Balance The Airplane Laterally; Finishing; Final Preparations - Top Flite P-47D Thunderbolt User Manual

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21. Make certain the outside of the cowl is
thoroughly scuffed with sandpaper. Fill the seam
between the cowl front and the cowl sides and the
seams between the cowl sides with filler such as
automotive Bondo. It is not necessary to fill the seam
between the cowl flaps and the rest of the cowl as this
is an actual seam on the P-47.You will probably have to
apply the Bondo in a few stages as it hardens rapidly.
After the Bondo fully hardens, wet-sand the cowl
starting with 150-grit sandpaper, gradually progressing
to finer grades ending with 400-grit. When you're done
sanding, your cowl should look something like the one
in the photo.
While we're working with plastic parts, let's prepare the
turbo-supercharger cover and the oil cooler shutters.
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22. Cut the turbo-supercharger cover along the
cutlines (most easily seen from the inside).
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23. Place a sheet of coarse sandpaper on the
bottom of the fuse. Use the bottom of the fuse to
final-shape the turbo-supercharger cover exit.
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24. Refer to the photo on the box and at step 4 of
Scale Details for placement of the oil cooler shutters,
then shape the oil cooler shutters as you did the
turbo-supercharger cover.
The "bubble canopy" version was a result of pilots'
complaints of lack of rearward visibility. In 1943 a
P-47D-5 was modified by removing the razor
spine and fitting a modified Hawker Tempest
bubble canopy. In addition to the new canopy was
a flat, armored windscreen. The first production
version of the bubble canopy was designated
P-47D-25-RE (produced in Farmingdale), of
which 385 were built.

Balance the airplane laterally

IMPORTANT: Do not confuse this procedure with
"checking the C.G." or "balancing the airplane
fore and aft." That very important step will be
covered later in the manual.
Now that the basic airframe is completed, it's time to
balance the airplane laterally (side-to-side).
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1. Make sure all the main components are
installed in the model (landing gear, servos, engine,
exhaust system, etc.). Mount the wing to the fuse.
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2. With the wing level, have a helper help you lift
the model by the engine propeller shaft and the
bottom of the fuse under the TE of the fin. Do this
several times.
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3. If one wing always drops when you lift the
model, it means that side is heavy. Balance the
airplane by gluing weight inside the other wing tip.
An airplane that has been laterally balanced will
track better in loops and other maneuvers.
-51-

FINISHING

Final Preparations

While some modelers prefer to mount the
receiver and battery pack before covering the
model (and before the C.G. is checked), it is best
to mount them after the model is covered. By
correctly positioning the receiver battery and the
receiver, the model may require no additional
ballast to achieve the desired C.G. Instructions on
balancing the model are provided after the
covering section.
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1. If you haven't already done so, remove all
components including the engine, servos, pushrods,
landing gear etc.
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2. Use fuelproof model paint, finishing resin or
epoxy thinned with alcohol to fuelproof all areas that
may be exposed to fuel or engine exhaust. These
include the wheel wells, trailing edge of the wing in
the flap area, the firewall and engine compartment,
the wing saddle in the fuse, belly pan formers 2 and
5 and the inside of the tail gear compartment.
Note: It is highly recommended that the wheel wells be
fuelproofed before covering the top of the wing. If the
covering is already down, some of the paint may soak
through the balsa, causing blemishes in the covering.
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3. Inspect all surfaces for uneven glue joints and
seams that require filler. Apply filler where needed.
Many small dents or scratches in the balsa can be
repaired by applying a few drops of water to the area
and allowing it to dry. This will cause the wood to
swell, so you can sand it back to shape.
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4. Final sand the entire model with progressively finer
grits of sandpaper, finishing with 320 or 400-grit. Don't
press down too hard while sanding over sheeted areas
( which is pretty much the whole model! ). This can
cause thin spots in the sheeting over ribs or formers. It's
also helpful to use fresh, new sandpaper.