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Rodney
Williams' F2G Super Corsair
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"Building
a Red and White racing model" - 1/32 F4U-1A to the F2G Super Corsair
In early 1984, I obtained the
enclosed three view drawing from "Barry Bower," a fellow modeler at
out local San Jose, California model club. I wanted to build Cook
Cleland's #57 red and white racer, which I viewed at the Cleveland, Ohio
National Air Races in 1949. I lived in Akron, Ohio, which is south of
Cleveland. I attended all the post war races from 1946 to 1949.
I found the enclosed black and
white photo in my airplane "scrapbook" of Cooks #74 racer.
Cook owned 4 F2G's, which were racers #57, #74, #84 and #94. Ron Puckett
owned racer #18.
With this photo and the
drawing, I started the conversion project, using the Revell 1/32 scale F4U-1A
kit. I had no experience in "scratch building," let
alone any knowledge as to how to make the new windscreen and canopy.
I did not have a camera that
had a "macro" lens so I could take "close up" photos!
I used my professional Hasselblad-500EL, which let me get within 19" to
the subject. (not close enough, that's for sure) For "money"
reasons, I used black and white film. Most every print I got back from
my professional print lab was slightly "blurry." I guess I got
a bit too close, but these poor quality photos will show you many of the
things I did to the F4U-1A kit.
I cut up the kit's aft section,
then cut out the side plates for the new exhausts stacks. In 1986, I
went to Mesa, Arizona to the Champlin Fighter Museum and took a few exterior
photos of #88454, (454) a true F2G. Later in 1986, a fellow modeler in
Phoenix took some cockpit photos of "454." With little
experience, I built my cockpit, using Charlie's cockpit photos.
  
Compare the black and white
photo of my 1986 instrument panel to my 2002 instrument panel, which is
a color digital. The holes for the dials in the 1986 instrument panel
are too big. The dial arrangement and the holes are correct in the 2002
version.
I used the prop blades and
engine cylinders from the 1/32 scale Hellcat kit. This color shot shows
the completed cockpit, engine and my new cowling. Little did I know, but
the engine for the F2G had seven cylinders in each bank, and there were 4
banks. Just in from of the first row of cylinders are seven magnetos,
which I didn't know about. Naturally, the Hellcat cylinders are the
wrong shape!
   
I ask a modeler how I can make
the new "bubble" canopy? He said buy some "bass"
wood, carve out your canopy, then vac-u-form it! (Bass Wood, Vac-u-form?
- I had no idea what he was talking about). These digital color
photos show what I came up with. What a self taught learning experience
that turned out to be. I've advanced in my ability to make
"glass" looking canopies and windscreens since then. This
color photo shows this advancement in my "Crashed F2G canopy," which
I built in 1998.
   
 
 
The rest of the black and white
photos show what I did to the Revell kit to make my F2G.
This poor color shot shows the
model finished, setting on my work bench. Soon after that, Jim Butler
sent me some 35mm color slides of the real aircraft setting outside.
Here's one of Jim's photos.
 
I painted the model with Tamiya
gloss white all over, then mask it off and applied the red. I cut out
"frisket" film patterns, then airbrushed on the wing and fuselage
numbers and letters. I used Microscale decals for the "Sohio"
logo, and the word "EXPERIMENTAL," including the
"ID" on the rudder. I cut out black decal film strips about
1/64" wide and placed them on the model between the red and white colors.
For some reason, these black lines do not show up in some of the color photos.
A few years ago, I found out that it was not a black colored separation line,
but maybe a dark blue. Who knows for sure!
   
  
  
Look close at the color
"close up" photo of the front of the engine. You will see a
screen inside the air intake, which is on the top of the cowling. Don't
put one in your model, as there was no screen in the real F2G's!
 
In 1987 I built a base for #57,
and took it to the IPMS/USA National Convention in Washington, D.C. To
my surprise, I won first place. Latter that summer, another model club
ask me to enter it into their contest in Southern California. Another
first place. Wow! Was I
thrilled!!!
In 1988, I sold the model to a
fellow modeler. I was going to build it again, but that never
happened. Ten years later, I built my "Crashed F2G;" which is
posted in a four part story on
ARC's
web site. I have another four part story on the history of the F2G,
which includes my two 1/72 F2G racers, #57 & #74 on the same web site.
   
I've included this
".com" color photo of #57, #74, and #94 taken during the 1949 races
at Cleveland, Ohio U.S.A. My last photo is my 1/72 scale #57.
Today, with the help of many
modelers besides the late Jim Butler, I have several dozen F2G photos,
including some rare factory shots. These modelers are: Larry
Trick, Joe Hegedus, Ron Eminger, Al Keller, and Scott Murphy, to mention a
few. Without their help, my latest F2G "masters" would not be
next to perfect.
   
Building this F2G was certainly
a great learning experience. Today, January 17, 2003, and 19 years
later, I'm just about 98% finished making all the masters for a conversion
kit. It will have way over a 100 parts. When it's ready, I'll post
the data with several digital color photos on
Skywriters,
LSP,
Hyperscale,
and ARC web sites.
Rodney
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