SIG SIGRC80 Rascal C, Instruction Book, Page: 19 / 31

.
62. With all parts now sanded, install the wing to the fuselage using the nylon bolt. Set the airplane on a flat surface and make
sure the stabilizer will sit squarely in place in the top view as well as the front view. Glue the horizontal stabilizer in place at
the rear of the fuselage, using slow drying glue. Use pins or weights to hold it in this position and allow the glue to dry
completely.
63.
The vertical fin is next. Apply slow drying glue to the bottom of the fin and glue it in place directly over the top center of the
stabilizer and fuselage. Adjust the fin as needed to be sure it is perfectly vertical and is aligned along the fuselage centerline
in the top view. Use pins and tape to hold it in place until the glue dries.
64a.
OPTIONAL: Locate the 1/4"x24" triangle stock from your kit contents. This stock is included if you wish to reinforce the
fin/stab and stab/fuselage joints. We have built and flown Rascals without this reinforcement but many modelers like this
arrangement. We also used this material for reinforcement purposes but we always sand it first to create a fillet effect,
eliminating the need for excess filler. To make these cove-sanded fillets, start by using a Dremel Tool and a 1/2 round
sanding bit to first create a trough along the centered length of the triangle stock.
b.
Follow this by wrapping a piece of 220-grit sandpaper around a length of 3/8" dia. dowel. Hold the triangle stock in place
against the sandpaper and dowel and move it back and forth, sanding a smooth half-round shape in the balsa.
c.
This stock is now cut to length and glued in place to each side of the fin and stab on top and the stab/fuselage joints on the
bottom. To finish these fillets, use Model Magic to fill-in the fillets and sand the whole thing smooth. Done right, these fillets
look professional and are very light.
Landing Gear And Wheel Pants
65a.
Remove the two screws holding the bottom access hatch in place on the fuselage.
Use your hobby knife to carefully remove the tack-glued plywood landing gear
brace from the fuselage.
b.
From your kit contents, locate the four (4) plastic wheel pant halves, four 2-56
x1/2" bolts, four 2-56 blind mounting nuts, two nylon landing gear mounts and two
laser-cut plywood wheel pant mounts. You will also need the pre-formed 3/32" dia.
music wire landing gear. Finally, you will also need a set of Williams Bros. 1-7/8"
dia. Golden Age style wheels (part number 150). These are the parts required to
build the landing gear system.
c.
First, the wheel axle holes must be drilled out to accept the 3/32" landing gear
wire. We used a #39 index drill bit (.0995 ) to do this. A drill press is best but it can
be done without one if you're careful. As shown on the plans, the wheels extend
exactly 5/8" below the bottom edge of the wheel pants. Lay a wheel over one of
the pant halves, with 5/8" extending from the bottom of the pant - use a piece of
tape as a simple visual guide. With the wheel in this position, insert a 3/32" dia.
drill bit through the wheel and against the inside of the wheel pant. Twist the drill a
few times, leaving a mark on the pant. Remove the wheel and use the 3/32" drill
bit to drill a hole through the pant, at the mark just made. Repeat this process on
the opposite wheel pant half.
66.
Slip the inside wheel pant halves onto each landing gear axle and then slip the wheels in place, up against the pant halves.
Use a marker pen to mark the front and rear edges of the wheels. Remove the wheels and pant halves from the axles. Use
a Dremel Tool and a tapered sanding bit to now clear out the bottom of the pant halves, allowing the wheels to fit in place
against it's inside face. Test fit the pant halves and wheels to be sure of a good fit.