™ DE MA IN A US WARRANTY..... Top Flite Models guarantees this kit to be free of defects in both materials and workmanship at the date of purchase. This warranty does not cover any component parts damaged by use or modification. In no case shall Top Flite’s liability exceed the original cost of the purchased kit. Further, Top Flite reserves the right to change or modify this warranty without notice.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction .........................................................3 About the airfoils.................................................3 Precautions..........................................................3 Decisions you must make early in the building process ................................................................4 Engine selection ................................................4 Razorback or Bubble canopy ............................4 Retracts or fixed gear ...............
PROTECT YOUR MODEL, YOURSELF & OTHERS – FOLLOW THIS IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTION Your P-47 Thunderbolt is not a toy, but rather a sophisticated, working model that functions very much like an actual airplane. Because of its performance, the Thunderbolt, if not assembled and operated correctly, could possibly cause injury to yourself or spectators and damage property.
5. You must test the operation of the model before the first and each successive flight to insure that all equipment is operating and you must make certain that the model has remained structurally sound. Be sure to check external nylon clevises often and replace them if they show signs of wear. 6.You must fly the model only with the competent help of a well-experienced R/C pilot if you are not already an experienced R/C pilot at this time.
TOP FLITE SCALE ACCESSORIES SCALE COCKPIT INTERIOR: Another exciting option made specifically for your Top Flite Gold Edition P-47 is the Scale Cockpit Interior. It goes without saying (we’ll say it anyway) that a full cockpit interior really adds to the realism and overall appearance of your model. Since it is made for the P-47, installation is easy. This can be done about 3/4 of the way through fuselage construction or it may be saved until after covering is finished.
❏ Robart #650 Straight Robostruts – ROBQ1700 (optional) ❏ Robart #189Air Restrictor Set – ROBQ2389 (optional) -or❏ Century Jet Models Retracts ❏ Top Flite Header & In Cowl Muffler (See page 4 for description) ❏ Scale Pilot figure (1/6 Scale Williams Brothers WBRQ2472 Military or WBRQ2476 Standard) ❏ Fuel Filler Valve – GPMQ4160 ❏ Fuel Filter – GPMQ4250 ❏ Top Flite 75 Gal. Drop Tank(s) – TOPQ7900 ❏ Top Flite 108 Gal.
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COMMON ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS BOOK AND ON THE PLANS: TYPES OF WOOD: BUILD THE TAIL SURFACES BUILD THE STABILIZER AND ELEVATORS Deg = Degrees Fuse = Fuselage LE = Leading Edge (front) LG = Landing Gear Lt = Left Ply = Plywood Rt = Right Stab = Stabilizer TE = Trailing Edge (rear) " = Inches Elev = Elevator METRIC CONVERSION CHART: INCHES X 25.
LE. Glue both TE’s to all the ribs then glue the rest of the ribs to the LE. ❏ 8. Use thick CA to glue the TE joiner to the TE’s making sure the jig tabs on the ribs are contacting the building board. Wipe away excess glue between the TE’s. HOW TO MAKE WING AND STAB SKINS (Also see additional Hot Tip on page 34) ❏ 5. With the notch in one of the stab TE’s aligned A. Wherever practical, prejoin the balsa sheets to make a “skin” before attaching them to the structure.
❏ 16. Glue the die-cut 1/8" balsa Elevator ❏ 13. Be certain you can remove the stab from the ❏ 11. Make the skins for the stabs and fin using three 1/16" x 3" x 36" balsa sheets. See the sketch for the correct layout on the sheets. Refer to the plans for the exact shapes and sizes but remember to cut the sheets slightly oversize. Note: The grain direction of the skins is parallel to the leading edges of stab and fin. building board after you glued the skins on.
