.
MAIN CONSTRUCTION
Building The Fuselage
Start on the main frame of the fuselage, but while you are waiting for the glue to dry on the large parts, build some of the
small assemblies - then they will be ready to use when you need them.
Build one Bulkhead B-4 over the plans and lightly cement the temporary brace to it while it is still pinned to the plans.
Cut five 3/32" square cabin spacers to length shown and set them aside with B-4 to be used later.
All three nose formers, B-1, B-2 and B-3, are made from two thicknesses of balsa for extra strength. Cement them
together exactly as shown - matching carefully with the drawings. When dry, pin them over the drawings and mark the
stringer locations as illustrated.
Cement together two N-1s and the two "plugs" from Former B-1 to make the plug-in noseblock. Use B-1 as a pattern
when cementing the plug in place. The noseblock will be completed later.
Bend the landing gear wire and glue it between two L-1s, following the instructions on the plans.
Assembly of the tailskid is also described on the plans.
Main Fuselage
The fuselage side frames are built entirely of 3/32" square balsa. Select strips of the same hardness for the longerons.
Then the right and left sides will bend equally, giving a true, accurate fuselage.
Build the two frames one on top of the other over the shaded outlines on the plans. When they are dry, remove from the
plans and very carefully separate the sides from each other with a thin razor blade. Then add F-1, F-2 and F-3 to each
frame.
Now is the time to mark the Balance Point on the outside of each frame.
You are now ready to join the sides together to form a box structure.
Turn the frames upside-down over the top view of the fuselage, resting the flat area where the wing mounts on the plans.
Match up the sides with the plans in the wing mounting area, and hold with pins. Cement Bulkhead B-4, and then the five
cabin spacers in place. Lightly cement two 3/32" square diagonal pieces across the inside of the cabin - one on top and
one on the bottom. This strong fuselage box gives an accurate start for your Tiger's fuselage assembly.
Cut the front and rear fuselage clamps from the cardboard sheet.
Cement the rear ends of the fuselage frames together and push the rear clamp over the ends far enough to hold them
until the cement dries. Complete the rear end of the fuselage by cutting the remaining three pairs of 3/32" square
fuselage spacers to proper length and cementing them in place.
Cement the front ends of the fuselage sides in the grooves in the edge of B-1. Slide the front clamp over the nose to hold
while the cement dries. Now cement B-2 and B-3 to the top of the nose and add the corresponding 3/32" square spacers
on the bottom.
When glue is dry, remove the fuselage from the plans and add the three 1/16" square stringers to the nose.
Round the noseblock roughly to shape with your sandpaper block, then plug it into the fuselage and sand to final shape -
matching the lines of the fuselage and the shape shown on the plans.
Enlarge the center hole in the noseblock with a drill or small nail and cement the two eyelets in place. Be sure the
propeller shaft turns freely in the completed noseblock assembly.
Cement the landing gear assembly in place and reinforce with gussets L-2 glued to L-1 and to the inside of the fuselage
frames. Use plenty of cement on these joints.
Install the tailskid assembly. Now your Tiger's fuselage is complete. The three temporary diagonal pieces in the cabin
area can be cut loose and thrown away.
Tail Surfaces
Build the fin and stabilizer over the plans, using wood sizes and die-cut parts called for. Make joints accurately to reduce
warping when the frames are covered.
Wing
The wing is built in three steps. First, a center section is built as a foundation. Then the right and left wing panels are assembled
- matched to the center section, but not glued to it. The final step is attaching the two panels to the center section at the correct
dihedral angle.
1.
Accurately build the flat rectangular center section frame from pieces of 1/16"x1/8" balsa strip. These pieces are called C-1
and C-2 on the plans. Push a couple of pins through the C-2s to hold the frame down securely. This frame is not removed
from the plans until the wing is completely assembled.