Top Flite TOPA0310 - Manual (Page 51)

Prepare the Model for Covering
With a scale model such as this, there may be
several “loose ends” to be completed before or after
the model is covered. Use your own expertise and
preference as a guide, but some of the following
items may be easier to tackle now, before the model
is covered.
❏ 1. Determine where to route the servo extension
cords and make provisions for internal connectors.
Connections between servo cords and extension
cords should be secured with vinyl tape, heat shrink
tubing, or special clips intended for this purpose.
Conceal connectors and extension cords inside the
cabin where they won’t be seen (if you are installing
a scale cockpit kit).
❏
2. Mount your on/off switch and external charge
jack. Since this model has opening doors, you may
mount the switches inside the cabin.
❏ 3. Determine what scale details you will be adding
and make provisions for them now. Accessories such
as the step ladder, storage compartments, lighting
and various antennas may be easier to fashion and
figure out how to attach now, rather than after the
model is covered. If possible, make these delicate
scale accessories removable so they will not get
damaged during transportation.
❏ 4. If you prefer an internal receiver antenna,
mount an antenna guide tube inside the fuselage.
❏ 5. If you haven’t already done so, determine
where to mount the receiver and battery pack. You
don’t have to actually mount them now, but you
should at least make provisions for where they are to
be located. At this preliminary stage, your battery
pack location should just be tentative. If it becomes
necessary to adjust the C.G., it may help to relocate
the battery pack rather than adding additional
ballast. Full information on balancing the model is on
page 53.
❏ 6. Inspect all surfaces for uneven glue joints and
seams that require filler. Apply filler where needed.
Many small dents or scratches in balsa can be
repaired by applying a few drops of water or
moistening the area with a wet tissue. This will swell
the wood so you can sand it when it dries.
❏ 7. Final sand the entire model with progressively
finer grits of sandpaper, finishing with 320 or 400-grit.
Round the outer square edges of the top and bottom
longerons on the fuselage to simulate metal tubing.
This is as close as your model will get to being
finished before the covering is added. Now is the
time to balance the model laterally.
Balance the Airplane Laterally
❏
1. Mount the wings to the fuse.
❏ 2. With the wing level, carefully lift the model by
the crankshaft and the aft end of the fuselage under
the stab (this will require two people). Do this several
times.
❏ 3. If one wing always drops when you lift the
model, that side is heavy. Balance the airplane by
gluing weight inside the other wing tip. Do this by
carving a cavity in the bottom of the balsa wing tip
and filling it with the amount of weight required to
balance the model laterally. Glue the weight in place
with epoxy and cover the rest of the cavity with balsa
filler. An airplane that has been laterally balanced will
track better in certain maneuvers.
FINISHING
Painting
❏
1. Determine whether to paint the cabin top and
window trim before or after the model is covered.
This depends upon the covering system and
finishing method you have chosen. If you are going to
use a covering that requires painting, cover the
model first, then paint the cabin top and window trim
when you paint the rest of the model. If the covering
you are going to use does not require painting (such
as 21st Century fabric), you could paint the cabin top
and window trim first, then apply the covering.
❏ 2. Prime and paint parts that will not be covered
with iron-on covering. These include the wheel pants,
landing gear, wing and tail struts, pushrod exit
covers, landing gear fairings and cowl. Wood parts
such as the landing gear and struts should be
covered with glass cloth and resin before painting.
❏ 3. Paint the cockpit interior (or if you prefer, wait
until after the rest of the model is finished).
Covering
Most of the covering on this model is
straightforward. The only area where you may
encounter difficulty is around the base of the fin.
Following are instructions on how to cover this area.
❏ 1. Before you begin covering, use a dust brush,
compressed air or a Top Flite Tack Cloth to remove
balsa dust from the model.
❏
2. Cut the covering to fit the fin. It is said that some
coverings have a “grain.” For sake of this illustration,
we will establish that the grain direction of a covering
is the direction in which it shrinks the most. If you are
using 21st Century fabric, the grain runs the length of
the roll. Cut the covering to fit the fin so the grain runs
vertically. For 21st Century Fabric, the edges of the
roll of covering should run vertically, or parallel with
the trailing edge of the fin.
NEVER CUT THE COVERING DIRECTLY ON
THE MODEL. Modelers who cut through the
covering tend to cut into the sheeting or leading
edges, weakening the structure.
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