LE Cap ❏ 19. Cut another piece of 1/16" cross-grain sheeting 2-1/2" long and glue it between the S1 ribs as you did in step 12. Add four 1/4" x 1/2" x 1" Hinge Blocks to the inside of the stab trailing edged as shown in the plans. The outer hinge blocks will need to be trimmed to match the height and contour of the stab TE. ❏ 20. Inspect all glue joints and add CA where necessary. Glue the bottom stab skins just as you did the top.
❏ 27. Glue the shaped 7/8" thick balsa Elevator Root Blocks to the elevators then use a razor plane and a sanding block to shape them as you did the tips. ❏ 31. Hold the bent 1/8" Elevator Joiner Wire up ❏ 34. Glue the elevator horn block to the elevator, to the elevators and mark the location of the holes (see the plans). Remove the elevators from the stabilizer and drill 1/8" holes in the elevators to accomodate the joiner wire. then sand it so the pieces blend together. ❏ 28.
❏ 12. Glue the left rudder skin to the ribs and leading edge of the rudder. ❏ 8. Make a skin for each side of the fin using the ❏ 4. Cover the rudder and vertical fin portion of the plans with waxed paper. Lay the leading edge on the plans and mark the exact location of rib V-1 directly on it with a pen. Pin only ribs V-1 and V-5 to the building board over the plans. Vertically center the LE on the front of the ribs and glue it in place. 1/16" balsa sheet left over from the stab skins.
Now you have a couple of nicely finished, lightweight, yet strong “tail feathers”. That’s pretty much the way the rest of the P-47 builds; rather “matter-of-factly.” Before you know, it you’ll have a beautifully-constructed piece of workmanship to admire. BUILD THE FUSELAGE ❏ 18. Tack glue or tape the rudder to the fin with three 1/32" plywood shims (as we did with the elevators).
NOTE: From this point on you will encounter a few areas on the structure that may be difficult to glue because they are not easily accessible. At this early stage much of the structure only needs to be tack glued, but it can be reinforced with thick or medium CA after the sheeting is applied and the frame is removed from the building board. ❏ 6. Fit, but do not glue, the Tank Roof (TR) followed by the Right Upper Crutch (RUC) and Left Upper Crutch (LUC) into former F-1.
BUBBLE CANOPY VERSION: Perform steps 14 and 15 if building the Bubble Canopy version. ❏ 12. Use a drafting triangle to hold the formers vertical and remove any twists as you glue one 3/16" x 3/16" x 42" balsa stringer in F-1 through F-9 on each side of the fuselage. Cut the stringers flush with F-1. Glue 3/16" x 3/16" x 24" stringers in the rest of the formers on the aft end of the fuselage. The middle stringer on each side extends past F-9 1-1/2" and will be trimmed to exact size later.
❏ 2. Wet the outside surface of a sheet and test fit it to the fuselage. Hint: a 50:50 mixture of water and rubbing alcohol applied to the outside surface will make the sheeting easier to bend. Make adjustments to the sheet if required. ❏ 3. Apply a bead of thick CA (remember the CA may cure on contact if there is any residual accelerator in the balsa wood) to the main side stringer and sub stringer then quickly place the sheet in position.
COMPLETE THE FUSE TOP RAZORBACK VERSION: Perform steps 8 through 13 only if you are building the Razorback version. ❏ 5. Use a string, pinned to the center of the top stringer at F-1, to equalize the distance of the stab tips to the nose. Hint: An alternate method to the “string and pin” technique, is to extend the line on the plans showing the trailing edge of the stab, then align the stab with this line. Use a pen and a straightedge to draw the line.
COMPLETE THE FUSE TOP BUBBLE CANOPY VERSION: Perform steps 8-10 only if building the Bubble Canopy version. ❏ 15. Wet the outside of an upper forward fuselage ❏ 8. Reference the cross section on the plans, top to soften it, then place it on the upper forward frame. It should overlap the instrument panel and F-1 by about 1/8". then cut a notch in former F-8 for the top stringer. Trial fit the 3/16" x 3/16" x 24" stringers in the notches in the tops of the formers.
