Top Flite TOPA0140 - Manual (Page 42)

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6. Take the wing off the fuse. Tap threads in the
wing bolt blocks with a 1/4-20 tap. Enlarge the
holes in the wing only with a 17/64" [6.70mm] drill
bit. Bolt the wing to your fuselage with 1/4-20 nylon
wing bolts.
NOW does it look like a Spitfire? We’re only
missing a few things—namely that characteristic
wing fillet and the front end of the fuselage. You’re
almost there, so keep going!
BUILD THE WING FILLET
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1. Temporarily tape both die-cut 1/32" [0.8mm]
plywood wing fillet bases to the lower
fuselage crutch.
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2. Bolt the wing to the fuselage and view the
model from the rear. Observe the horizontal
alignment between the wing and the stabilizer. If
necessary, loosen the wing bolts and insert shims
from leftover balsa between the wing fillet bases
and the fuselage to bring the wing into alignment
with the stab. Tighten the wing bolts.
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3. Make sure the aft edge of both wing fillet
bases end at the trailing edge of the wing. If
necessary, trim the saddle bases to achieve this.
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4. Cut the molded plastic wing fillets along the
cutlines. Test fit the wing fillets to the fuselage so
you can see how they fit.
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5. Turn the fuselage over and remove the wing.
Cover the middle of the wing with waxed paper so
glue will not stick.
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6. Remove the fillet bases and apply a mixture
of 30-minute epoxy and microballoons to the lower
crutches and the fuse side. Retape the fillet bases
to the lower crutches and bolt the wing to the
fuselage. Wipe away excess epoxy.
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7. Position the fillets on the fuselage and glue
them to the saddle bases and fuse with medium
and thin CA as needed. Don’t worry if you can’t get
the plastic fillets to fit perfectly all around the leading
edge of the wing. You can finish that with filler.
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8. After the epoxy mixture has cured, remove
the wing and take the waxed paper off. Trim the
edges of the fillet base to within approximately 1/8"
[3mm] from the plastic fillet. This will leave a little
ledge for the filler so you can sand it down to a
thin edge.
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9. Bolt the wing onto the fuselage. Make the aft
portion of the fillet base from leftover 1/16"
[1.6mm] balsa, connecting the rest of the fillet to
the fuselage. Finish the aft tip of the fillet by
blending the balsa and plastic to the fuselage with
filler. We used Bondo body filler because it
adheres to plastic and wood.
If you have a drill press (or if you can use a
friend’s), make a
drill jig by drilling a #10 [4.9mm]
(or 3/16") hole through an approximately 1" x 1-
1/2" x 2" [25 x 38 x 50mm] wood block. Use the
block to hold your drill bit perpendicular to the
bottom of the wing as you drill the holes. This will
help you
aim the drill directly toward the wing bolt
blocks so the heads of your wing bolts will rest
flat on the bottom of the wing. You can use this
drill jig on all your models.
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