kitbuildingguide

Firstly, all our kits and components come with instructions, but here we have put together some of the typical things contained within them to give you a better idea of what's in the box.

We have also gathered together some useful tips and tricks to help you in making the most from your kit.

To remove the waste material from around your pilot or two part cowl, just sand it away

DO NOT USE SCISSORS this will make the job harder.

Simply sand the flange of excess material off by rubbing on a sheet of 240 grit abrasive paper on a flat surface. This will leave a perfectly flat back for bonding.

Cowls should be bonded together with a solvent type plastic weld adhesive applied sparingly.

Pilots should be bonded together with Superglue (Cyanoacrylate)

Bond the front to a piece of 1/32 balsa sheet. Cut the balsa a little bigger than the forming (1-2 mm all round) this make aligning both halves easier.

Align the back to the front and bond in place.

When the glue bond is strong enough sand off the balsa centreboard to finish your pilot.

GENERAL TIPS FOR BUILDING YOUR WARBIRD

We supply a ply rectangle as a dihedral brace; this is an optional depending on your experience and preference. If you do decide to fit it please make sure you use epoxy to fix it in place

As the position of the elevator servo is down to you, we have not completed slotting the fuselage for the elevator snake. If you have problems please contact me

Page 2 of the instructions shows a ply sub-trailing edge. This is purely a construction suggestion and the parts are not included in the kit

We use Diamond Tape for our hinges, but if you prefer plastic hinges you should insert balsa in the trailing edge for them to fix to

Aileron servo's can be let into the side of the fuselage leaving a short push rod on top of the wing

A black canopy can be used to hide the receiver. This can be done by painting the inside of the clear canopy with matt black, or by specifying a black canopy when you order

This material cuts and works well with a hot wire, which should be slightly cooler than when using blue or white foam.

To make holes for your battery, radio etc, first cover the area to cut with masking tape.
Use a pen to mark out the shape you want to cut.
Cut around the line with a scalpel
Remove the inner portion of tape
Heat up a piece of flat metal strip, wire, or a soldering iron and use it to carefully melt away the cavity. You don't need to get the metal too hot.
The masking tape acts as a template for the hole as it isn't affected by the heat.

Cables can be hidden but simply pushing them into a scalpel cut in the surface of the EPP

Sanding EPP is messy but easy. Don't be to gentle! Use 80 Grit paper, and do not sand in one place for long.

This is the cheapest and by far the most practical finish.
It's not the best finish up close but looks great in the air.
We have used Gaffer or Duck tape (available in many colours) on most of our prototypes

Easy to apply and accepts paint of all kinds (we highly recommend acrylic car aerosols)

An excellent covering to use. Believe it or not, it can be painted with acrylics by using this method.
Mask off the areas not to be painted.
Key the area to be sprayed with 1200 wet & dry paper.
Prime this area with acrylic lacquer or Solarflim (primemol ) available from most model shops
Allow to dry completely before spraying with your desired colour

Yes we are serious!
Using balsa gives a very solid structure and a superb finish.
This gives you the opportunity to detail your model in a very scale manner.
Glue the balsa in place with Copydex Latex adhesive.
We advise applying a very lightweight glass cloth before covering or painting

The worst you can do is knock a lump off in a crash. All you do then is stick a new piece in and paint it, it's that easy!

Prime all EPP parts with a spray adhesive before covering. We use B&Q carpet adhesive or Evostick Timebond

You could be forgiven for thinking that a new motor must be in the best of health, and it's not far off.
In truth though all motors need to be run in to get the best from them, and this applies more to a standard "can "motor than to a "hot buggy" one.

There are several tricks which can be tried and we at Vortex don't claim to know them all, and just like anyone else we sometimes ask "the experts".
In this case we talked to Nigel Hawes of RCME whom we thank for this great tip.

First you need a non metallic jug with about 3" of water in. Add 4 - 5 drops of washing up liquid to the water.
The wires from the fight pack will need to be long enough to allow the motor to be totally immersed in the water, without the battery connections coming in contact with it. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT

Connect the flight pack directly to the motor and slowly lower it into the water.
This is where the fun starts! Because you are going to get wet!
The motor will whine like hell and the water will get very frothy and turn a dirty grey. Don't be put off by this, it's perfectly correct.
Keep the motor running for about a minute then lift it out and run it until dry.
Repeat this process two or three times using clean water each time
When this is done the ends of the brushes in the motor will be a perfect fit to the armature shaft.
Dry the motor and lubricate with light oil or "Slick 50" an alternative to oil containing PTFE. Remember to oil both ends of the motor case

All being well, there should be a noticeable improvement in performance.
The motor will sound freer running and higher in pitch, and you can typically expect another 1000 RPM with a prop fitted.

If all this seems like a lot of extra work and you would like to really get your new Vortex Warbird around the sky, then we suggest fitting a Hot 600 Buggy motor as a replacement for the standard motor supplied in the kit.

1off pair of wing panels
2 off leading edge fairing's
4 off wing spars
2 off balsa ailerons
2 off 1/16" ply trailing edge capping strips
1 off fuselage
1 off canopy
1 off pilot
1 off pair of exhausts
1 off tail fin
1 off tail plane
1 off air scoop
2 off tail fin retaining pins
30 Metres reinforced covering tape
1 off wing bandage
2 off wing mounting blocks (pre-drilled with fitted captive nuts)
2 off wing bolts
3 off control horns
1 Metre double-sided fixing tape for tail plane
1 off coloured tape for tail plane and fin covering
2 off 1" x 1" x 1/16 ply wing load spreading plates
1 off switch with wiring instructions

When you are happy that the airframe is ready for covering, give the complete aircraft a coat of undiluted PVA glue and let it dry thoroughly.
We recommend leaving it over night.

When dry use 240 Grit paper to de-nib the bits of EPP and PVA which have appeared. The surface should be quite sooth and flat when you have finished
Any defects or dents should be filled at this point with Easy Sand Car Filler (we highly recommend this for any filling on EPP)
Only apply enough filler to just fill the dent as excess will be a pain to remove later!
The airframe is now ready for the paper

Cut the brown paper into manageable sized panels - don't be tempted to try big panels, as the compound curves and shapes will result in creases.
Start covering the fuselage from the underside, using three pieces of paper
and allowing for a 10 mm overlap on any joints
Apply PVA to the matt side of the paper
As you complete each section, fix the panels permanently in place by ironing with a warm iron.
This does two things - it speeds up the drying process by drawing the water in the PVA to the surface, and it ensures that all the edges are securely glued down

Cover the sides and finally the top, again using three pieces of paper per section