Great Planes P-47 Thunderbolt GP/EP ARF - GPMA1479 - Manual (Page 9)

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o 4. Remove the wing bolt plate. Trim the covering just inside
your lines. Wipe away the lines with alcohol. Glue the wing
bolt plate to the wing, using 6 minute epoxy or thick CA.
BUILD THE FUSELAGE
Install the Horizontal Stabilizer
and Vertical Fin
o 1. To properly align the stabilizer in the fuse, the wing
will need to be temporarily installed. Attach the wing
using the two 3 x 25mm [1"] machine screws and two
3mm flat washers.
o 2. Remove the strip of balsa at the tail of the horizontal
stabilizer slot in the fuselage using a hobby knife, as shown.
o 2. Note: Before beginning this step be sure to have plenty
of alcohol and paper towels handy to clean up any excess
epoxy. Mix approximately 1/2 oz [15cc] of 30-minute epoxy.
Apply a liberal amount of epoxy into the joiner pocket of
each wing, both sides of each wing joiner, and the root rib
of each wing. Insert the joiner into one wing panel and then
slide the other panel onto the joiner. Push the two halves
together firmly, making sure there are no gaps anywhere
between the wings. Clean any excess epoxy from the wing
surface with alcohol. Hold the wings together with masking
tape until the epoxy has completely cured.
o 3. Align the wing bolt plate over the holes on the underside
of the wing. There is a shallow perforation on the uncovered
side of the plate to allow you to bend the plate to match
the dihedral of the wing. Place the wing bolt plate over the
underside of the wing and place the wing bolts into the two
holes to keep the plate aligned. Use a fine, felt-tip marker to
trace around the plate onto the wing.
HOW TO CUT COVERING FROM BALSA
Use a soldering iron to cut the covering from the area
beneath the wing bolt plate. The tip of the soldering iron
doesn’t have to be sharp, but a fine tip does work best.
Allow the iron to heat fully.
Use a straightedge to guide the soldering iron at a rate
that will just melt the covering and not burn into the wood.
The hotter the soldering iron, the faster it must travel to
melt a fine cut. Peel off the covering.