Build The Dorsal Fin - Top Flite P-47D Thunderbolt User Manual

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8. Glue the aft fuse block into position. Temporarily
join the rudder to the fin with the hinges and use
masking tape to hold it, centered, in place. Use a bar
sander with 80-grit sandpaper to blend the fuse, the
aft fuse block and the rudder.
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9. Trim the bottom sheeting, former 9 and a
portion of the aft fuse block to allow the tail gear to
retract. Use a 1/4" brass tube sharpened at the end
to cut four holes through the sheeting so you can
reach the tail gear mounting screws with a
screwdriver ( you thought we were going to forget
didn't you? ).
Note: The opening shown in the photo is not large
enough to completely remove the tail gear from the
fuselage. However, the gear can be dismounted
and maneuvered enough to attach the air lines and
pull-pull cables while it is still partially inside the
fuse. If you prefer to be able to completely remove
the landing gear from the fuselage, enlarge
the opening.
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10. Use lightweight hobby filler such as Hobbico
HobbyLite ™ to fill gaps between the sheeting where
needed. After the filler dries, rough-sand the fuse,
eliminating uneven sheeting and high spots. Save
final sanding for later.
After the British policy of giving names to aircraft had
caught on in the U.S., the XP-47B was dubbed
"Thunderbolt" by C. Hart Miller, Republic's Director of
Military Contracts. Republic officially approved
the name.

Build the dorsal fin

Skip this section if you are building the
razorback version (or if you're building one of
the bubble canopy versions that doesn't have a
dorsal fin).
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1. Cut or sand off the "hump" on the front of the
die-cut 1/8" plywood dorsal fin.
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2. Bevel the top edge of both sides of the dorsal
fin to accommodate the 3/32" sheeting. Glue the
dorsal fin to the fuse and the vertical fin. Be certain
the dorsal fin is centered and vertical.
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3. Use a straightedge as a guide to draw a line on
the fuse sheeting from the "high point" on both sides
of the vertical fin to the front of the dorsal fin.
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4. Use the 3/32" sheeting leftover from the aft fuse
bottom to make the dorsal fin sheeting. Note how the