Got the Wen Mac Corsair today

rsv1cox wrote:really no comparison with the Cox edition.  One is, the other isn't.  Your call on which is which.

The Wen-Mac is in a different league altogether and probably was a little cheaper to gain sales. The eye candy was the highly chromed finish. The bottom wasn't visible through its display box. It is considerably smaller, to match the weaker power of the earlier Wen-Mac .049 with glow plug head. Remember, it was mostly the parents who bought these as Christmas and birthday presents for their sons. The appeal had to be more for the parents than the children.

Beauty was in the eye of the beholder, which still holds true now. Otherwise, I imagine you would have passed on it, Bob.

Yes, probably a low cost leader for Wen Mac not up to their usual innovative standards.  Production/labor costs were small for the body, mostly a one-piece casting.  Money was in the engine.  

Under that silver plating was gold.  Guess they could not make up their minds.  




Only three self-tappers holding the engine in.  Thought the assembler forgot one, not so only three mounts molded in.  Bell crank peg broke off when I tried to pry it out.  Had to drill it out.  Will replace with something.




Engine/starter were locked up tight, especially the starter.  Took some effort to free it.  Berrymans dip.  Cleaned usual goo from the NVA with a needle through the port then flushed with aerosol Remoil. Part of my regular routine now.

rsv1cox wrote:Under that silver plating was gold.  Guess they could not make up their minds.

Rather, I think the "gold" or copper like plating was necessary, as chrome does not stick to any surface. For example, steel car bumpers have to be plated in copper first, because chrome will not stick to steel.

The "chrome" plating was a special metallized spray process. I don't know much about it, but gather the possibility that it required a preparatory coating on the plastic, before the metallized "chrome" would stick to it. As time progressed, the process could have been refined to not require a preparatory coat. However, this was back when the process was revolutionary.

Probably so George, but I was amazed how easy the plating came off this early Cox Corsair using Easy-Off and it had no undercoat.




I'm fighting the Wen, and I'm running out of Easy-Off.

Now I'm not sure if I will fly it, no contest between the two. But maybe............ Test the engine today before I install it. Fuel tanks nipples are ok so that's a blessing.

In Bendix red, you could possibly leave them in their native red plastic and put racing plane stripes and checkers on them, which would remove the need to repaint. Please don't let me interfere with your excellent work and purposes. I think we all wait with anticipation on your final results, surprises, and flight reports if so desired.

Tried Easy-Off again George, the last of it.  Looks like the old speckled hen.  Used fine steel wool to some advantage.  Finally just blended the edges (if there are any) with wet 400 grit and wiped with 91% alcohol.  Good enough.  Build a horizontal stab, fix the bell crank, paint with the matt blue.  

I intended to run/test the engine along with the #7 Gilbert this morning.  I had charged the battery yesterday.  Tried the Gilbert, no indication on the power panels amp meter.  Darn, bad glow head.  No, tested fine on the ohm-meter.  Tried another glow plug. No indication.  Darn, bad battery!  No, ran power directly to the 12V starter worked fine.  Must be the on/off switch I installed, No, checked ok.  Only variable left is the Tower Hobbys power panel.  Decided to charge up Marks flight box battery.





Ya, I know.  The prop on the Gilbert.  Not to worry!

Bob, watching your clean-ups perked my interest to search for half-A CL F4U kits and plans, plus research further history. Found this interesting link:

Plane Encyclopedia: Vought F4U Corsair by Mario H Zorro, 9/16/2016

Besides historical accounts which included the Goodyear version designated as FG-1, it has several different color schemes from several allied countries, too. New Zealand had them, but didn't see any from Australia. Perhaps AU used F6F Hellcats instead?


Plane Encyclopedia: Royal New Zealand AF F4U-1A – 22 Sqn 49944 – July 1944

Regarding model plans, easiest, a .020 Pee Wee powered all sheet profile with 19" wingspan is:

Outerzone oz8265: 19-in. Corsair by Paul Del Gatto, Aug 1961 MAN


Outerzone photo from MAN plan.

One could upsize it for .049 power, or adapt same for .049 (many Scientific .049 plans were around the same wingspan.)

Thanks George.

The Corsair, the only military aircraft to which I have a direct conection having started one while attending Airman Prep school in Norman OK.  Also a year later while touring with my wife an outlaying field in Pensacola we happened across a group of four Corsairs.  I climbed up onto the wing of one and pulled my wife up, she tolerated my obsession.  I showed her all the instruments and controls.  I don't think she was impressed.

I like the profile of the razorbacked Corsairs.

Yesterday I set out to start the 7 Gilbert and the Wen .049.  Fueled the 7 with old cloudly Cox 25%, unintended but I did not notice until later that it was in the container that I dumped the left-over fuel in from the blub.   Per instruction I opened the needle 1 1/2 turns primed and got immediate pops.  Finger flipped again and it just took off.  Well, that was nice.  Shut it down.  Decided not to run the .049 if it runs it runs, if it doesn't it dosen't.  No reason why it shouldn't.  

Dumped all the old cloudly fuel and washed out the containers.   Cleaned the Gilbert flushing with Remoil and blowing out with compressed air.  Good engine, going to run it again with fresh fuel.  



Might work if I can figure out the control horn.

ridiculous question.

nope first! LOVE the work on the resto. beautiful

NOW! ridiculous question. As I have same organizer shelf/trays on my garage workbench,

When you test run motors, how to you keep castor and fuel from blowing all over/into them?

cstatman wrote:ridiculous question.

nope   first!  LOVE the work on the resto.  beautiful

NOW!  ridiculous question.   As I have same organizer shelf/trays on my garage workbench,

When you test run motors,  how to you keep castor and fuel from blowing all over/into them?