FINAL STEPS BEFORE FRAMING THE LOWER FUSE FRAME THE FUSE BOTTOM ❏ 1. Drill 3/16" holes through the punch marks in formers 4-B and 5-B. ❏ 1. Turn the fuselage over and reinforce all glue joints that don’t look strong or that you couldn’t reach before. Do not glue the tank roof to the upper crutches forward of F-1 until told to do so. Add a fillet of 30-minute epoxy inside the fuselage where the stab meets the plywood saddle.
SILVER SOLDERING ❏ 5. After carefully aligning the holes, glue both ❏ 9. Test fit the die-cut 3/32" balsa Wing Saddles to the formers, then glue them in position. 2-C’s to the forward surface of F-2B. Inspect all the glue joints and add small fillets of medium CA where each former meets the crutches. ❏ 6. Glue the remaining lower formers 6-B through 8-B to their respective upper formers. Use a straightedge to maintain vertical alignment between top and bottom formers.
❏ 7. Cut two 3" long sticks from one of the ❏ 20. Thread a Nylon Clevis onto the .074" x 12" approximately 6" long scrap pieces of 3/16" x 3/16" stringers leftover from the top of the fuselage. Bevel one end of each stick, then glue one of them to the side of middle stringer on the very bottom of the fuselage. The other one will be glued on at step 11. pushrod then place it over the Aft Rudder Pushrod drawn on the plans and cut it 1/8" longer than shown. ❏ 14.
❏ 24. Bevel the aft rudder pushrod tube so it matches the angle of the fuselage. Install but don’t glue the tube in the pushrod exit, then cut the forward end so it extends 1/8" past the slot in the plywood stab saddle. ❏ 27. Permanantly install the aft rudder pushrod. ❏ 25. Slide the aft rudder pushrod through the aft FIT THE INTERCOOLER AIR EXITS pushrod tube temporarily mounted in the fuselage. Confirm that the alignment and location of the pushrod and tube is correct.
❏ 3. Use a sanding block and 150-grit sandpaper to blend the stringers to the formers and eliminate any glue blobs or irregularities. Even up the stringer ends with the formers. ❏ 7. The stringer below the main side stringer ❏ 4. Cut two Lower Fuselage Sheets from 3/32" (above, if the model is upside-down on your cradle) also must be spliced in order to clear the intercoolers. Cut a section out of the stringers directly above the main stringer. x 3-1/4" x 42" balsa to match the pattern on the plan.
❏ 11. Trim the ends of the aft bottom sheeting even with F-9 and F-5D. available the P-47 will have a tendency to climb as full power is applied. This condition can be controlled by adding an additional one degree of down thrust to the engine. NOTE: The following sequence shows the installation of a Super Tigre .75 engine with the cylinder mounted at a 45 degree angle towards the bottom of the fuse.
❏ 7. After the epoxy cures, remove the C-clamps and apply a fillet of 30-minute epoxy on both sides of F-1 all the way around the tank roof and tank floor and the right and left crutches. Make sure the crutches are glued to the tank roof and floors as well. INSTALL SERVO TRAY ❏ 3. Position the engine so the Drive Washer is 6-1/4" (159mm) from the aft edge of the engine mount.
BUILD THE WING NOTE: The wing panels are built “UPSIDEDOWN” on the plans. The jig tabs are attached to what is, in the end, the TOP surface of the wing. Since it is the standard convention to show the Top View of the wing, and the wing panels are built upside down, the LEFT wing panel is built over the RIGHT Wing Top View and vice-versa. This does not present any problems; just be sure to build a left and a right wing. PREPARATION ❏ 5. Ribs W-2 through W-6 have punch marks just aft of the spar.
and the notches in the die-cut 1/8" balsa Aft Outer Spar to account for the forward sweep of the spar. Test fit but do not glue the aft outer spar in ribs W-7 through W-11. Fit but do not glue the die-cut 3/32" balsa Aileron Root Rib W-7B. Make sure the ribs remain aligned over the plans when the aft outer spar is in position. Skip this step if installing fixed gear ❏ 9. Locate wing ribs W-5 and W-6, and 1/16" plywood doublers 5-R and 6-R (4 each). Use thick CA to glue the ribs and doublers together.
