Great Planes F-15 Eagle 40 Kit - GPMA0438 - Manual (Page 44)

between the #3 ribs and the turbine sides. If this is
the case, glue the die-cut 1/8" balsa wing spacers
(F154W02) to the inside of both #3 ribs If the gap
is much less than 1/8", trace the die-cut 1/8"
spacers onto thinner wood and use the thinner
spacers. Sand the spacers flush with the contour
of the wing and test fit the wing back onto the
fuselage NOTE: Because of the fuselage taper,
the wing is installed by holding the wing above the
fuselage so the faceplate is about 1" behind former
F3. Lower the wing into the saddle and slide it
forward into place If the wing will not fit now, sand
the spacers down until it will. If there is still a gap,
add more wood to make this a neat joint When
you are finished fitting the wing, there should be a
1/32" gap between the wing and the turbine side.
The fit must not be too tight or the wing will not
slide on and off easily Also, using scrap wood, fill
the gap between the wing and former F-3.
You may tint your canopy by immersing
it in a concentrated mixture of Rit Dye
and hot tap water. The colors blue,
black, brown and dark green work well.
Remove the canopy after 5 minutes and
rinse it off to check the amount of tint.
The hotter the water and the longer you
leave it in the dye solution the darker it
will tint. The powdered dye will produce
a darker tint than w i l l the l i q u i d .
CAUTION: Do not heat the dye water
above hot tap water temperature, as this
could deform the canopy.
D 1. Using a scissors, carefully cut the canopy
(CANPY057) along the trim line.
D 3. Turn the plane upside down and insert the
nylon bolt in its hole. Slide the 1/2" diameter
paper tube (PTUBE001) into the hole and push it
down over the head of the nylon bolt and against
the wing bolt block. Carefully glue it to the fuse
bottom with thick CA. Be careful and only use a
drop or two of CA so it doesn't drip down and
glue the bolt in place. Remove the bolt and add
a little thick CA around the tube to glue it to the
wing bolt block Cut off the excess tube with a
razor saw. Sand the tube flush with the bottom of
the fuse and then soak the tube with thin CA.
PREPARE THE CANOPY
NOTE; Although the real F-15's
generally have clear canopies, some
modelers prefer to tint their canopies.
D 2 Install the wing on the fuselage. Trial fit the
canopy onto the fuse, lightly pressing it into place.
Refer to the plans to get an idea where the canopy
should be positioned. The canopy edge should
ideally fit right on top of the inlet sheeting Trim
and sand as necessary for a good fit. You can
also sand former F3 slightly if needed to get the
canopy to fit, but it is important that the canopy fit
well against the top of F3. NOTE: The trim line
on the canopy is approximate. Your canopy
trim will vary, depending on how you sanded
the fuselage.
D 3. Final sand the edges of the canopy with
fine (320 grit) sandpaper. It is important that the
canopy does not have any chips or cracks along
the edges, as the engine vibration could cause
them to spread.
NOTE: Do not glue the canopy in place
until after you have covered your
model.
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