Easy answer Charles is that I don't. That workbench and surrounding areas have been subjected to greasy transmissions, differentials, and various engine parts over the years and dispite my best efforts to keep clean, suffer. A little blown castor is the least of it's problems.

Turns out the control horn wasn't much of a problem. A drop of CA and it's almost done. Still have to harden the hole with CA, fillet the horn with epoxy, shape the bitter ends, two coats of sanding sealer, install, cement in the aluminum bushings and paint at the same time that I do the plane.

Neat to see the “war weary” Corsair’s rehab…. Definitely had been fueled and ran several times….Would be interesting to know what missions it went thru….

Glad you got run the engine and it started so well..Could you filter the cloudy fuel and improve its quality?…  I’m building up a TeeDee .020 with a PeeWee throttle ring…. Look forward to running that soon…

I have an old shop mate folding table/vise for the engine mount and tests…Usually test run the engines out behind the shop so only clean up is the little table….. The tailgate of my truck is not fairing as well, Where I start the plane at my flying site…. Spotted up pretty good with castor and dust now, need to wash it….. Got to do a little flying today right before a rain storm….Calm winds, Bouncy thermals, very pleasant….

Thanks Robert, yes at least we know these things actually flew, sort of.  

You will be joining Andras and Mauricio with the throttle ring thing.  Pretty elite company.  A performance report maybe?

I just dumped the old fuel in the trash, an ounce maybe.  I have a sealed gallon and a sealed quart plus others, don't know why I used the old stuff.  

Same here, I have an old B&D Shop Mate that I once used, to much trouble to set it up so I just chuck up the test stand in the benc h vice.  Don't run so many engines any more.

Backed up the control horn with epoxy and hardened it with CA.  Some more sanding and triming, sanding sealer and I can install it.  Trying to figure canopies without much luck.





I might get some more Easy-Off oven cleaner and give the body another go, might not.  Not restoring the Mona Lisa here.

AFTER SOMEONE here - got me addicted to restoring boxes, (i now own special pressure sensitive tape, more cellophane than I will ever use, iron, wood press to flatten and straighten)

I am NOT going to start building wooden bucks and molding my own custom canopies..

however, --- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIwHwC5JN74

its possible....

AFTER SOMEONE here - got me addicted to restoring boxes, (i now own special pressure sensitive tape, more cellophane than I will ever use, iron, wood press to flatten and straighten)

Always pleased to help.

Wow, that fellow is an artist with a drill press, I would have used my band saw and probably done half the job. I'm not that smart or good. Given enough bottles he could use that buck and make some money selling them.

My band saw threw a band while cutting out the stages for my Gilbert engine mounts. Very thankful that it was in an enclosed structure. Still, when it let go it was an experience that I do not want to repeat.

Bob, you went the deluxe route (well, not totally deluxe which would have required a printing machine, red colored filament and designed CAD part) with the tubular sleeves for the elevator hinge.

A lover of crude simplicity, I probably would have taken the simpler route by first clipping the hinge pins off. Then, using cloth tape hinges in an over and under pattern glued to both the balsa elevator and plastic stabilizer, and elevator halves joined by a music wire central bent-in-a-U. cut a hole or make a notch in the side of the fuselage and mount pushrod off  to the side to a control horn mount left or right of center outside the fuselage.

But, my finished product wouldn't look as nice, only functional. But, given the winds here, I'd probably wind up with parts scattered everywhere with a crash scene fitting for an NTSB investigation, reliving my earlier Cox RTF experiences.

Bob, you went the deluxe route Thumbs Up (well, not totally deluxe which would have required a printing machine, red colored filament and designed CAD part) Laughing with the tubular sleeves for the elevator hinge.

Assembly at the factory must have been tricky. Assembler must have to bend each part opposite to slip tab A into slot A. I thought about making the elevator out of plastic but gave up. 50 year old plastic is more brittle than new and I was afraid of breaking something. This way is simple. Paint everything put the bushings on the pivots and slip the elevator up onto them from the bottom, then cement. Got to be careful, can't use CA which would wick into the joint. Epoxy or canopy cement will do.

rsv1cox wrote:Assembly at the factory must have been tricky.  Assembler must have to bend each part opposite to slip tab A into slot A.  I thought about making the elevator out of plastic but gave up.  50 year old plastic is more brittle than new and I was afraid of breaking something.  This way is simple. Paint everything put the bushings on the pivots and slip the elevator up onto them from the bottom, then cement.  Got to be careful, can't use CA which would wick into the joint.  Epoxy or canopy cement will do.  

I kind of understand brittle plastic, dealing with automotive dashboards, grills, interior plastic panels, etc. on old vehicles.

I don't think it was quite as bad as you think it was. Short of having the parts before me, as I recall, there was slop in the elevator assembly, must have been at least 3/32" to 1/8" (push elevator to side to minimize gap). With a freshly cast elevator, new plastic was very flexible. Besides, they knew that turn-out-the-door costs were more important, as many of these had 1st, 2nd, or 3rd disaster flights resulting in item destruction and donor engines, if one wanted to build a balsa aircraft.

The beauty of the Wen-Mac (AMF?) Corsair was its simplicity, basically a pig with lipstick.

IMO (and this is only gut level opinion as I don't own a printing machine or ever did it), for printing, selecting a filament that is sufficiently rigid yet flexible enough would be the trick, along with loosening tolerances.

Your manufactured part has tighter tolerances, probably fits better than the original ever did. I love it when a repair project comes together, and the repair does a totally satisfactory job in restoring the item. For example, on an old motorcycle, one installs aftermarket handle bar switch assembly, which restores function, looks good, although it deviated from the original.

Sorry I missed out on all this till today! But glad I have had teh chance to catch up on your newest restorations. Will be watching as always!