Construction Manual
www.oldschoolmodels.com
Page 17
bolts will thread into this block. A few drops of thin CA will help
strengthen and secure the threads you’ve cut. We've found this
to be a very secure way of holding the wing in place for all of our
prototypes, but... if you don't want to go this way, you can also
use 1/4x20 t-nuts (not included). If you go that route, you may also
need slightly longer bolts, but that's something you'll have to find
out for yourself.
Step 110 - Fuselage Assembly (VF16)
Locate both VF16's from BP2.
Glue these together, then glue the
assembly in place as shown here to
form the front strake of the vertical
fin. Make sure it is straight when
attaching.
Step 111 - Fuselage Assembly (VF17)
Locate both VF17's from BP1.
Glue these together, then glue
the assembly in place as shown
here to form the ventral fin.
Make sure it is straight when
attaching.
Step 112 - Fuselage Assembly (NP & NS)
Locate NP and NS from LP6. These will
be the inner supports for the front of
the fuselage - the "cheek" areas.
NP is for port, and I'm pretty sure you
can guess what NS is for.
Glue these in position against the
sheeting and up against F1.
Step 113 - Wing assembly (ailerons)
Locate shaped 5/16" x 1-1/4" x 36" balsa strips. These are used as
the ailerons. Measure and cut them to length.
Step 114 - Sanding
Before I set you loose with your sanding tools, there is one area
NOT to sand. This is the area around the fuel tank / battery hatch.
This means the top of the fuselage sheeting in that area, as well
as the top of the firewall. Don't touch'em, don't even think about
it. Again, there's a reason for this and it will make sense in a few
steps. Trust me.
So with that being said, now is the time to get quite familiar with
the sanding tools of your choice. Take the time to perform a good
sanding, rounding the wing’s leading edge and blending it into
the wingtips. Go over the entire wing, making sure the sheeting
is smooth and the trailing edges are blended into the cap strips,
continuing the curvature of the wing. Pound out the extra time on
those wing tips to make sure they are smooth, perfect works of art
and match each other exactly.
Smooth out the edges of the fuselage. Because of the 1/8” sheeting
and the 1/8" basswood support installed around the fuselage’s
perimeter, you can be a little more aggressive in rounding the
corners.
Round the leading edge of the stab as well as the trailing edges of
the elevator and rudder. When rounding the leading edge of the
vertical fin, blend it into the VF16 pieces installed a few steps back.
Sand bevels into the leading edge of both elevator halves, the
rudder, and the ailerons. And speaking of the ailerons, round off
the back outer corners with a nice radius.
The idea is to spend some time caressing this awesome airframe
you've created, smoothing the rough edges until it's something so
slippery that it will cut through the air like a knife through melted
butter.
What you should end up will be thing of beauty - something that
looks pretty darn close to this (but without the hatch and landing
gear which I haven't told you how to install yet.)
Step 115 - Fuselage Assembly (notches)
In the tank /battery area of the
fuselage, you'll see two notches
cut into the plywood sides. You'll
need to use a hobby knife to cut
away balsa on the outer fuse sides
to match. Do this for both sides -
nice clean cuts please.
Step 116 - Hatch Assembly (H1 & H2)
Locate H1 from BP7 and H2
from LP4. Note that H1 has
some etched lines on what will
be the bottom of the hatch.
These lines match up with the
outline of H2.
Now glue H2 on to H1, making
sure the back edges are flush,
and that H2 is centered side-
to-side between those etched
guidelines.
When the glue is setup, lightly sand the back edge so it's perfectly
flush and smooth. Now test fit the hatch in place. Don't worry
about the side to side overhang. The only thing we're interested
in is to carefully sand the front edge of the hatch (beveled) so the
hatch will comfortably sit in place, with the tabs also seated in the
fuselage side's cutouts. Take your time - to get a nice, slop-free fit.
Step 117 - Hatch Assembly (H3 & magnets)
Locate four H3s from LP2 and retrieve 8 of the magnets with from
the hardware bag, or from the wing
jig stands. Push one magnet into each
of the H3's pre-cut holes. Make sure
they're completely pushed in - flush on
both sides.
Inside the fuselage's tank/battery area
Flush
edges
