Get Ready To Build; Build The Tail Surfaces; Build The Stabilizer And Elevators - Top Flite P-47D Thunderbolt User Manual

GET READY TO BUILD

1. If you've already purchased your retractable
landing gear, or as soon as you do, take the air lines
out of the package, unravel them and hang them
somewhere in your shop. By the time you are ready
to install the air lines, all the kinks will be out and
they'll be easier to work with.
2. Unroll the plan sheets. Roll them inside out so
they lie flat. Cut one of the fuse plan sheets along
the dashed lines. Align the plan that you cut with the
dashed lines on the other fuse plan and tape them
together. Do the same thing with the wing plan when
you are ready to build the wing.
3. Remove all the parts from the box. IMPORTANT:
Use a ballpoint pen (not a felt tip pen) to write the
name or size on each piece so you can identify it
later. Use the die-cut patterns on pages 8 & 9 to
identify and mark the die-cut and laser-cut parts
before you remove them from their die sheets. Many
of the parts already have numbers stamped on them,
but in some cases the numbers are located alongside
the parts or only on the die drawings in the
manual. You may remove all the die-cut parts from
their die sheets now, or wait until you need them. If a
part is difficult to remove, don't force it out, but cut
around it with a hobby knife and a #11 blade. After you
remove the parts from their die sheets, lightly sand
the edges to remove slivers or die-cutting
irregularities. Save some of the larger pieces of wood.
4. Separate the parts into groups such as stab, fin,
wing and fuse. Store smaller parts in zipper-top
food storage bags.

BUILD THE TAIL SURFACES

Build the stabilizer and elevators

❏
1. Place the stab plan over your building board (you
may cut it from the fuse plan). If you wish to protect the
plan from glue (though this is not absolutely necessary
because the ribs rest on jig tabs and do not contact the
building board), cover the plan with film such as wax
paper or Great Planes Plan Protector.
❏
2. Make a left (as shown in the photo), then a
right stab TE by gluing a die-cut 1/8" balsa stab TE
doubler to the front of a die-cut 1/8" balsa stab TE
so the notches align.
❏
3. Fit both sets of die-cut 3/32" balsa stab ribs S2
through S5 to the left and right stab TE's, then fit both
die-cut 1/8" balsa elevator LE spars to the stab
halves. Position the assemblies over the plan.
❏
4. Cut rib jigs for ribs 2 through 5 on the left stab
half from two 1/4" x 1/4" x 30" balsa sticks. The rib
- 10 -
jigs should be the same length as the jig tab on each
rib. Hold the ribs down using the rib jigs pinned to the
plan on both sides of each rib.
❏
5. After all the ribs are in position, use a small
builder's square to align the stab TE and the elevator
LE spar over their locations on the plan by sliding the
ribs forward or aft between the rib jigs.
❏
6. Cut rib jigs from the 1/4" x 1/4" stick leftover
from the previous step and a second 1/4" x 1/4" x 30"
balsa stick, then pin the right side of the stab to the
plan the same way.
❏
7. Glue together both die-cut 1/8" balsa stab
TE joiners.
Refer to this photo for the following three steps.
❏
8. Make certain the jig tabs of all the ribs are
contacting the building board, that the stab TE's are
all the way down in the notches of the ribs and that
the ribs are accurately aligned over their locations on
the plan. Glue the stab TE joiner to both stab TE's.
❏
9. Join both sets of die-cut 3/32" balsa ribs S6 and
S1 to the assembly using rib jigs cut from another 1/4"
x 1/4" x 30" balsa stick to hold them in place.
❏
10. Glue all the ribs to the TE and both elevator
LE spars to the ribs. Join the die-cut 1/8" plywood
stab brace to the assembly and glue it into position.