Assembling an AT Cheetah. It's my first Aerotech kit. I'm at the stage where I am gluing in the MMT. I've just test fitted at this time, no glue yet. But I can't figure this out:
The instructions say (I'm paraphrasing a bit for brevity) to insert the MMT, apply glue (they recommend CA) to root edge of fins, snap into place into the Fin Lock assembly. OK, good so far. Then "Through the back end of the body tube, apply cement" to fin tabs, fin locks, and forward C/R. What??? There is only maybe 1/4" of room to work here. The fin tabs in particular look impossible to reach with any degree of consistency. I've done this with wood glue and epoxy using sticks and sometimes a syringe for wood glue. In both of those cases you can be a bit sloppy as the glues are a bit runny and self leveling, and have a reasonable working time. How am I going to do this with CA? Same for the top of the baffle C/R. You have to apply that from the top. Again, with epoxy, I'd just kind of blob some in there with a stick best I could and let it self level. But with CA?
It's tempting to extend the body tube slits and build the MMT and fin assembly and slide in. In that case, I'd use epoxy for the baffle C/R and probably the forward fin lock C/R. I know many people do this with other kits. I hate deviating from instruction, however I'm not sure how else to do it here.
Any advice on doing it as per instructions? Or should I just toss the instructions and assemble the MMT and fins externally?
Edit: And, not having done an external MMT assembly, how do you repair the extended body tube slits?
Hans.
The instructions say (I'm paraphrasing a bit for brevity) to insert the MMT, apply glue (they recommend CA) to root edge of fins, snap into place into the Fin Lock assembly. OK, good so far. Then "Through the back end of the body tube, apply cement" to fin tabs, fin locks, and forward C/R. What??? There is only maybe 1/4" of room to work here. The fin tabs in particular look impossible to reach with any degree of consistency. I've done this with wood glue and epoxy using sticks and sometimes a syringe for wood glue. In both of those cases you can be a bit sloppy as the glues are a bit runny and self leveling, and have a reasonable working time. How am I going to do this with CA? Same for the top of the baffle C/R. You have to apply that from the top. Again, with epoxy, I'd just kind of blob some in there with a stick best I could and let it self level. But with CA?
It's tempting to extend the body tube slits and build the MMT and fin assembly and slide in. In that case, I'd use epoxy for the baffle C/R and probably the forward fin lock C/R. I know many people do this with other kits. I hate deviating from instruction, however I'm not sure how else to do it here.
Any advice on doing it as per instructions? Or should I just toss the instructions and assemble the MMT and fins externally?
Edit: And, not having done an external MMT assembly, how do you repair the extended body tube slits?
Hans.