Top Flite TOPA0220 - Manual (Page 13)

❏ 6. Locate the leftover 1/16" [1.6mm] balsa
sheeting used to sheet the stab and elevators. Use
this material to make two fin skins similar to the
above photo.
❏ 7. Use medium CA or aliphatic resin to glue one of
the fin skins to the left side of the fin. Align the skin
even with the TE and bottom of the fin.
❏ 8. After the glue dries, remove the fin from the
building board and trim the sheeting along the LE,
TE, bottom and top.
❏ 9. Turn the fin over and use a sanding block to
sand the un-sheeted side of the fin flat. Use medium
CA or aliphatic resin to glue the second fin skin to the
fin. Align the sheet even with the TE and bottom of
the fin.
❏ 10. After the glue dries, remove the fin from the
building board and trim the sheeting along the LE,
TE, bottom and top.
BUILD THE RUDDER
❏ 1. Use 1/8" x 1/4" x 24" [3.2 x 6.4 x 610mm] soft
balsa sticks to cut all of the parts for the rudder. Pin
them into position and glue the parts together with
thin CA where they join.
❏
2. After the CA has cured, remove the pins from
the rudder. Use a sanding block with 150-grit
sandpaper to sand the rudder flat.
❏ 3. Use a soft 1/16" x 3" x 24" [1.6 x 76 x 610mm]
sheet of balsa to cut a piece to sheet the left side of the
rudder. Glue this sheet in place with medium CA or
aliphatic resin. Save the leftover sheeting for use later.
❏ 4. After the glue dries, remove the rudder from the
building board and trim the sheeting along the TE,
LE and tips.
❏
5. Turn the rudder over and use a sanding block to
sand the un-sheeted side flat. Use the remainder of
the sheeting to cut a piece for the other side of the
rudder. Use medium CA or aliphatic resin to glue this
sheet to the rudder.
❏ 6. After the glue dries, remove the rudder from the
building board and trim the sheeting along the TE,
LE and tips.
❏ 7. Locate a die-cut 1/16" [1.6mm] ply control
horn mount. Using the plan as a reference, position
the control horn mount on the left side of the rudder
and mark its location. Cut along the lines you marked
and remove the balsa to inset the mount. Glue the
mount into the rudder.
HINGE THE ELEVATORS
AND RUDDER
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
warbirds 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 the CA hinges (near the
end of the manual) have been developed to
ensure thorough and secure attachment.
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