Top Flite TOPA0140 - Manual (Page 50)

COVER THE MODEL WITH MONOKOTE
It is assumed that you are an intermediate to
advanced modeler, so we won’t go into many
details on covering techniques, but here are some
tips you should consider:
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1. NEVER CUT THE COVERING DIRECTLY
ON THE SHEETING. The Spitfire depends upon
the wood sheeting for some of its strength.
Modelers who cut through the covering tend to cut
into the sheeting and this will weaken the structure.
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2. We recommend that you paint the plastic wing
fillets after you cover the fuse. This way you can
overlap the paint onto the covering to make the
transition between the two virtually undetectable.
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3. Use a Top Flite ® Hot Sock ™ to minimize dents
in the wood from your covering iron.
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4. Some modelers have three irons going at
once: one on high heat without a Hot Sock for
stretching the covering around curves like
wingtips; one on medium heat with a Hot Sock for
bonding the covering to large sheeted areas like
the wing and stab; and a Trim Iron for small areas.
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5. When you cover large sheeted surfaces such
as the wing, bond the covering in the middle and
work outward, pushing out air as you proceed. Do
not move the iron in a circular motion, but move it
span-wise with the grain of the wood.
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6. When you cover smaller parts with square
edges such as the elevators and ailerons, cover
the ends first with separate pieces of covering.
Then, all you have to do is wrap the covering
around the top and bottom and iron it down.
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7. When you cover sharp junctions like where the
stab meets the fuse, cut narrow strips of covering
(3/8 to 1/2" [10 to 15mm] wide) and apply them in
the corners before you cover the major surfaces.
The larger pieces of covering will overlap the
smaller pieces. This technique also eliminates the
need to cut the covering after it has been applied.
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1. Use a small square to lightly mark two
vertical guide lines on the side of the fuse where
you want one of the invasion stripes to go. Use the
center stringer to position the square so the lines
will be vertical.
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2. Wrap strips of 1/8" [3mm] flexible masking
tape around the fuselage using the lines you
marked as a guide. You’ll have to
eyeball the strips
on the top and the bottom of the fuselage to make
sure they are square and parallel. Take your time
here and view the fuselage and the masking tape
from several different directions. Reposition the
masking tape as necessary.
❏
3. Tape a piece of covering to the fuselage over
the tape lines. Use the tape to guide your Top Flite
Panel Line Pen along the covering, transferring the
invasion stripe onto the covering. You can go all
the way around the fuselage and make the
invasion stripe in one piece, or make it in two
halves, separating them on the top and the bottom
of the fuse.
HOW TO MAKE INVASION STRIPES
Since most of the trim schemes for Spitfires
have invasion stripes on both the wing and the
fuse, we thought it would be helpful to show you
a way to make them.
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