Top Flite TOPA0400 - Manual (Page 18)

JOIN THE WING PANELS
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1. Trim and sand the ends of the spars, LE’s and
TE’s of both wing panels flush with the tip rib W-12.
Excess overhang will affect the dihedral angle.
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2. Draw a centerline on both W-2 ribs.
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3. Trim all the spars at the wing root as they
were previously marked with the 93Þ tool.
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4. Trim off all the jig tabs except those on W-2
and W-12. Use a small sanding block to “clean up”
the area around the tabs. Also, sand all hinge point
backups flush with the wing ribs.
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5. Place the two 3/8" x 2" x 10" balsa dihedral
jig blocks under the two W-2 ribs. Place the wing
halves together upside-down. The spars at W-2
and the W-2 jig tabs should rest on the jig blocks.
The tip ends of the spars and the W-12 jig tabs
should rest on the building surface. ( See the
following photo).
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6. Test fit the wing panels on the jig blocks with
the two die-cut 1/8" birch plywood dihedral
braces in place. Insert the die-cut 1/8" birch
plywood aft cross brace (CB) between the W-2
ribs. Adjust the parts until the panels meet at the
spars. If the aft cross brace requires trimming,
remove equal amounts from both ends.
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7. Make two equal length sticks from leftover
balsa to act as spacers between the two W-2 ribs.
These should be positioned on the W-2 centerline.
The length of these sticks will vary slightly,
depending on how your spars are trimmed, but
7-1/4" is a good starting point (see the following
photo). These two sticks will make sure the W-2
ribs are parallel.
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8. Test fit the aft cross brace and the sticks
between the two W-2 ribs and adjust both sticks
equally if adjustment is required. You may notice
that the spars sweep forward slightly. This is normal.
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9. When the wing fits on the jig blocks with the
aft cross brace (CB) and the two equal length
sticks in place, it is time to glue the wing panels
together. Coat the mating surfaces of the spars
and dihedral braces with 30-minute epoxy.
Assemble the wing on the jig blocks. Use CA to
tack glue the two equal length sticks into place.
Apply 30-minute epoxy on the ends of the aft cross
brace and insert into position. Use masking tape or
adjustable clamps to hold the assembly together.
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10. Glue 3/32" balsa shear webs to the dihedral
braces between ribs W-2 and W-3.
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11. Align and glue the die-cut 1/8" plywood
radiator frames RC-1 to the die-cut plywood sub
frames RC-2. Be sure to make a left and right
❏
12. Insert the die-cut 1/8" plywood center tray
between the two RC-2’s. Make sure the front
edges are aligned. Use a 90Þ triangle to hold each
RC assembly vertical while you glue it to the
center tray.
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