dog to fly.

I've pretty much decided the smallest I would try it on is the Holman/Taylor 82" plans with a Saito. Good luck with the TF. If you do decide to do it, I'd love to see photos and most definitely a flight report.

I have in front of me Aviation Modeller International from June 1996 with an article on a folding wing Corsair. It was a Byron kit, and the builder made his own pneumatic oil-damped actuators. It also had a geared OS 5 cyl radial with the builders own design gearbox. A pretty serious project.

Cheers, David

That's kinda what I thought. The weight, lack of space in the wing, and lack of mechanical advantage to fold and unfold/lock the wings would be a nightmare.

Thanks for the heads up on the weight issue.

I think the wife will settle for the detailed cockpit, 4 blade display prop, and a retracting tail wheel instead. :)

Thanks, guys! Dr.1 Driver "There's a Hun in the sun!"

*IF* you want 'reality' on that scale, check with APC. They had some 4 bladed props, but I don't know if they still do.

Good luck,

You might want to look at the engines by RCV. They are geared 2:1 and can actually swing a 4 blade prop. They will also fit inside the TF F4U cowl without having to cut any holes in it. Just provide ample air exaust behind the cowl. or perhaps working cowl flaps. There are a couple of good threads on the rcuniverse site on the TF corsair, including a large thread on mods. Have fun!

Scott

On 2/24/2004 4:12 PM Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these great (and sometimes not so great) words of knowledge:

IF you REALLY WANT folding wings, this months Model Aviation has a photo and a brief blurb on a folding wing Corsair. I believe the person had to fabricate their own hydraulic mechanism for folding/unfolding, locking/unlocking the wings.

Not the way I build. :)

Dr.1 Driver "There's a Hun in the sun!"

Here is a Corsair only slightly larger than the TF (76" wingspan) and it has folding wings.

Don