Apprentice Tail Question?

[Roger Dyke]

Hi All,

I have just purchased a new tail and fin kit for my E-Flite Apprentice S 15e.

In the kit there is a plastic fitment that holds the tail down with a slot along it for the fin. When I first purchased the complete aircraft kit, the plastic fitment had already been affixed to the bottom of the fin. In the replacement kit, it is a separate part.

My question is: Do I just slot the fin into the plastic fitment as it is a tight-ish fit, or do I glue it in. If I am to glue it, what type of glue is recommended?

Many thanks

Roger

[Brian Dorricott 1]

It needs glueing in , ask me how I know !

I didn't and it came loose in the air , I used UHU POR just a smear . It does look secure when pushed into the slot but it isn't .

[Roger Dyke]

Thanks Brian

UHU POR is about the only glue I don't have. I have PVA, Araldite, Contact Adhesive, Clear Bostik, and various CA's. Are any of them any good?

[Old Geezer]

Have you considered Stabilit Express? - sticks pretty well anything to anything else. First used it years and years ago to glue ply formers and servo trays into a plastic Robbe sailplane fuselage - bit of a palaver mixing it up ( and smells vile! ) but once it's gone off they were there for good.

[Roger Dyke]

Old Geezer,

I've not heard of that one. I'll have to have a look next time I'm in my local store. I was rather hoping though, to use something that I already had.

[Erfolg]

Old Geezer, you must be rich, really rich.

[Old Geezer]

Nay Lad, just careful wit' mi brass.

( Ever heard the description: Asset rich and cash poor? )

[PatMc]

Why not just ring or email Horizon Hobby UK using the contact details in the manual ?

[Denis Watkins]

Posted by Roger Dyke on 24/01/2020 18:32:45:

Thanks Brian

UHU POR is about the only glue I don't have. I have PVA, Araldite, Contact Adhesive, Clear Bostik, and various CA's. Are any of them any good?

Use the Foam Safe CA if you havever one

Or a smear of Bostick will do it

[Kevin 216]

If you still have the old fin try using your CA and contact adhesive on it to see if it damages the foam. If I remember correctly the foam on the fin and tailplane are covered in a type of plastic.

[Roger Dyke]

PatMc: I might just do that. I just thought that someone out there might know whether some of the glues I have around me might do the trick.

Denis: I have about 4 different types of CA but don't think that any of them are foam safe (it doesn't say so).

Kevin: Unfortunately, I do not have the old fin to use as it's still in a servable condition in the plane. As you said, the tailplane is covered in a sort of plastic. I'm just a little bothered of the glue creeping into the foam and melting it.

My thanks to you all for your very valued responses. Very much appreciated. I think that I can now sort it out.

[Brian Dorricott 1]

Roger Bostik or contact adhesive will be fine . Keep the horizontal tailplane as well because if you break the fin you can half the tailplane and use that as a fin . It works a treat and gets you flying again without the £25 cost of the new one . Just watch on the fin over time that it has not creased just above the slot as this is a weak point . I don't know if your a beginner but once you get the basics on an Apprentice ditch the ASX it's much nicer on a normal receiver as the settings are a bit nannyish.

[Roger Dyke]

Hi Brian,

Thanks for that. I am a long standing modeller (with a few breaks in between) and understand what you say. I am also now a bit older in years and am going back to the more docile sorts of planes, hence the apprentice. All my other planes are IC and have purchased the Apprentice for the winter months as it's less hassle in the cold and muddy weather. Thanks for your tips. I particularly like the one about retaining the tailplane for future use.

[PatMc]

Roger, IIRC the manual mentions that using normal CA is OK on this model except for the fin & tailplane where only foam safe CA can be used.

[Roger Dyke]

PatMc: I can't remember spotting that. I'll have a look. thanks for that.

[PatMc]

Here you go - see page 20 :

Service and Repairs

NOTICE: After any impact or replacement, always ensure the receiver is secure in the fuselage. If you replace the receiver, install the new receiver in the same orientation and manner as the original receiver or damage may result.

Thanks to the Z-Foam™ material in the wing and fuselage of this aircraft, repairs to the foam can be made using virtually any adhesive (hot glue, regular CA (cyanoacrylate adhesive), epoxy, etc). However, use only foam-compatible CA, foam-compatible accelerant or epoxy on the vertical and horizontal tail material.

When parts are not repairable, see the Replacement Parts List for ordering by item number. For a listing of all replacement and optional parts, refer to the list at the back of this manual

Edited By PatMc on 25/01/2020 17:17:45

[Roger Dyke]

PatMc: After your last post I dug my handbook out and you were right. The fin and tail must be made from a different foam to the rest of the model.

Thanks for copying the relevant section from the manual.