A10 Warthog Manual
If you have not worked
with foam before, it is strongly recommended that you read the
How To section
first.
Do not discard any foam pieces that came with the kit, until
after the construction is finished.
Wowplanes kits are "builder's kits". We assume that the builder has at least an intermediate skill level in building RC flying models and has built kits and ARFs before in balsa, if not in foam. The objective of this manual is to illustrate the features and construction techniques that are unique to this model.
It is not the intent of this manual to show the basics such as installation of motors, radio, servos, linkages, etc. which are common to all models.
Wowplanes kits lend themselves to finishing the model in multiple ways. The model may be left as bare foam and painted with foam safe paint, covered with low temperature heat shrink covering, fiber glassed and painted, sheeted with balsa and painted, or use our revolutionary Liquid Sheeting product.
Before you start building it is recommended that you decide what option you plan to pursue. Depending on the finishing option, you may have to alter the sequence of construction outlined below. e.g. if you plan to sheet the model with balsa, it would be easier to build and sheet the individual sub-assemblies before assembling the whole plane.
Contents
1.0 Contents of the box
2.0 Fuselage
2.1 Fuselage Cockpit Section
2.2 Fuselage Nose &
Hatch
2.3 Fuselage Wing
Section
2.4 Fuselage Tail
Section
2.5 Complete Fuselage
Assembly
2.6 Battery Hatch
Cover
2.7 Wing Fillets
2.8 Retractable
Nose Gear & Steering
2.9 The Gatling Gun
2.10 The Canopy & Cockpit
3.0 The Power Plant
4.0 Wings
4.1 Mid Panel
4.2 Inboard Flap Panels
4.3 Mid & Inboard Flap Panel
Assembly
4.4
Outboard Flap Panels
4.5 Aileron Panels
4.6
Aileron & Outboard Flap Panel Assembly
4.7
Complete Wing Assembly
4.8
Horner Wing Tips
4.9 Wing
Mount
5.0 Wheel Pods & Main Retracts
6.0
Tail
6.1 Horizontal Stabilizer
6.2 Vertical Stablizers
6.3 Complete Tail
Assembly
7.0 Finishing
7.1
Tail
7.2
The Fuselage
7.3
Laser Tracker
7.4
The Wing
8.0 Weapon Pylons
11.0 Installation of Electronics
2.0 Fuselage
The fuselage is made up from 3 foam
and 5 plastic parts. The foam parts are soft at this stage. To prevent
damage, spread a piece of foam mattress liner over the work table & handle
the parts with care.
Before the foam parts are assembled together, we need to do some prep work.
2.2 Fuselage Nose and
Hatch
The next step is to prepare and mount the nose cone.
2.3 Fuselage Wing Section
The fuselage wing section consists of 3 foam parts.
2.4 Fuselage Tail Section
The fuselage Tail section consists of 3 foam parts.
Cooling exit hole
2.5 Complete Fuselage Assembly
Now that the 3 fuselage sections have been
prepared, we can assemble the whole fuselage structure.
2.6 Battery Hatch Cover
The cockpit floor is also the battery hatch
cover. It is held in place by two dowels at the front end and two rare earth
magnets at the rear.
2.7 Wing Fillets
There are 2 large wing fillets on each side
of the fuselage. These will be built next.
2.8 Retractable Nose Gear & Steering
Here are some pictures of the cockpit interior and the canopy exterior on the full size plane.
As for the kit, we have several options.
Option 1: A cockpit interior option is available separately from
Wowplanes as shown in the picture below. Requires assembly and painting. The
pilot is built in so we don't need a separate pilot figure. for more detail
please click
here.
Option 2: The kit comes with a plain canopy and a simpler cockpit can
be built with just framing and an off-the-shelf pilot figure.
Option 3: The canopy and cockpit sits on top of the battery hatch
cover. That means we can have all of the above options by building several
hatches. Even a third cockpit with just a camera in there for VR goggle
flying.
Option 1 comes with its own construction manual. This manual shows option 2.
n
MODIFICATION: The next set of pictures show a 1/2" wide strip of 1/64" plywood being glued to the flap. The 1/2" wide dimension is in error and should read 3 1/2". The plywood should also be 1/4" longer than the flap on each side. The pictures below show a 1/2" strip and were take before the change. The finished wing should end up looking like this. Also the flap have been changed to be more scale and are not as deep as shown in the picture below.
