Stage 8 Final Assembly | Model Shipways 28 specs

Stage 8: Final Assembly

PARTS LIST FOR STAGE 8:

Ni28-035	End fittings for interplane struts	8		Britannia castings
WP3629-24	Interplane struts	4	3/32 x 1/4 basswood
W042	Turnbuckles	12		Britannia castings
WP1205	Interplane bracing wire	7’ Metal-gray thread
A017	False bolts	12		Britannia castings

Rudder and elevator control cables:

Temporarily brace the control stick in the neutral position, perpendicular to the plane of the cockpit floor. Temporarily brace the rudder bar at a right angle to the axis of the fuselage. Untie the rudder control cables, which you had previously tied out of the way at fuselage former #10. Cross them so the right cable goes to the left rudder control horn and the left one to the right rudder control horn. Tie and glue them in place, referring to full-size Plan D03. The cables should be snug but not too tight. In similar fashion, cross the elevator control cables so “B,” the upper one on the control stick, goes to the lower elevator horn and “A” goes to the upper control horn. When you release the control col- umn and the rudder bar, these controls will activate their respective control surfaces just like in the real aircraft. It is recommended, however, that you do not operate the con- trols. The scale parts are delicate and might easily break.

Lower wing and ailerons:

Without applying glue, insert the aileron torque bars(A022) through the holes in the aileron lever “S” arms(Ni28-088), then glue the lower wing in place. Make sure to glue the joints between the cabane struts and the wing spars.

Brace the control column in the neutral position and make sure the ailerons have zero deflection. Now glue the “S” arms to the aileron torque bars. When the glue is dry, mov- ing the control column side to sides should actuate the ailerons. As above, it is recom- mended that you do not operate the controls. The scale parts are delicate and might eas- ily break.

Upper wing:

For the upper wing to line up properly, it is critical that the assembled interplane struts be of equal length and that they match their depiction on Plan D01. Working directly from Plan D01, cut four slightly oversize lengths of wood strip WP3629-24 and then sand them to exactly the same, correct length. Cut a slot in each end, following the longer of the two dimensions, then prep the cut ends with a little water-thin CA glue. When this has set up, glue on the end fittings (Ni28-035). Complete the assembly by shaping the wood to the same tear drop cross-section as the end fittings. The broader curve will face forward when the interplane struts are installed. You might wish to stain these struts gold-mahogany and finish them with a couple coats of varnish or shellac.

The cabane struts attach to the compression bars(Ni28-018) by means of false bolts(A017). The mounting holes are slightly oversize to allow for correct positioning of the upper wing. Essentially the same method is used to attach the interplane struts to the compression bars. Once you are satisfied that the fit and angles are correct, glue both the contact points of the all of the struts and the compression bars and the insertions of the false bolts.

Struts cross bracing:

Referring to Figure 8/6, use turnbuck- les(W042), at the lower end of each run, and Metal-gray thread(WP1205) to rig the cross bracing. Note that the braces from the top of the interplane struts to the bot- tom of the cabane struts are doubled. Make sure the braces are snug, but do not over-tighten them. Finally, rig the right and left wire braces between the stabilizer and the fin.

Finishing Touches:

Slip the combined propeller and motor sub-assembly onto the crankshaft, allow- ing it to turn freely. Check the entire model over to ensure all glue joints are tight. Carefully clean any previously unnoticed excess glue beads and touch up the stain and paint if needed.

Congratulations - your NIEUPORT 28 is finished! Stand back and take a picture. We at Model Airways and Model Expo hope you have enjoyed this project and look forward to flying with you on your next aircraft modeling project. As this is a delicate model, we suggested that you mount it on a suitable baseboard and cover it with a protective glass or acrylic display case.

Bibliography:

1.Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Archives Division, Washington, D.C.

2.Nieuport Fighters in Action, Aircraft Number 167, by Peter Cooksley.

Squadron/Signal Publications. Carrollton. TX. 1997. One of a popular series of books published by the Squadron mail order firm that sells plastic and other model kits from all over the world. This one is about all the Nieuport aircraft from Model 10 through 28. Many, many photos and descriptions.

3.French Aircraft of the First World War, by Dr. James Davilla and Arthur Soltan. Flying Machines Press, Stratford, CT. 1997. Aircraft drawings and pho- tographs of the French aircraft used dur- ing the war.