Mike Costin (in Europa Flyer Issue 7) suggests a better method than
clecos for adding the cockpit module ( almost anything is better than
clecos). However its not so easy to put things on the inside when joining
the fuselage halves. Use long 2" strips of hardboard or ply tacked onto
the inside by a few self-tappers below the overlap region, (and provided
with polythene sheet for easy release) before the top is positioned. Some
temporary wooden cross strips across the upper half can be used to spread
the edges out a bit, so that the Redux is not pushed down as you lower
it on. You can then insert self tappers through the overlap into
something solid anywhere you like (remembering to grease them first !). A
refinement is to use an outer strip positioned above the external join
line so that the join is squeezed from both sides to avoid waviness.
However this makes it more difficult to spot any bulgy bits unless you
proceed in sections. Continuous strip probably leads to the use of fewer
holes and a much tighter fit everywhere.
I also found my top half apparently shorter than the bottom half by about
1/2" giving poor overlap at the rising part ahead of the tail section.
Fixing a temporary protruding bolt on forward bit of the fin root enabled
a rope to be placed round it and then round the back of the lower half.
Winding this loop up removed most of the difference and ensured the fit
was pretty tight even before the operation started.
gemin no.83
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