Four formers support the rear deck sheeting and the holes in the central
crutch are already cut ready to accept the tab at the bottom of each former.
When you glue them in place use a set square1 to ensure that they are at
right angles to the central crutch.
The front deck has a similar arrangement but this time a square spine runs
between the formers to support the balsa sheeting. The formers are in pairs.
Note that they appear to be too wide but that is because the fuselage side
cheeks have not yet been added.
Glue the bottom of the cockpit side and rear decking sheet in place. Note
the cockpit side will overhang the fuselage side at this stage. Once glued at
the base, dampen the sheet on the outside to help it form a curve. Note the
rear spine is higher at the front to allow you to sand in a slight curve to align
with the last section of the canopy.
Identify the front deck sheeting and dampen the outside with a cloth.
After about two minutes it will be easy to curve the sheet to shape. Peg in
position and allow to dry before repeating the process for the other side.
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Fuselage - Supermarine Spitfire IX
HINTS & TIPS
1 Or you can use a business card if you
don’t have a set square
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For the electric version assemble the motor and battery mount by comparing
with the side view shown on the plan, then slide in to place. When gluing in F1
it is worth sanding of any black soot from the laser cut edges to allow the glue
to get a good grip.
Temporarily mount the motor of your choice with two small self tapping
screws as you may need to move it slightly if it does not align with the centre
of your cowl. Note that the slot shown behind the mount may be needed to
accommodate the extended motor shaft on certain types of motor.
Now its time to create the cowling. Start by trimming the cowl to length and
removing the crinkled flanges to match the drawing. Try to remove the least
possible amount of plastic as you can always take a little more but cant really
add it back on.
Match the bottom part of the cowl to the top and tape them together so that
you can make a mark on both sides that duplicate the plan. The plastic can be
cut with tin snips or even heavy duty scissors. A razor saw also works really
well and gives you plenty of time.
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Fuselage - Supermarine Spitfire IX
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