Agusta A119 Koala
14
Drill 2 mm Ø holes at the marked points in the tail boom so that the carbon fibre rod can be
fitted through them; the rod acts as the horizontal stabiliser joiner and spar. Fit the stabiliser
panels on the joiner rod, and check that they are horizontal when viewed from the tail. At the
same time ensure that they rest snugly against the fuselage sides.
When you are confident that everything fits correctly, remove the stabiliser panels, remove the
strips of tape holding the fuselage shells together, and remove the chassis from the fuselage
once more.
Completing and painting the model
The fuselage should be painted on the outside using fast-drying spray paint.
Caution:
In order to save weight the fuselage shells are moulded in very thin plastic. This makes
them vulnerable to distortion caused by the softening action of the paint solvent. You
can avoid this happening by applying the paint sparingly, in thin coats.
Before applying the paint, you must mask out the windows using the pre-cut self-adhesive
masks provided in the kit. Rub down the surfaces to be painted using very fine abrasive paper
(600 - 1200 grit) to ensure that the paint adheres well. This is particularly important along the
joint line; if you neglect this, the paint may tend to flake off later when you peel off the adhesive
tape which is used to hold the fuselage shell halves together.
We recommend that you paint the horizontal stabiliser panels separately from the fuselage, and
only attach them to the model when painting is complete. The same applies to the vacuum-
moulded dummy exhaust pipes.
Cut out the decals from the sheet supplied, and apply them to the model in the arrangement
shown in the kit box illustration. The best way of fitting the black window frames is to cut them
out initially along the outside edges only, and apply them to the model in this state. Then you
can cut carefully along the inside lines and peel off the excess material.
Centre of Gravity
The model’s CG should be as close as possible to the main rotor shaft, but up to 2 cm aft of it
should not present problems. The CG can be corrected by adding lead ballast to the extreme
fuselage nose, but since this adds unwanted weight it should only be done if there is really no
alternative.