❏ ❏ 10. Hold the dihedral gauge near the middle of W-1 and lightly tack glue the rib to the top and bottom main spars. Do not glue the dowel plate until told to do so. ❏ ❏ 13. Glue a die-cut 1/8" plywood Dowel Plate (FWD) in the notches of ribs W-1 and W-2. ❏ ❏ 15. Skip this step if you are NOT going to build the optional flaps. Please consider this strongly – the flaps are not at all difficult to build and they really add to the flight realism and make landings lots of fun.
Proceed to step 25 if you will be installing retractable landing gear. ❏ ❏ 21. Test fit a 1/2" x 3/4" x 6-3/4" grooved Landing Gear Rail into the notches in ribs W-4, W-5, and W-6. The fit should be snug and the groove should be facing away from the work surface. Be sure that the rail extends past W-4 approximately 3/4" as shown on the plans. Use 30-minute epoxy to glue the rail in position. ❏ ❏ 18.
wheels will retract fully into the wheel well. With the CJM retracts and the modifications to the rib doublers shown in the sketches, the strut protrudes outside the wing skin about 1/16" to 1/8". It may be possible to fully enclose the wheel and strut inside the wheel well by deepening the notches in the plywood rib doublers W-5R but this is not recommended as it will weaken the structure.
JOIN THE WING PANELS ❏ 1. Cut away the portion of rib W-1 behind the ❏ 4. Test fit the wing bolt plate into each wing panel. Make adjustments if necessary. dowel plate and 1/16" behind the main spars. Cut away the portion of rib W-2 behind the main spars on the line you drew earlier. This will allow the dihedral braces to pass through the ribs. Do this to both wing panels. IMPORTANT: Check your work surface with a metal straightedge to make sure that it’s perfectly flat before proceeding.
PREPARATIONS BEFORE ADDING BOTTOM WING SHEETING ❏ 1. Sand the 3/16" x 36" Outer Pushrod Tube so glue will stick to it. Cut it to the lengths shown on the plans for the right and left wing panel. Slide the pushrod tubes through the holes in the ribs and glue the tubes in position. All balsa sheeting will usually bend when it’s cut from the log since stresses are relieved. For the best results, trim the edges of the wing sheeting with a long metal straightedge and a sharp knife before joining them. ❏ A.
NOTE: The steps below show the sheeting of a wing with functioning flaps. Wings without flaps are sheeted the same way. ❏ 4. Fit one of the 1/16" x 6" x 30" balsa skins you just made in place on a wing panel, with one edge butted against the LE. Trim the leading edge at the tip to match the sweep of the wing outboard of W-11. After you are satisfied with that fit, trim the trailing edge so it ends at the center of the bottom main spar. Save the large scraps of sheeting.
❏ ❏ 12. If you will be installing fixed landing gear, use the same technique to locate the position of the LG blocks. Push a pin through the sheeting at each end of the grooved block, then drill a 3/16" hole through the sheeting at the location of the LG block. Trim the sheeting from the groove. in the LG block to accommodate the landing gear. ❏ ❏ 15. Make six Aileron Hinge Blocks from the 3/8" x 1/2" x 9" balsa stick.
SHEET THE TOP OF THE WING The top of the wing will be sheeted in four sections like the bottom of the wing. ❏ 1. Temporarily reinstall the 1/4" wing dowels in ❏ ❏ 21. Make the cutouts in the bottom wing skin ❏ ❏ 18. Mark the location of the wing dowels from inside the wing. Remove the wing center LE and drill 1/4" holes at the marks. Hint: Use a sharpened 1/4" brass tube to mark the location and to “punch” the holes–it really does a clean job. Do not glue the wing center LE in place yet. ❏ ❏ 19.
