Ian Mat Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 I recently bought a second hand Topflite Mustang artf complete with a Saito 125 engine. The wing was damaged from a landing gear issue on landing, however the sale included a spare wing half and I was able to obtain a matching right hand wing from a german model shop. I've managed to remove the fibreglass parts from the old wing (the belly scoop and wing cover.) and most of the other common parts that I need. The only issue I now have is the plywood wing joiner that goes between the 2 halves... obviously this is coated in epoxy and extremely difficult to recycle... Does anyone have a unmade model and can provide a sketch or dimensions for the joiner so that I can make a new one and get this beautiful model in the air? For reference the Topflite part number for the complete kit is TOPA0950. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymaz Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 I assume you've seen this ?? Might be of help Edited By cymaz on 20/01/2018 12:17:35 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Mat Posted January 20, 2018 Author Share Posted January 20, 2018 Thanks Cymaz, I had seen that, however I don't know how common the parts are between the artf and the builder's kit. I have an F4u artf and kit and there are some significant differences between them. Looking the in the manual for the arft, which I have downloaded, the part looks fairly simple but I'm struggling with dimensions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ovenden Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Ian, I imagine you have found a copy of the manual. **LINK** In that it has a photo of the wing brace (3 pieces of ply glued together. (See photo below taken from the manual). With that it shouldn't be too hard to make up a cardboard template (trim it until you get a snug fit in the wing sockets) and then use that to cut yourself a ply wing brace. Edited By David Ovenden on 20/01/2018 12:44:54 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Mat Posted January 20, 2018 Author Share Posted January 20, 2018 Thanks David, that was my plan B... I'm worried that the wing former is critical in setting the dihedral. Although the fact that it appears straight on the top edge makes things easier. I'll have a stab at that method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ovenden Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Ian, the top surface of the brace appears to be a straight line and so it shouldn't be too hard to make up a copy. Then as long as the two wing halves mate properly at the root ribs with no gapping you know it must have the correct dihedral. Shouldn't be too long a job I imagine. Good luck with getting the model back in the air where it deserves to be! Just out of interest, I modified a Great Planes PT-19 model (80"span) from a one piece wing that was glued up with a solid ply joiner to a 2-piece one with wing joiner tube. It meant a very slight reduction in dihedral angle so as to get the (straight) wing joiner tube completely inside the wing structure. That actually make no noticeable difference to the models flying performance. But it did make the model a whole lot easier to transport about! Edited By David Ovenden on 20/01/2018 13:00:27 Edited By David Ovenden on 20/01/2018 13:01:15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Mat Posted January 20, 2018 Author Share Posted January 20, 2018 Well, I've spent about half an hour mucking around with rulers, cardboard and knives and think I have something close. It's very frustrating though, when I get close, I slice off the tiniest sliver of card and then it is too small! I think from previous experience, slightly loose is fine, the epoxy will fill the gap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ovenden Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Ian, I'm sure the epoxy will fill any small gaps you might have left. Besides it glues the whole surface of the joiner to the wing box/spar so plenty of glued surface area. On several ARTF kits I've put together over the years the ply joiner was not a tight fit in the wing panels. Once glued up it all becomes very rigid. Alternatively cut the ply slightly over size and sand to a perfect fit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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