Top Flite TOPA0405 - Manual (Page 50)

antenna. Glue the antenna holder to the inside of
the top of the canopy aligning it with the slot. Test
fit your antenna but do not glue it in place. You can
remove the antenna for transportation and install it
when you get to the flying field. Paint your antenna
or cover it with MonoKote film.
Machine Guns
If you haven’t already done so, make provisions for
your wing machine guns if you plan to add them.
You could do something as simple as cutting
circles from flat black MonoKote film and ironing
them to the leading edge after you cover the wing,
or make your wing machine guns from brass
tubing as shown in the sketch and photo.
FINAL SANDING
Remove the engine, servos, control horns and any
other hardware that may restrict sanding. All edges
should be rough sanded and rounded following the
cross-section views on the plan. Nearly every
imperfection in your wood structure will show
through the covering material; therefore, before
covering, you should make a final check of the
entire structure. Fix any “dings” before sanding the
entire structure. Fill all dents, seams, low spots
and notches with HobbyLite
™ balsa-colored filler.
After the filler has dried, use progressively finer
grades of sandpaper to even and smooth all the
edges, seams and surfaces. Remove all the balsa
dust from the model with compressed air or a
vacuum with a brush and a tack cloth.
BALANCE THE MODEL LATERALLY
Do not confuse this procedure with “checking the
C.G.” that will be discussed later in the manual.
Now that the model is nearly completed, you
should balance it laterally (side-to-side). An
airplane that is laterally balanced will track better.
Here’s how:
❏
1. Temporarily attach the elevators, rudder,
engine, cowl, landing gear and wing. Lift the model
by the propeller shaft and the bottom of the fuse
near the rudder. This will require an assistant. Do
this several times.
❏
2. The wing that consistently drops indicates
the heavy side. Balance the model by adding
weight to the other wing tip.
COVERING
Cover the model with Top Flite ® MonoKote ® film,
using the suggested covering sequence that
follows. Before you cover the fuselage, first apply
3/8" wide strips of MonoKote film in the corners
where the stab meets the fuselage and the fin
meets the stab. Then, proceed to cover the fin and
stab with pre-cut pieces that meet in the corners
and overlap the 1/4" strips. Never cut the covering
on the stab and fin after it has been applied except
around the leading and trailing edges and the tips.
Modelers who do this may cut through the covering
and into the stab and fin. This will weaken the
structure to a point where it may fail during flight.
Some modelers prefer to cover the top and bottom
of the ailerons with one strip of MonoKote film. This
is done by covering the bottom first, then wrapping
the MonoKote film up over the leading edge.
Our model featured on the kit box is covered with
Top Flite MonoKote film Aluminum and Flat Olive
Drab and uses a “dab” of Cub Yellow and Missile
Red for the checkers, and Flat Black for the
invasion stripes on the wing and stab.
Here is an easy method to remove minor
dents in wood where the wood grain has not
been broken.
A. Wet the area of the dent with water.
B. Carefully rub a hot sealing iron over the dent.
C. As the wet wood is heated, the wood grain
will swell up.
D. Allow the wood to dry before sanding smooth.
1/2" Brass Tube
1/8" Dowel
Leftover 1/4"
Balsa Doubler
W-6
W-5
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