BUILD THE FLAPS ❏ 6. Join each strip of wood trimmed off the upper forward skins to each of the remaining two 6" x 30" sheets to make the Upper Aft Skins. Trim the upper aft skins to fit the wing. If building flaps, there should be a 1/16" gap between the flap and the sheeting. If not building flaps, no gap should exist. ❏ ❏ 1. Remember the pin hole you made in the upper flap skin? Insert a pin through this hole, between W-2F and W-2, through the lower flap skin. ❏ 7.
will see the punch marks in the ribs that can be used as a guideline as well. Reference the cross sections of the wing plans. ❏ ❏ 8. Remove the plywood flap horn and tack glue the other, shorter flap LE in position. ❏ ❏ 4. Carefully remove the flap from the wing. If CA has glued the waxed paper layers together, cut the inboard and outboard ends of the flaps free with a razor saw. ❏ ❏ 12.
❏ 4. Insert three #309 Robart Super Hinge Points into the wing but do not glue them in until after the wing and the flaps are covered. Fit the flap to the wing and mark the locations of the hinge points on the flap. plans. When the base fits, apply glue only to the side and the top of the base and then permanently glue it in position. ❏ 5. Use the Flap Drill Guide to drill the holes in the flap just as you did in the wing. ❏ 6.
❏ 12. Complete the sheeting of the wing by filling any spaces that have not been sheeted with left over 1/16" balsa – areas such as the aft center section of the wing where the flaps have not been cut away from the wing and the corner of the wing where the flap and ailerons meet. MOUNT THE WING TO THE FUSE ❏ 1. Trim the fuselage sheeting until it accurately matches the contour of the balsa wing saddles.
❏ ❏ 3. Trial fit a 1/32" plywood Wing Fillet Base on the wing saddle of the fuselage. Make adjustments if required. Use a hobby knife with a #11 blade to lightly scribe a line on the fillet base from the corner where it meets the rear of the fuselage out to the edge–cut only through the bottom layer of the three-ply plywood. ❏ 5. Remove the wing and finish drilling the holes ❏ 8. Use a sharp knife or a Moto-Tool with a with a #10 (13/64") drill bit through the wing mount blocks.
❏ 4. Place two more 3/16" stringers in the notches from 5-E to F-1 then glue the stringers to all the formers except 2-C. ❏ 11. (Optional) Use the template on the plans to ❏ 14. Now the fun part! Get out the balsa filler make two sets of wing fillet braces from left over 1/8" lite ply. Glue the braces to the fillet and the fuselage sides. This will make the fillet more durable in case of rough handling during transport. (Hobbico HobbyLite recommended) and begin building up a smooth fillet.
Insert the tubes in the wing, trace a line on them using the sheeting as a guide then cut the tubes to the approximate beveled shape. Glue the tubes to the belly pan side sheet and the wing sheeting. Be careful not to get any glue on the heads of the nylon wing bolts and accidentally glue the bolts to the tubes or wing bolt plate. ❏ 7. Make a Mounting Post from left over 1/8" lite-ply to secure the outer pushrod tube for the release mechanism.
❏ 9. Use balsa filler to build up a small fillet between the belly pan and the wing and fill any other gaps between the sections of belly pan sheeting. Trim the forward bottom fuselage sheeting flush with former F-1. BUILD AND FIT THE COWL ❏ 3. Carefully wick thin CA around the joints and allow the parts to cure. Do not use CA accelerator. ❏ 4. Use coarse sandpaper to roughen a 1" wide strip along the top and bottom joints inside the cowl.
top wing skins in the wheel wells. This will fuelproof and reinforce the exposed wood inside the wheel well. This must be done before the covering is applied as it may blemish the covering. BALANCE THE AIRPLANE LATERALLY ❏ 10. Remove the cowl rings and set the cowl on the fuselage. Reference the plans for the exact position. Hint: You could mount the engine to the fuselage and use it as another reference for positioning the cowl. Use a felt tip pen to mark the location of the mounting screws on the cowl.
