While I was building Revell’s F4U-4 Corsair, I stumbled across the instructions for the landing gears.
I saw it, and continued the instructions as usual. I decided to glue the parts together, thinking it was part of the process. I was very wrong. You see, the Corsair’s landing gears twist on its struts, to save space. Unfortunately, the 3 parts that I glued together are part of the mechanism for that to happen.
So now I’m stuck with a glued landing gear strut. Both of them. I was very irritated when I found out after watching a YT vid about the same model.
Then, I found out there were 2 things that Revell has gone WRONG with the manual itself.
There is a big sign that shows that parts like those should not be glued. But, there was no such sign where I saw the landing gear parts. That was a huge mistake by Revell’s manual. Now I can’t fully close the landing gear. Facepalm.
The 2nd part is this.
The small disk on the top was supposed to be a spacer. That was supposed to be glued on top of the gear strup. There is a small stud there. That makes it so that there is a space for the landing gear to wiggle and then turn. But, I did not see that in the diagram. So that led me to drill a bigger hole on the spacer to make it a snug fit with the main strut.
I learned 2 things from this.
1.) This is why Tamiya is better than Revell. Clear instructions. Especially the older kits like mine is, that meant that I had to be careful.
2.) I have to read as much of the instructons as possible. I lacked common sense to realize that the landing gears can swivel, until it was too late. I guess this can’t be displayed as a flying model now…
I think that’s a very good advice for everyone - and while following the instructions step by step, to the letter is usually a poor idea, it really pays off to know what is meant to be done, and after you understand really well what’s going on then there’s no problem in diverting from the instructions.
Now operating landing gear is not something you see every day today, and for some good reasons, but I understand you wanted yours to operate…
If you want to go really funky I could draw those parts up for you in 3D and shapeways could 3D print them in brass, then you could have an operating metal landing gear, what do you say?
Yup, and sometimes its best to just do some test fits to help visualize how things are intended to go together and whether or not the instructions are the best way to assemble things. I agree that the manufacturer’s suggestions aren’t always the best way to do things…in fact, they usually aren’t.
That is very nice of you, but I would like yout to not design those parts. I would want you to spend extra time doing something that I can try and fix myself, and it could be such a hassle.
i would just cut the landing gear strut in half, drill a hole in the 2 sides, and insert a metal rod glued to one half and insert the other unglued half inside the other half.
The gear would just swivel on the unglued side. It would be a tight fit, but it could work.
So yeah, I truly appreciate you helping me, but I think I can try to fix the rest of it. It’s a good learning experience for me as well!
Working stuff like that is trouble. My approach would be to glue it all together solidy in one position or the other. plastic kit tolerances aren’t that good and it probaly would not sit squarely on its gear.
If you plan to set it on it’s wheels, look at some photos of Corsairs on the ground to check to see if the kit struts look right. They are two diferent lengths depening on whether the A/C was on land or airborne and sometimes the kit design gets it switched.
Well, here’s where we got something in common! I have over the years built ALL the Revell and Monogram Planes with working features. There were even a few Aurora models in that genre. Thing is. You had to study the parts more than the instructions or as you say the “Funny Papers”!
You would have got a stitch in your side from laughing when I was trying to figure out the “Escape Pod, Landing Gear and Swing Wings” from Aurora’s F-111-A original issue. I did manage to get it all together and working. My wife said I made faces while working on it She didn’t think were possible for me!
Ah, But, the Play Value is what they still sought sometimes. Like Revell with their 1/25 scale, Car models with Steering, Opening Doors, Trunks and Hoods. Plus if you got certain ones the rear springs worked. The Shocks were only anchored on the body end. Imagine coming home from c[ass one day and My 56 is sitting there like it had a safe in the trunk. The glue where the Axle joined the Springs had softened the springs and they sagged right past those unnattached shocks!
I remember building this kit long ago for the first time with my dad back when I was 6 or 7. I needed his help for all the working features. One thing I vaguely remember and not shown on the current instruction sheet is that you were supposed to use a heated screwdriver on the main wheel axles to flare it out over the inner wheel half mount hole and allow the wheels to freely rotate.
It doesn’t compare to any current kits of the same subjects, but back then those old Mongram quarter inch scale USN aircraft kits with working features were just the thing for young boys like myself.
A propos belly landings… Looong time ago on a C-130 forum they said: How do you know you forgot to extend the landing gear before landing? It takes full throttle to taxi…
Revell hasn’t changed its ways regarding poorly done instruction manuals. The instruction manual for their new SR-71 Blackbird has numerous mistakes in it. IMHO, the mistakes are just stupid mistakes, such as parts with the incorrect part number.
