Here it is.My Dream Plane! The F4U Corsair. The F4U Corsair is considered to be the one of the finest carrier based fighters of the WWII era. Chance Vought's F4U Corsair was first flown in 1940 and was one of the outstanding naval/marine fighters of World War II. Production of the Corsair ran for nearly ten years, ending in early 1953 after more than 12,500 had been built. The F4U was credited with an 11:1 ratio of kills to losses in action against Japanese aircraft and was the last piston engine fighter in production for any of the U.S. The Corsair was built around a powerful 2000 hp, double- bank radial engine.

CORSAIR MARKINGS SHEET. Click the link below to download a pdf version of the markings sheet included in the Corsair kit. The markings sheet should fit onto a single A4 page and may be printed onto your own paper or decal transfer sheet.

The distinctive feature of the F4U was the inverted gull-wing that provided less drag in flight, allowed for shorter landing gear to accommodate an oversized propeller, and enabled the wings to be folded directly over the canopy with room to spare on the hangar deck. The shorter landing gear permitted rearward retraction which in turn allowed for greater wing-fuel capacity. Due to inadequate cockpit visibility, adverse stall characteristics at slow approach speeds, and a tendency for the tail-hook to not engage due to aircraft bounce when it hit the carrier deck, the F4U was restricted from carrier operations until late 1944.

In the interim, Marine Corps and some Navy squadrons were actively engaged in Pacific combat operations beginning in early 1943 from land-based island locations. One Marine Corps squadron was credited with downing 135 aircraft over an eighteen month period and produced ten aces. One Marine pilot went so far as to down an enemy aircraft with his propeller. Thanks to Giant Scale Planes, you no longer have to spend months building, sanding, glassing, and painting to get a beautiful scale model of one of the most recognizable warbirds to that ever took to the sky. GSP really did their homework on this model, with real working 3 piece split flaps, scale panel lines molded into the fiberglass, two color insignia blue and gray paint scheme, and real cloth covering. Provisions have been made on this aircraft for either fixed landing gear or mechanical retracts. Robart 615 HD Pneumatic Rotating Retracts would also fit perfectly with a little modification which I will cover in detail later on in this review.

They even included a prepainted dummy radial engine. This is going to be one beautiful bird! Required Items • Painted fiberglass fuselage, wing center section, and cowl• Fuel tank, tubing, clunk• Motor mount & bolts• Pushrods • Fixed landing gear and wheels• Canopy• Decals • Steerable tail wheel• Wing bolts, control horns, clevises.• Painted dummy cowl and air coolers for wing• Other assorted hardware • 5-6 channel radio with 7-8 servos• 2-stroke.91-1.20 cu in or 4-stroke.91-1.20 cu in • Servo Wire Extensions• Fuel Tubing• CA glue, epoxy, Loctite thread lock• Propeller• Standard building tools.

LEFT: The parts as they come out of the box! The Corsair arrived on my doorstep double boxed in perfect shape. I quickly opened the box and examined all of the parts. The picture above was borrowed from the GSP website and perfectly illustrates what is contained in the box.

The fuselage, wing center section, and cowl are constructed of fiberglass and prepainted. The outer wing panels are constructed of foam and balsa, and the tail feathers are cloth covered balsa and painted to match. Cetim cobra software downloads. The instruction manual is typical of kits imported from China. It features a lot of drawings, but very little text. The wing assembly begins by removing the covering from the servo bay opening on each outer wing panel.