Instructions for use

RCM&E | 47
January 2012 | www.modelfl ying.co.uk
words » Rob Stenhouse | photos » Andy Ellison
Anyhow, separately bagged and
labelled bundles of hardware abound,
making life a little easier when
identifying the specifi c parts needed
as the build progresses. All of the
aforementioned parts are eminently
fi t for purpose, indeed I didn’t feel the
need to replace anything, although I
did employ a few Z-bends rather than
swing keepers and EZ links in one or
two places. That, however, was
purely personal preference.
The instructions are well written,
easy to follow and in a logical
sequence, complemented by good,
clear photos of every step. So, let’s
turn to the fi rst page and get this
baby built.
ASSEMBLY
The assembly sequence commences
with the wing, adding the control
surfaces being the fi rst task. This is
easy to do thanks to accurately pre-cut
hinge slots that see everything line up
nicely, the hinges simply gluing in
place with thin cyano. The horns are
the bolt-through type, which locate via
pre-drilled holes (under the covering)
in the control surfaces. Aileron and
fl ap servos mount onto blocks on the
inside of their respective servo covers,
although it’s worth noting that the
aileron mounts needed to be sanded
back a little to prevent them touching
the inside of the upper surface
covering. The instructions mention the
provision of draw strings to ease the
passage of the wing’s servo leads to
the root, however, curiously, these
weren’t fi tted. Good quality control
horns attach via 2mm linkages to all
surfaces, clevises being supplied for
connecting to the horns and swing-
keepers for the servo ends.
The wing panels glue together over
a nice, sturdy aluminium joiner tube
and rear incidence dowels to produce
a one-piece wing, which at this span
isn’t too big to manage. A plywood
retract servo mount is then glued into
its allocated recess, locating the
retract servo mostly within the wing’s
D-box section (useful to avoid
snagging in transit).
The retracts need hardwood
packing blocks to be glued to their
mounts before being installed,
although I found that an additional
3mm packing piece was needed to
ensure suffi cient room in the wheel
well for them to fully close and lock
up. The retracts are tilted forward
quite prominently to give a more
scale appearance when deployed,
which also positions the wheels in
front of the C of G to mitigate against
any potential nose–over tendencies.
The retract units, although of the
budget type, are sturdy enough and
operate well, although the 2mm
pushrods supplied to activate them
are, perhaps, a little thin for the task.
I managed to bend mine a couple of
times when operating on the bench
and catching the wheel on
something. That said, they were
easily straightened and, to be
honest, there hasn’t been a problem
when fl ying the model.
Each sprung oleo leg consists of a
short length of 5mm piano wire at the
retract end with a turned aluminium
boss that fi ts into a 12mm long x
1mm wall thickness aluminium tube,
held in place at the top with three
grub screws that lock onto the piano
wire. The sprung end is simple, albeit
a little agricultural looking, and
With the exception
of the oleo leg,
hardware quality is
very good.
I had my doubts
about the strength
of the retract doors,
however they’ve
survived very well.
The Seafi re fl ies
superbly well and
looks every bit the
potent fi ghter.
SEAFIRE.indd 47SEAFIRE.indd 47 5/12/11 10:05:005/12/11 10:05:00