Top Flite TOPA0110 - Manual (Page 43)

13. Refer to the forward fuselage cross-
sections for a look at the correct shape at F-3.
Use a razor plane and a coarse sanding block to
shape the nose. Final shaping should be done
later, after the cowl has been securely mounted
and the wing fairing made. A lot of material
needs to be removed.
MOUNT THE COWLING
1. Make sure the cowl satisfactorily fits to the
front of the model and to the spinner. Trim or
shim the cowl if necessary.
2. Mark on the cowl the locations of major
cut-outs that may affect which mounting points
you can use.
3. Tape the cowl to the fuselage and put
marks on the fuselage to indicate where the
mounting blocks need to go.
This photo shows the positioning of the Cowl
Mounting Blocks and the retract air and fuel
filler valves on a finished model.
4. Tack glue the 1/4" x 1/2" x 3/4" plywood
Cowl Mounting Blocks to the fuselage where
you put the marks. Make sure that they are inset
enough so the cowl is flush with the fuselage
sides. Test fit the cowl to make sure the blocks
are at the proper depth.
5. Securely glue the blocks with epoxy.
6. Tape the cowl securely to the fuselage.
Drill through the cowl and mounting blocks with a
1/16" bit. Remove the cowl and enlarge the holes
in the cowl only with a 3/32" bit.
7. Mount the engine and make all necessary
cutouts in the cowl and chin.
8. Mount the cowl and finish shaping the
nose and chin of the fuselage to blend into the
cowl properly.
The above photo shows a side mounted Super
Tigre .90 2-cycle with a Slimline Pitts style
#3115 Muffler. Notice the three plywood
spacer plates behind the engine mount.
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 microballoons to finish the fillet.
If you have a favorite technique, feel
free to use it. The technique described
below works fine for Monokote
covered aircraft.
1. Remove the die-cut 1/32" plywood Wing
Fillet Bases from their blanks. Cut the “die-cut
b u m p s ” o f f t h e a f t e n d o f t h e p a r t s w i t h a
straightedge and a knife.
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