Top Flite TOPA0140 - Manual (Page 40)

Make adjustments if necessary and round the
inside corners of the blocks for a finished
appearance. Securely glue the wing bolt blocks in
place with 30-minute epoxy and make small fillets
of epoxy around the blocks, where they meet the
doublers.
❏
2. Sand the edges of the die-cut 1/4" [6.4mm]
balsa former 11 the same way you did the bottom
of the fin trailing edge to accommodate the
tapering angle of the fuse sheeting. Glue former 11
to the bottom of the fin trailing edge.
❏
3. Position the tail gear plate (with the tail gear
bracket) on the fuse but do not glue it in place
until instructed to do so. This will allow you to
remove the tail gear bracket so it won’t be in the
way when you shape the bottom of the fuse later.
❏
4. Use a 3/16" x 3/16" x 24" [4.8 x 4.8 x
610mm] balsa stick and leftover stringers to make
the stringers that extend from former 10 to former
11. Glue them in place.
❏
5. Make sure all glue joints are secure and add
CA to those that aren’t. Blend the formers and the
stringers to each other by sanding them with a bar
sander and 150-grit sandpaper.
❏
6. Glue the upper fuse sheeting to the side and
main stringers near the back of the fuselage.
SHEET THE BOTTOM OF THE FUSE
Sheet the right side first so it will look like the photos.
❏ ❏
1. Trim one edge of a 3/32" x 3" x 36" [2.4 x
76 x 914mm] balsa sheet so it fits the ledge made
by the main stringer and the sub stringer on the
right side of the fuse. Trim another 3/32" x 3" x 36"
[2.4 x 76 x 914mm] balsa sheet to a length of 27"
[690mm]. True the edges and glue the 27" [690mm]
piece to the bottom of the first sheet to make the
skin for the bottom of the right side of the fuse.
❏ ❏
2. Tape the skin to the right side of the
fuselage and mark where to trim it along the lower
crutch, former 4B and the bottom right stringer.
❏ ❏
3. Take the skin off the fuselage and trim it
as described above, making it a little oversize to
allow for positioning.
❏ ❏
4. If you wish to install an internal antenna
tube (not provided), now is the time to do so.
Position the skin on the fuse and glue it to the
main and sub stringer only.
❏ ❏
5. Wet the sheet with alcohol. One small
section at a time, carefully bend the skin to the
formers and stringers and glue it in place with thin
and medium CA as required. Add a piece of leftover
3/32" [2.4mm] balsa to the end of the sheet so it
extends all the way to the back of the fuse.
❏
6. Return to step one and make the skin for the
left side of the fuse and glue it in place the same way.
❏
7. Sand the bottom of the fuse sheeting and the
bottom stringers so they are even with the bottom
of formers 4B through 10 (the same way you did
with the top of the fuse for the turtle deck).
❏
8. Glue the 1/4" x 2" x 19" [6.4 x 51 x 483mm]
aft fuse bottom in place. Roughly shape it to
match the fuse cross sections on the plan but do
not final shape it yet.
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