Top Flite TOPA0500 - Manual (Page 14)

❏ 12. Mark the location of the hinge slots on the
elevators and stab where shown on the plan. With a #11
blade, cut the hinge slots in the elevators and the stab
along the centerlines you marked earlier
❏ 13. Using the sketch above, cut six hinges from the
CA hinge strip supplied with this kit. Snip the corners
off so they go into the slots easier. You may cut all the
hinges now, or cut them as you need them.
❏ 14. Test fit the hinges into the slots. If the hinges do
not slide into the slots easily, work your knife blade back
and forth in the slot a few times to provide more
clearance (it is really the back edge of the blade that
does the work here in widening the slot).
❏ 15. Drill a 3/32" hole, 1/2" deep in the center of the
hinge slots. Use a rotary tool with a 3/32" drill bit or a
carbide cutter for the best results. Reinsert your knife
blade to
clean out the slot after you drill the holes.
❏ 16. Test fit the elevators to the stab with the hinges. If
any hinge slots are not wide enough or are misaligned,
make adjustments so the elevators accurately fit the stab.
❏ 17. Drill a 9/64" (or 1/8") hole at the marks you made
on the centerline of both elevator leading edges for the
joiner wire. Cut a groove in the leading edge of both
elevators to accommodate the joiner wire.
Hint: Use a 5/32" brass tube sharpened at one end to
cut the grooves.
❏ 18. Bevel the leading edges of the elevators to a “V” as
shown on the cross section of the plan. Use the centerline
on the elevator leading edges as a guide. Test fit the
elevators to the stab with the joiner wire and the hinges.
Note that the horn on the joiner wire points downward.
Cut a small notch in the TE of the stab for the horn on the
joiner wire. If necessary, remove the joiner and
tweak it so
both elevators are in the same plane.
❏ 19. Once more, test fit the elevators to the stab with
the hinges and the joiner wire. Make sure you can obtain
the control throws indicated on page 62 of the manual. If
you cannot, increase the “V” on the leading edge of
the elevators.
Set the stab and elevators aside.
BUILD THE FIN AND RUDDER
Now it’s time to decide which fin and rudder to build.
The non-scale fin and rudder is easier to build than the
scale fin and rudder while retaining the distinctive DC-3
outline. However, the scale fin and rudder utilize the
offset rudder hinge and balance tab. If you go for the
scale fin and rudder, we guarantee you’ll sit back and
grin as you watch others study the offset fin and rudder
on your DC-3 and admire your craftsmanship.
If you are going to build the non-scale fin and
rudder, proceed with the instructions that follow. If
you are going to build the scale fin and rudder, skip
to “Build the scale fin and rudder” on page 16.
Build the non-scale fin and rudder
❏ 1. Cut the fin and rudder plan from the fuse plan along
the dashed line and tape it to your building board. Cover
the plan with Plan Protector.
❏ 2. Apply medium CA to the embossed cutlines near the
trailing edge of the die-cut 1/16" fin ribs V1 through V7.
DRILL A 3/32" HOLE
1/2" DEEP, IN CENTER
OF HINGE SLOT
1"
1"
3/4"
AND #11 BLADE
WITH HOBBY KNIFE
CUT HINGE SLOT
IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT CA HINGES
This kit is supplied with a CA hinge material
consisting of a 3-layer lamination of Mylar and
polyester. It is specially made for hinging model
airplane control surfaces. When properly installed,
this type of CA hinge provides the best combination
of strength, durability and easy installation. We trust
all of our Gold Edition war birds to these hinges, but
it is essential to install them correctly. Carefully
follow the hinging instructions in this manual for the
best result.
The most common mistake made by modelers
when installing CA hinges is making the hinge slots
too tight restricting the flow of CA to the back of the
hinges; or not using enough glue to fully secure the
hinge over its entire surface area. This results in
hinges that are only
tack glued into the hinge slots.
The techniques for cutting the hinge slots and
gluing in CA hinges (near the end of the manual)
have been developed to ensure thorough and
secure gluing.
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