1/48th scale Tamiya F4-U1 "birdcage" Corsair

Started by Craig Abrahamson · 2 · 11 years ago
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    Craig Abrahamson said 11 years, 4 months ago:

    I've got three of this same kit, so I thought I'd try configuring this first one with the wheels retracted. Many kits that don't have this option make it quite difficult for the modeler to alter the parts and still make them fit. Not so with the Tamiya kit. After snipping off all the "latches" on the gear doors and sanding them smooth, everything fit like a glove. I wasn't THAT much surprised to find that all the pieces aligned in their respective locations as if it were meant to be. But it is, after all, a Tamiya kit. Didn't even need any sheet styrene or filler to close any gaps - there aren't any.

    I don't think I'm gonna tackle the array of (6) flaps and try to construct THEM in the "up" position, though - it appears there'd be quite a lot of "plastic surgery" involved and I don't wanna mess up what I already got lookin' half-way decent. Perhaps on one of the others.

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    David Hansen said 11 years, 4 months ago:

    Craig, for what its worth, i haven't tried modifying the Tamiya flaps to fit in the "Up " position but others have and report that its not too bad a job. You have to modify the doors on the undersides (they create the "slot" part of the slotted flap) to make them flush and maybe the flap pushrods need to be cut away.

    I have the Ultracast retracted flap set and they're OK, but the retracted flaps leave a bit of a "step" along the wing trailing edge which doesn't seem quite right to me. Maybe the modified kit flap would fit a little better.

    -d-