<> **** DONE: 1/48 F4U-7 (BuNo. 33710) - WW1 / WW2 over Water.

[fubar57]

Username: Fubar57
First name: George
Category: Advanced
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Hobbyboss

For Cory (Catch22). He wanted to build this aircraft as it had an interesting history: serving with the French Aeronavale, one of the aircraft in the T.V. series "Baa Baa Black Sheep", privately owned in Alberta, Canada and finally at the
Heritage Aircraft LCC. He had several photos in the markings of Flotille 14F...

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....but he wanted one in squadron markings and I finally found one on a French Navy site which is the one I'll be portraying...

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Below is a timeline showing the movement of "710"

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My sincere thanks to Monsieur Robert Feuilloy from Untitled for sending and allowing me to post the photos and timeline

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[fubar57]

Going to use online photos as my camera is recharging and i want to get this going, plus they are better than I could do.

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[Robert Porter]

Great subject! I have a Tamiya F4U-1D in the stash so I will be watching your build especially closely!

 

[Crimea_River]

Geo, I checked my decal stash for white zeros about 4mm tall but no luck.

 

[fubar57]

Many thanks for looking Andy. Haven't had a chance to go through mine yet but I'll probably order some white letters/numbers

 

[Crimea_River]

No problem. I'll do one more check and look through some of my unbuilt kits. I usually just keep older decals in a binder and that's what I checked so far. I'll let you know if I find anything.

 

[Wayne Little]

Good choice George.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Airframes]

Great choice Geo.
I built the old Monogram kit in this scheme, back in the early 1980's, using the real aircraft as inspiration which, at the time, was 'hidden' at Coningsby, having just arrived in the country.
I quite fancy doing another, and that kit look good, but got too much on the go at the moment.

 

[T Bolt]

Excellent George. I can't think of a better subject to do for Cory

 

[fubar57]

Thanks guys. Been searching for cockpits colors and with only 94 aircraft produced, not a whack o info. Nearest I can tell, black interior with interior green floor and seat. And now it time to play, "Spot the Problem...."

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....if you said "Fabric depicted on all metal wings, you are correct. Tell them what they've won, Vanna". As near as I can tell, the movable tail surfaces were still fabric covered, the rudder for sure.

 

[Wurger]

To be honest I'm not sure if the wings had the fabric skin there. unless the fabric covering was riveted to the aerofoils.

 

[fubar57]

Yep....I have to get the mud out for this one

 

[T Bolt]

You may be able to just sand down the ribs using something for a sanding block

 

[Robert Porter]

Possible to sand them, but that would leave the plastic awful thin in places, I would go for mud, specifically your favorite the Bondo Spot Putty! Or possibly even Milliput?

 

[Robert Porter]

By the way a local fellow showed me a real neat trick for just that type of fill job, he applies the bondo, then uses the long side of a standard playing card to level and shape it while keeping the correct profile. The card is just bendy enough to keep the profile but firm enough to remove excess.

 

[Airframes]

The Corsair I mentioned above, had an overall black cockpit, which I believe was original. I don't recall seeing the floor in a different colour, (after 35 years, it's a wonder I can remember seeing the aircraft, let alone its interior colours !!) but I do remember it was heavily scuffed.
I'm wondering if those wings are supposed to be representing the stresses of the panels, after much use, but if that's the case, it's a bit 'heavy'.
Maybe a mix of clear gloss varnish (enamel or polyurethane, not acrylic) and talcum powder, brushed overall, then sanded before totally hard, might level them out ?

 

[fubar57]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. My little tube of mud is starting to firm up so I went to get some more. No Bondo® in my little burg so I went to a different brand, same great hallucinate inducing smell. Go big or go home I sez, 10.50$CAN...

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Though I'd work on a bottom section first as a test. No sense spreading mud everywhere...

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...mud spread everywhere

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By the way a local fellow showed me a real neat trick for just that type of fill job, he applies the bondo, then uses the long side of a standard playing card to level and shape it while keeping the correct profile. The card is just bendy enough to keep the profile but firm enough to remove excess.

Great minds think alike Robert....and then there's us. I bought home a couple of wooden stir sticks from work for this reason

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I'll more than likely lose the panel lines/rivets but that's why the deity of your choice made tools And now we wait.........................

 

[Wurger]

Doing well Pal.

 

[Crimea_River]

Tamiya's Corsair did the same thing: