Great Planes F4 Phantom - GPMA0440 - Manual (Page 40)

6. Enlarge the servo horn holes with a 5/64" drill bit.
marks and cut off the excess rod 3/8" above the bend.
Insert the pushrods in the servo horn and secure them with
nylon Faslink connectors.
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.
3. After the filler has dried, use progressively finer
7. Make a 90-degree bend in both pushrods at the
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.
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 to
balance it laterally (side-to-side). An airplane that is
laterally balanced will track better during aerobatic
maneuvers. Here's how:
1. With the wing level and attached to the model, lift the
model by the propeller shaft and the fin. 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.
Cover the model with Top Flite MonoKote film, using the
suggested covering sequence that follows. Before you cover
the fuselage, apply 1/4" wide strips of MonoKote film in the
corners where the stab meets the fuselage and the fin meets
the fuselage. 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.
We used Top Flite MonoKote Tan for the top surfaces and
Dove Gray for the bottom surfaces.
1. If you've hooked up the radio system before covering
the model, disconnect and remove all the control rods,
hinges and control horns. Remove the engine, landing gear,
plastic parts and any other hardware you may have installed.
2. Most of the model should be rough-sanded by now,
with all the rough edges sanded and rounded following the
cross-section views on the plans. Fill all dents, seams, low
spots and notches with HobbyLite balsa colored filler.
Fuselage
1. 1/4" strips at fin and stab as described
2. Aft fuselage bottom
3. Forward fuselage bottom
4. Fuselage right side up to the top center of the turtle deck
and center of nose
5. Fuselage left side up to the top center of the turtle deck
and center of nose, overlapping by 1/8"
6. Fin tip, followed by stab tip
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