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DAVE AGAR'S Great Planes Kit-Build McDonnell Douglas F-15 Page 2
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I have already gotten some of the needed add on's. Photo 1 is the kit box top. Photo 2 is the instruction manual, the Williams Brothers Pilot figure and the Great Planes jet look alike spinner. Photo 3 is the inside of the kit as it arrived. In order to get started you will need the usual CA, Wood Glue and Epoxy. You will also need the basic tools and drills and such.
The first item in the instruction manual is the Vertical Stabs. In one of my many horse tradings, I obtained a magnetic building board which I have come to love and you will see parts of it in most of the pictures. As with any plane construction you need a flat surface to build on. It may need to be one that you can put T-pins in or in my case I can use the magnets and the clamps. The stab has 3 parts and you cut off part off the top of rudder to add to the stab.  I used thick CA to butt glue all the pieces together being careful not to use to much CA as it is hard to sand any overflow off.
Once all the parts are glued together the rudder and stab need to be hinged. I use the Great Planes hinging tool. This tool has made hinging so much easier then doing it with an Xacto knife. The kit came with the CA-style hinges but I prefer using the nylon hinges from Dubro as I have had issues with the CA-style. It would be a personal choice on the type of hinges. If you are using the Slot Machine, remember to use the correct blades.
You first need to get a centering line on both the stab and rudder. You will need a centering tool. There are a number of them on the market. I am using the Great Planes one. If you build a Carl Goldberg kit, it comes with a centering tool that also works real well. Once you have your centering grove marked, cut the hinge slots and test fit everything.
Once the hinging is complete, you will need to sand a V on the rudder so the control surface can move. I have a collection of Great Planes sanding bars that I use. You can make sanding bars with wood scraps and sandpaper. A nice 2 by 4 cut into 12 inch and 6 inch lenghts will work great as well. Just get some sandpaper, cut it to size and staple it onto the 2 by 4. Make sure to have different grits of sandpaper for different applications.  Now that the V has been sanded, I test fit the rudders to the stab and made sure that the rudders will move from side to side without any binding.
For filling in the cracks and dings in the balsa wood, I use a product called Patch and Paint. I get it at the Home Depot for about $3.50 a tub. It is light weight and sands real well. I apply it with a balsa straight edge made from scrap balsa. The next step is the horizontal stab and elevators.
Once again the stab and elevator is built with 4 parts and the elevator has a piece cut out and glued to the stab. The elevator is once again hinged in the same manner as the rudder was.
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