Cover the aircraft with MonoKote film using the sequence below. Make sure the MonoKote film is thoroughly bonded to the structure and all of the edges are sealed. Use a Top Flite MonoKote Hot Sock on your covering iron to avoid scratching the MonoKote film. NOTE: When covering areas that involve fillets and sharp junctions, like the tail section of the P-47, cut narrow strips (3/8" to 5/8") and apply them in the corners before covering the major surfaces.
APPLY PANEL LINES TO THE MODEL (OPTIONAL) Panel lines are easy to apply and enhance the model’s appearance. The pictures on the box may be used for reference, however high quality 3-view drawings should be used for accurate placement of lines if your model will be entered in competition. See page 5 for useful reference books. Permanent panel lines may be applied by using thin strips of MonoKote film.
❏ 2. Hookup and adjust the flap linkages. Two .074 x 4" Threaded End Rods and Nylon Clevises are supplied to make the flap pushrods. The flap pushrods are connected to the servos using Nylon Faslinks. Refer to the Control Surface Throws section for recommended travel. ❏ 3. Reinstall the aileron horns with #2 x 3/8 sheet metal screws. Hookup and adjust the aileron linkages. ❏ 6. The retract air valve, air tank and servo installation can be seen in the photos above and below.
COCKPIT FINISHING (Basic cockpit) ❏ 1. Sand the inside of the cockpit with 320-grit sandpaper. True up any uneven edges in the cockpit area. ❏ 2. Assemble and paint your pilot. OPTIONAL COCKPIT INTERIOR ❏ 1. Cut out the existing cockpit floor (if you haven’t already done so) and test the unfinished pieces of your Top Flite Cockpit Interior (Not included – TOPQ8405) into the opening. Trim the plastic and fuselage interior to obtain a good fit. ❏ 2.
INSTALL RECEIVER, SWITCH AND BATTERY ❏ 1. After connecting the servos and switch harness to the receiver, wrap it and the battery with 1/4"-1/2" foam rubber to protect them from vibration. ❏ 7. Glue the pylon mount plate to the pylon. Hint: Insert a pin through both sets of the dimples on the pylon to set the pylon mount in the proper location. Test fit the release mechanism and cut a notch in the pylon to clear the manual release tab. ❏ 8.
BALANCE YOUR MODEL NOTE: This section is VERY important and must NOT be omitted! A model that is not properly balanced will be unstable and possibly unflyable. ❏ 3. Lift the model at the balance point. If the tail drops when you lift, the model is “tail heavy” and you must add weight* to the nose to balance. If the nose drops, it is “nose heavy” and you must add weight* to the tail to balance.
Keep your face and body as well as all spectators away from the plane of rotation of the propeller as you start and run the engine. Keep items such as these away from the prop: loose clothing, shirt sleeves, ties, scarfs, long hair or loose objects (pencils, screw drivers) that may fall out of shirt or jacket pockets into the prop. Use a “chicken stick” device or electric starter; follow instructions supplied with the starter or stick.
CAUTION (THIS APPLIES TO ALL R/C AIRPLANES): If, while flying, you notice any unusual sounds, such as a low-pitched “buzz,” this may be an indication of control surface “flutter.” Because flutter can quickly destroy components of your airplane, any time you detect flutter you must immediately cut the throttle and land the airplane! Check all servo grommets for deterioration (this will indicate which surface fluttered), and make sure all pushrod linkages are slop-free.
Remove shaded area for Century Jet Models retract units.
THREE-VIEW DRAWING Use this layout for trim scheme planning only. Not suitable for scale documentation.