4.3 Mid and Inboard flap panel assembly
4.6 Aileron and Outboard flap panel assembly
Glue the two wing panels on a flat surface using epoxy and filler.
Temporarily tape all the control surface in their neutral positions, and sand the TE in a straight line with a stick sander.
5.0 Wheel Pods and Main Retracts
Note: The next 4 pictures were taken before the flap chord was reduced to make it closer to scale. The plywood mount plate should still go in the same location but the flap hinge plywood will not need to be cut.
7.0 Finishing
This manual will show the Liquid Sheet (LSll) method of
finishing the model.
Panel lines and rivets can be
optionally applied using Wowplane Rivet Stencils and Panel Line Tape.
To apply flush rivets follow the directions below:
To apply domed rivets follow the directions below:
Next we apply 6 thin coats of LSll.
Wait 48 hours and spray a coat of
hi-build primer. Sand and fill low spots with Bondo Glazing Putty, and apply
another coat of hi-build primer. Panel lines, rivets and raised panels may
be optionally added before the second primer coat. The fuselage is now ready
for the final paint in the color scheme of your choice.
CAUTION: Bondo Glazing Putty will attack
LSll is applied in quantity. Apply a small amount and immediately level it
with a credit card. Aloow to dry and wet sand level with 400 grit paper.
After the LSll has cured for at least 24 hours, spray a coat of hi-build primer and wet sand with 400 grit paper. Fill and low spots with glazing putty as before. Before the second and final primer coat is applied, we can add optional details such as lights, panel lines, and rivets, etc.
l
8.0 Weapon Pylons
The 6 weapons pylons can be glued
permanently to the wing or they can be build to be removable for ease of
transportation. The removable option will be described here. The fixed
option can be built by skipping some of the steps. Start by making 6 pylons
to the dimensions in the drawing below.
Cover pylons with 2 coats of Liquid Sheet, prime & paint to match underside of wing. Weapon set is an option and instructions are provided with the set. Click here
Scratch the surface of LSll with fine sand paper. Wash the frame with water and dish detergent and dry thoroughly. Spray one final coat of primer and allow to dry. Now the plane is ready to be painted with the color scheme of your choice. Shown below are the various color schemes used on the full sized A10.
The model in this manual has been modeled after the full size A10 shown below.
11.0 Installation of Electronics
Placement of the batteries should be done during the CG test. The CG is at 3.4" back from the LE where the wing meets the fuselage. The batteries can be located such that the model balances without need for additional weight. If necessary, adding additional nose or tail weight is fine.
No newly built model should be flown without conducting thorough bench tests. For an electric model such as this, a Wattmeter, a Thermometer, and a Timer are very useful tools.
Secure the plane on the bench or the stand. Since a EDF plane does not have prop wash, it is necessary to provide moving air. This can be achieved with a fan or a leaf blower pointed at the nose.
Run the motors for 1 minute at full throttle. Measure the the current draw & the temperatures at battery, the ESC, and the motor. If any are reaching their spec temperature limits, it may be necessary to add air scoops and exits. In the test model it was necessary to provide additional cooling of the ESCs by adding an air scoop in the wing.
Repeat the test for 2 minutes.
If all is well, use a fresh set of batteries and run the motors at full throttle for 1 min and then half throttle until the batteries are exhausted. Time the duration and set this on the Tx timer allowing a margin of safety.
Now we are ready for the test flight.
13.0 Test Flight
Ensure that the CG is located at 3.4" back
from the LE of the wing where it enters the fuselage. Addition of scoops if
any may have altered the balance.
The real A10 has a pitch down tendency. To compensate for this the designers built in 3 deg of negative incidence in the horizontal stabilizer and 9 deg of vectored up thrust at the jet exhaust. The model also has the negative 3 deg incidence, but requires some up trim to simulate the vectored up thrust.
Dial in some up trim for the test flight. Once trimmed properly, the A10 is a very easy plane to takeoff, fly and land.
HAPPY LANDINGS