Being a big fan of warbirds and an even bigger fan of Bearcats I went on a serious search to find a park sized, EPO Bearcat of 1100mm up to 1400mm. Well as we all know no one makes such a bird. Such a shame as I believe it would sell well and be another great addition to the T-28 and F6F range of planes in being a relatively easy-to-fly model with tons of mod possibilities (Rare Bear anyone?). Now that Horizon is putting out a Rare Bear (looks great!) it seems maybe there might be interest in putting out a Bearcat but who knows?

Not being one to wait around to see if someone will make this plane I decided to try and bash one together from existing parts. The proof-of-concept model would start out as an 800mm model and if successful I'd go up to the next step.
I settled on the FMS 800-sized series mainly because numerous parts are available for a wide variety of models and they have the 1400 sizes as well if I decide to go further with the idea.

So I started with the F6F Hellcat fuselage. It had to be modded significantly but it was pretty easy to get it shaped into something more Bearcat-like. Choosing the wing was a bit tougher but I found that the T-28 Trojan wing seemed closest. Lastly I secured a canopy for a P74 V2 which is a close match to the original. The canopy needed the most modding to fit it to the fuselage but a little carving and some blue foam glued on made it close enough for the time being.

Electronics will be stock for the series and I got the 4-blade prop and spinner from the F4U/F6F. Standard 9g servos are installed.

I didn't bother to strip paint but I did peel off the decals. A rough coat of Folk Art "Midnight" blue went on and she's starting to look a lot like a Bearcat. It's too cold to maiden her so I'll have to hold off on that till the Spring but keep an eye on this space for updates and a flight report!

To usher in 2014 I figured I'd start with a new mini-blog on my recent purchase of a Durafly F4U Corsair. Here goes:

From the very beginning of checking into this model I was impressed with the features and price. Around $150 USD from HobbyKing's USA warehouse and it includes retracts, flaps, lights, 4-blade prop, panel lines, missiles, drop tanks... etc. That's good value for the $$$.

My first impression after opening the box is that this is a very nicely detailed model made with some really nice, dense foam. The panel lines and smoothness of this model is second to none. The scale 4-bladed prop is a thing of beauty.

Assembly was quick, straightforward and simple though the manual is poorly written. I hear that Durafly is working on improving things on that front so we'll see what the future holds. I found no issues with part fitment, everything lined up straight and true. I hooked all the servos and retracts to a tester to confirm movement and direction and all was correct.

After assembly and testing she was ready for her maiden flight. Having experience with the larger FMS 1400mm Corsair I was ready for the strong pull to the left on takeoff from the torque. A little right rudder and she tracked nice and straight. I needed a bit more power to get off the ground and into the air smoothly so my first attempt was a bit stumbly but she got into the air without issue.

Once in the air I had to add a few clicks of trim here and there but for the most...Continue Reading

Thought I would start a blog on my build. I bought the Airfield 1400mm F4U Corsair in kit form with "crashproofing" installed from killerplanes.com. Unit arrived in good shape and as far as I can tell everything is accounted for. Despite a few nicks and dings in the foam all appears intact. Since I'm awaiting all the electronics from hobbyking.com I figured I would start in on what seem to be some necessary mods.

I first worked on the battery hatch mod. I had to work around a few of the CF rods that were installed through the fuse as per KP's crashproofing but that was not a problem. I now have plenty of room for the 4000mah battery I've got on it's way.

Next up I worked on the cowl, making some extra room for airflow. I carved out some foam from the inner surface of the cowl and faired it out to the edges, making it look like the cowl flaps are actually open. I also carved out some of the plastic in the fake radial engine. Together the two mods should provide a nice bit of airflow. I expect I will cut a hole in the rear of the fuse to allow some of that enhanced airflow out the back of the plane.

Next up will be the flap mod as well as the rear elevator mod. Stay tuned.

Special thanks go out to Sandancer for all the work and detail he's put into his mods and for posting it all on here. I would not have been able to even contemplate these mods otherwise.

Thanks to everyone else too for all the advice and photos of their work!

Update: 5/31/12 - Worked on the elevator mod and painted the radial.