
.
12. Glue and pin in place the 2"x2-1/4"x3" balsa nose block. It should be flush with the bottom of the fuselage.
13.
Roughly carve the nose block and top hatch sheet to shape as shown on the plans. A razor plane or a #26 X-Acto blade
and handle are ideal for this step.
14.
Sand the nose block and the top hatch to exact shape with a sanding block and remove the top hatch from the fuselage.
15.
Carefully remove the 12" long portion of the top hatch from the fuse sides. Since it was only tack glued it should come off
easily. Make a hatch tongue from a scrap piece of 1/16" plywood as shown on the plans. Permanently glue the tongue to
the front of the hatch on the bottom side.
16.
Cut a piece of scrap 1/8" lite-ply to fit between the fuse sides right in front of former F3. It serves as a hold-down plate for
the rear end of the removeable 12" top hatch.
17.
Holding the removable top hatch in place, drill a 1/8" hole through the hatch and through the center of the lite-ply hold-down
plate. Install a 4-40 blind nut on the bottom side of the hold-down plate and bolt the top hatch in place with a 4-40 x 1" bolt.
18.
That's as far as you can go on the top hatch for now. Once the wing is built, but before covering the model, you must carve
out the bottom of the removable top hatch slightly at the rear where it fits down against the wing. The best procedure for
doing this is to mount the wing on the fuse, then carefully carve and sand away the bottom of the hatch. Carefully remove
just a little material at a time and keep trial fitting the hatch in place as you go.
19.
In case you carved too much balsa from the bottom of the hatch and now have a gap, here is a simple method to fix it.
Simply cover the wing at the dihedral joint with wax paper and apply a generous amount of Sig Epoxolite putty (or other
thick model putty) to the bottom of the hatch and then bolt in place. After the putty has set up, remove the hatch and gently
carve and sand off the excess putty.
20.
Glue the 1/16" plywood fuselage doubler FD in place inside the bottom of the fuselage.