Top Flite TOPA0120 - Manual (Page 39)

❑ 9. Fit the shaped 1/2” balsa Cowl Top in
position. Glue securely in place. NOTE: Remove
the engine from the mount to prevent any chips or
sanding dust from entering the engine.
❑ 10. Carefully cut the corners of the cowl sides
and cowl top at an angle as shown in the photo.
Use a sanding block and coarse sandpaper to finish
making a flat area for the Cowl Corners to fit on.
❑ 11. Adjust the shaped 1/2” balsa Cowl Corners
so they fit as shown. Glue the corners in place.
NOTE: Shape the cowl blocks from the
center of the blocks towards the
fuselage and from the center of the
blocks towards the spinner ring. The
most material removal is at the ends of
the blocks.
❑ 12. Use a razor plane and a sanding block to
shape the nose. You will want to use the spinner
and the vacuum formed scale carburetor intake to
check for correct shape.
BUILD THE WING FILLET
NOTE: There are many techniques to
build a wing fillet. Some modelers
prefer to carve the entire fillet from
balsa, others use a mixture of epoxy
and micro balloons to finish the fillet. If
you have a favorite technique, feel free
to use it. The technique described
below works fine for most modelers.
❑ 1. Remove the die-cut 1/32” plywood Wing
Fillet Bases from their blanks. Clean up all edges
if necessary.
NOTE: There is left and right wing
fillet. The left wing fillet is die-cut in
one piece. The right wing fillet pieces
may be taped together and then glued
in place at time of installation.
❑ 2. Tape a layer of Waxed Paper or plastic food
wrap to the top surface of the wing in the wing
saddle area (the shims used earlier to simulate the
thickness of the fillet base in earlier steps should
be removed). Bolt the wing onto the fuselage.
Check to make sure there are no misfits in the
wing saddle and make adjustments if needed.
❑ 3. Score the bottom of the 1/32” plywood
Wing Fillet Base as shown in the photo. Do not
cut more than 1/3 of the way through the plywood
fillet base. Crease wing fillet bases on score line
slightly. NOTE: The score line on the wing fillet
bases are at the TE of the wing.
❑ 4. Mark the inside edge of Wing Fillet Base
approximately 1/8” in from edge at the front and
back of the fillet base.
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