Great Planes Spirit ARF MonoKote - GPMA1045 - Manual (Page 10)

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4. Trim the cockpit. Use CA to glue the cockpit to the canopy
braces. Glue the dowel to the front canopy brace, allowing it
to protrude 3/8" [9.5mm] out front.
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5. Paint the cockpit with the color scheme of your choice.
Test the paint you are going to use on a piece of the plastic
you cut off to make sure it will not affect the plastic. Regular
plastic model paints usually work well for this. Do not paint
the edges of the cockpit where the canopy will attach or the
glue will not hold as well. Striping tape can be used to cover
that seam. Lightly sand the edges to help the canopy adhere.
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6. Set the cockpit inside the canopy and line the cockpit
up with the scribe lines in the canopy. The scribe lines are
only for reference while positioning the cockpit. Do not try to
get the cockpit to fit the scribe lines. Glue the canopy to the
cockpit using medium CA. Use the glue very sparingly. Hold
the cockpit in place inside the canopy and apply glue a drop
at a time to the seam. The glue will seep in along the seam
and provide a nice, clean glue joint. Work your way around
the canopy and don’t get in a hurry or you may get too much
glue in there and it will run down the canopy. Be careful not
to twist or move the cockpit once you start gluing it in place.
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7. Test fit the canopy onto the fuselage. Trim the canopy
flush with the base and the front but do not trim the back
yet! Curved tip scissors works well for trimming the canopy.
Temporarily mount the wing in place on the fuselage. VERY
CAREFULLY trim the back of the canopy, A LITTLE AT A
TIME, to fit over the wing. Take your time and use the
outlines and the wing for guides.
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1. Attach the threaded tow hook to the bottom of the fuselage
by threading a 3mm nut and a 3mm washer all the way
onto the tow hook. Tighten the tow hook into the front blind
nut for the first flights. With the tow hook threaded almost all
the way into the blind nut, make sure the tow hook is facing
straight back and tighten the 3mm nut to secure it. After the
first flights the tow hook can be moved back to the center
hole for most flying conditions. For contest flying you may
want to try the rear hole as it can help achieve a higher
launch but be careful as the sailplane will be more apt to
“Pop-Off” the line.
Note: A piece of self-adhesive foam rubber weather stripping
can be applied to the front of the fuselage bottom to help
protect it from getting nicked up during landings.
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2. The canopy is held in place with a rubber band. Loop a
medium size rubber band through the cut-out in the canopy
back. Thread the rubber band through itself and then hook it
on the little extension on the former. To remove the canopy,
pick up on the back until the dowel is clear of the fuselage.
To re-install the canopy just do the opposite.
Note: If you are planning on installing the optional spoilers,
a brace may be necessary to attach the rubber band to
the canopy.
FINAL HOOKUPS & CHECKS
10