4
the outer ribs first; then proceed towards the centre of
the horizontal tailplane.
Once the glue has cured thoroughly, remove the hori-
zontal tailplane from the building plan. Sand the lea-
ding and trailing edges flush with the end ribs; glue the
tailplane tips
15
in place.
With a sanding block, shape the tips and the leading
and trailing edges (
Det. A-A
). The horizontal tailplane
has been finished for now; once covered with the tis-
sue, glue the bamboo dowel (Φ2.5x40 mm)
16
onto the
centre plate
12
extending behind the trailing edge by
15 mm.
Fuselage and Fin
The fuselage consists of the tail boom made of spruce
sticks and balsa blocks and the front fuselage block
made of Ceiba plywood offering enough space for the
ballast and timer (if you decided to install one).
If you consider installing a timer (either mechanic or
electronic) and dethermalizer, now it is the time to cut
the openings in the fuselage block
25
as needed.
Start with the wing seat. Glue two balsa sticks
21
along
the outer edges of the plywood seat plate
20
. Now
glue the wing seat to the fuselage
25
. Keep it centred
and square to the side of the fuselage.
Glue spacers
22
to the both sides of the fuselage along
the bottom of the wing seat; front edges matching the
front edge of the wing seat plate. Glue the tail boom
spruce sticks
23
(3x8x450 mm) to the fuselage sides;
fitting tightly into the notch in the spacers
22
and tou-
ching the rear edge of the wing seat plate. Glue the
balsa spacer
24
(3x8x75 mm) between the rear ends
of the tail boom sticks – apply glue to both sides of
the spacer, insert it between the sticks
23
and clamp
together using a clamp or clothes pegs. Immediately,
before the glue set, lay the fuselage up side down onto
the top view on the building plan placed on your work
bench. Double check the tail boom and the entire fuse-
lage was true and straight; the tail boom sticks
23
and
the spacer
24
aligned nicely.
Round the leading and trailing edges of the rudder 30.
Use the tip of a pointy modeller’s knife to cut slots for
the brass tin rudder hinges
29
into the fin
28
and rud-
der
30
. Cyano the hinges into the rudder and then into
the fin leaving a slight gap between the fin and rudder.
Glue the complete fin and rudder assembly between
the tail boom sticks; the bottom edges matching.
Glue the beech wing hold-down dowel
35
into the fu-
selage. Drill the hole for the horizontal tailplane hold-
-down dowel
34
(bamboo Φ2.5x25 mm) using 2.5 mm
drill bit (10 mm deep) and glue it in place.
Make the front horizontal tailplane seat: Glue the spru-
ce stick (3x5x25 mm)
27
to the plywood plate (1 mm
- 25x15 mm)
26
. Glue it to the tail boom and into the
notch in the fin. Lay the horizontal tailplane down on
the seat in order to check the tailplane was square to
the fuselage sides (when looking from the nose to the
tail) and also square to the longitudinal axis of the fu-
selage (when looking from above). Cut 1.5 mm notches
for the rubber band in the spruce stick
27
(refer to
Det.
J-J
) using fine file, jigsaw or razor saw.
Glue the rear tailplane seat (balsa 3 mm – 9x12 mm)
39
to the fuselage. Bevel it slightly to match the horizontal
tailplane bottom side.
Insert and glue the main ballast
32
into the nose ope-
ning. Glue the side covers
33
in place matching the
outline of the fuselage. Glue the cross-brace
38
(balsa
6x8x20 mm) between the tail boom sticks
23
. Glue the
skid
40
in place.
Doping and Tissue Covering
Lightly sand the entire airframe with the fine sand pa-
per. Before the frames are covered, all EXTERNAL sur-
faces MUST be primed with the adhesive dope (diluted
at least 1:1 with the thinner; the dope must have the
viscosity of water - never use the dope unthinned!).
Use a soft flat brush to apply the dope and, when dry,
lightly sand all doped surfaces with the fine sandpa-
per. Apply the second coat, sand lightly again.
Sheets of the Vlies covering tissue are supplied in the
kit. You can glue it to the airframe using water thinned
white glue or adhesive dope. Always align the „grain“
of the tissue the long way - from tip to tip of the wing or
horizontal tailplane. The tissue sheets supplied in the
kit have been already pre-cut to the correct size.
Horizontal Tailplane:
If you are new to the dope and
tissue business, you should start with the horizontal
tailplane in order to gain the skills on smaller part of
your model featuring no curves. Apply the thinned
white glue or adhesive dope around the external ed-
ges of the lower side of the tailplane and to the ribs
and centre plate; IMMEDIATELY set the tissue in positi-
on and smooth the edges with finger tips before it has
a chance to dry. Cut the tissue all around the outline of
the tailplane leaving it 4-5 mm over size. Bend and glue
with thinned white glue or adhesive dope the overla-
pping tissue around the entire tailplane.
Cover the upper side of the tailplane in the same ma-
nner. Bend and glue with thinned white glue or ad-
hesive dope the overlapping tissue around the entire
tailplane.
Wing:
Prepare four pieces of the tissue (do not forget
the upper sheets are wider due to the airfoil camber).
Again, start with the bottom side of one wing half –
apply the glue/dope to the leading and trailing edges
and all ribs, attach the tissue and smooth the edges
with finger tips. Then proceed to the bottom of the
other wing half. Cut the tissue all around the outline
of the wing leaving it 4-5 mm over size. Bend and glue
with thinned white glue or adhesive dope the overla-
pping tissue around edges of the entire wing.
Cover the upper side of the wing in the same manner –
apply thinned white glue/adhesive dope to the trailing
and leading edges, main spar and ribs. You will have
to cut the tissue in short 4-8 mm portions around the
wing tip in order to follow the curve of the tip.
