september 2017 27
2 Build straight. When assembling an
airplane, you’ll usually have
to glue some parts together.
This is the case with the
Ares Crusader II from
Firelands, which is molded
entirely out of rugged
EPO foam. The airplane
comes in several pieces
including the fuselage, two
wing panels, the horizontal
stabilizer, and the vertical
fin. The instructions show
that the horizontal and
vertical surfaces have to
be glued into place in slots
molded into the fuselage.
The Crusader comes with its
own polystyrene glue, but if
your plane does not come
with adhesive, use a foam-safe, slow-setting CA glue. You’ll want to use a slow-setting adhesive so that you have time to
adjust the positions of the control surfaces to make sure they are straight and square to the fuselage before the glue sets.
The wing panels do not require gluing because they slide onto a strong main spar and are held in place with the attachment
screws, which also secure the wing to the fuselage. If your plane does require the two panels to be glued together, make
sure you align them properly and use tape to hold them in place while the adhesive dries.
3secure the control inkages. Once the control surfaces have been glued to the fuselage, you will have to
connect the control linkages to the rudder and elevator.
Check that the control horns are properly attached to
the surfaces with their attachment screws. Spread the
plastic clevises open on the end of the wire pushrods, and
clip them in place onto the control horns. Be sure to check
the instructions for which attachment hole in the horns
are recommended. You can do the same with the aileron
control linkages.
If your
model does not come
with some sort of clevis
keepers to help prevent
them from coming
off the control horns,
cut short 3/16-inch
sections of airplane
fuel tubing and slip
these over the clevises.
They will keep the
clevises secure while
allowing them to be
removed later.
