Hello,
My next build will be Tamiya’s F4F-4. I want to use this build to learn to use resin upgrade. I’m planning to use Aires cockpit. and was wondering which engine to use. I won’t be displaying the engine in the open so it’s a little bit overkill but it is just a learning experience.
I have the choice between Quickboost QB48013 or Engine and Things 48106
Which one would you recommend and why?
Don’t forget the Vector option. I used a Vector on my Helldiver. Awesome product.
http://store.spruebrothers.com/148-vector-pratt--whitney-r-1830-86-engine-48007-p13324.aspx
Quickboost makes a nice engine at about half the cost. The Vector engine looks awesome. Frankly they are both too nice to be closed in the cowling. The Tamiya engine is nicely detailed in its own right. I would try the detailed engine on a lesser kit that would benefit from the aftermarket detail. Take the Tamiya engine and wire it yourself. You need some fine wire, a #80 drill bit, and a little patience and imagination. It’s kinda fun. Rick.
Thank you again for the answer.
I didn’t know the Vector brand and it look great. Anybody have any experience with engine and things?
Rick, I agree it’s overkill to put such nice engine hidden in cowling. I just try to learn one thing at a time:
The SDB I just completed was airbrushing, the Corsair is photoetch (cockpiy only), and the Wilcat will be resin. After that I have an F16 that will have photoetch and resin and maybe after that I will do an airplane with some wirering.
Where do you find your wir though, I have sudder wire but it is pretty big and I could use electrical wire, I guess.
Howdy fellow Idahoan,
Wire is easy to come by, old electrical components, or the fly tying section at your local fly shop will offer tons of wire in various gauges and colors. I do both so I have tons of wire. I do like Quickboost stuff and I like to do my own wiring. I prefer it to photo-etch wiring. Super easy with a pair of good tweezers and a good twist drill and bit. Oh and a bit of patience.
You might want to use smaller wiring with 1/48 scale kits since it looks like the wire your using looks overscale and looks more like plumbing than wiring. You might want to try unwound steel cable for the magneto wiring harness.
They does look a bit big but by reducing it 48th time I wonder how thin of a wire it would be.
Anyway I followed your advice and went to my favorite outdoor store in the fly fishing dept and found a whole section on wire and thread, so I was happy to buy some nice wiring. Thank you for the tip.
VonBrakken,
I live in Idaho Falls as well. if you see this message in time, I will be at the modelling competition at Hobby Town today. That would be fun to meet there and have a chat.
All: Sorry for taking the thread subject off course
Glad you found some suitable wiring. Lots to choose from that way. Also keep an eye out for scrap electronics.
Did you enter the HobbyTown contest? I was gonna do a 109E for it then I found out the prize was just a plaque and said to H**l with it. Anyway, I try to avoid that place. I think the owner is a real schmuck 1st class, one each.
Having no idea what the real size of the wire… if its about 3/8" that .008". The fly tying dept is a great place to shop. I’ve picked up .01 lead wired and Ultra Wire. The small size of the Ultra Wire is .007. Great stuff. A couple of good sources too are the copper strands from and extension cord. If you need really thin… cut open an old ear bud or phone charge cord. I’ve got .003 from them.
I’m excited and already drilled some holes in the corsair’s engine that I’m working on. That was until the drill bit snap on me and the rest of the bit slip through my finger!! (My drill bits are c**p some were already broken in the container). So I need to find some small bits and can keep going. I will post some pictures sometime.
Yes I did enter the HobbyTown contest, with this airplane /forums/t/137264.aspx
my wife made me to!!! 
And I got 1st place in the new contestant category, so that made me happy. I don’t really know the owner of the place but I try to support a local business. But you are right the only thing to win here is a plaque and the right to compete nationally. So for me it was just to get critics and meet fellow modelers from the area. I did meet some nice people but one of them was an a***, keep criticizing everybody else airplanes saying it was not the right colors while his airplanes looks like he just opened the jar on dumped it on the model.
Anyway, feel free to PM me Vonbrakken and maybe we could meet someday.
Sharp build amigo. Here’s a tip for the drill bits…get them at Harbor Freight. They have a micro set for about $4. There as good as any in the hobby shop and when you break them, (and you WILL break them), it won’t kick you so hard in the wallet.
Yeah, I don’t care much for those know it all azz hats. And there always seems to be one to rain on the picnic.
vonBrakken, the only one I could find on HarborFreight were those: http://www.harborfreight.com/30-piece-hss-mini-drill-set-94606.html.
0.5mm is very big and you can’t get them online so I suppose I’m missing somthing!
Half a milimeter is pretty tiny. Looking through all my bits, I only have one that’s smaller than that and it’s almost useless. Also the Harbor Frieght is the way to go for mini files and diamond files. Since everything is made in China anyway, might as well get them cheap.
try this
http://www.micromark.com/Drill-Bits.html?page=2
and Micro Mark does ship their drill bits I might get a couple sets seeing as micro drill bits are pretty easy to lose or break with the tiny bits.
I’ve seen them at the store on 17th.
I will check the store on 17th then. If I don’t find anything that make me happy I will order from Micro Mark.
I just finished my first engine with wiring and I really like it. My holes are a little bit big but it still look very good.
Here is a link to a picture. Can’t put it straight in the post because Flickr changed their sharing options and I can’t find the BBCode. The picture doesn’t do my engine justice but still better than nothing.
By the way it’s for my Tamiya F4U-1A, so here it is:
your Wiring looks to scale out to exactly what a magneto wire should look like at 1/48 scale on a piston engine fighter.
That’s where I ended up getting my bits. The #80’s are about the smallest you can find. Find a few more items, then the postage and handling won’t seem so bad. Try to find a micro pinvise to hold the tiny bits. You can chuck them way up so that you don’t have so much bit shaft exposed to torque when you are drilling. The Micro Mark bits are very good. They cut without having to apply a lot of pressure. They are very delicate. You just have to allow the bit to cut. It doesn’t need a lot of push. That being said, I’ve already broke two of the six #80 bits I bought in January. But they’re nice to have around. Rick.
I use the Zona Tools set…it comes in a flat orange and clear plastic case…I really like them…I had one of the smallest I think the 80 snap too…but you know, it still works…its so small I dont think it makes a difference…oh and I’ve poked my finger too…tricky little buggers…I like to wire my engines myself too…Most of the times all you see is whats exposed in the front of the cowling…still its nice to see the completed engine with wiring and details…
Great looking build…[Y]
I built Tamiyas corsair not too long ago…I also added wiring to the engine and wing folds…I tend to use electrical wires…lamp cord wire is nice…its a thin stranded copper wire…sometimes dont even have to paint it…poke around your garage for old wire…great source…also go to your local hardware…Im sure they will give you wire scraps…a couple inches of scrap wire goes a long way!!
heres my engine and pit…added wires and pushrods
and I also detailed the wing fold…again with bits of wire…
best thing you can have is the pinvise and micro bits…I even drill out gun barrels…like the others said…patience!!
Good Luck
Carlos