3D Hobby Shop 59" AJ Slick User manual
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3 D H O B B Y S H O P . C O M
Assembly Manual- 59” AJ Slick
Thank you for purchasing this 3DHobbyShop ARF RC aircraft. If you have any issues, questions,
concerns or problems during assembly, please contact our tech department at:
SAFETY in Assembly
During assembly of this aircraft, you will be asked to use sharp knives and hobby adhesives. Please
follow all safety procedures recommended by the manufacturers of the products you use, and always
follow these important guidelines:
ALWAYS protect your eyes when working with adhesives, knives, or tools, especially power tools. Safety
glasses are the best way to protect your eyes.
ALWAYS protect your body, especially your hands and fingers when using adhesives, knives, or tools,
especially power tools. Do not cut toward exposed skin with hobby knives. Do not place hobby knives on
tables or benches where they can roll off or be knocked off.
ALWAYS have a first-aid kit handy when working with adhesives, knives, or tools, especially power tools.
ALWAYS keep hobby equipment and supplies out of the reach of children.
IMPORTANT NOTE – We strive to provide the absolute best-quality ARF aircraft on the planet. However,
the ultimate success or failure of this aircraft is dependent upon proper assembly by you. If you have
questions about an assembly step, please contact us, or read the assembly thread for your airplane on
RCGroups.com before proceeding. It is always better to slow down and be sure of your assembly than to
rush through it and make a mistake which can cause a crash.
SAFETY in Flying
SAFETY NOTICE: This is NOT a toy! It is a very high-performance RC airplane capable of high speeds
and extreme maneuvers. It should only be operated by a competent pilot in a safe area with proper
supervision.
ONLY fly your aircraft in a safe, open area, away from spectators and vehicles–and where it is legal to fly.
NEVER fly over an unsafe area, such as a road or street.
NEVER fly near overhead power or utility lines. If your airplane ever becomes stuck in a line or a tree DO
NOT attempt to retrieve it yourself. Contact the authorities for assistance in retrieving your aircraft.
Power lines are DANGEROUS and falls from ladders and trees CAN KILL!
Never fly too close to yourself or spectators. Spinning propellers are DANGEROUS!
Never run your motor inside a house or building with the propeller attached – Remove the prop for safety.
Always fly within your control.
Always follow manufacturer’s instructions for your radio system.
Always obtain proper insurance before flying – contact the AMA at www.modelaircraft.org
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REQUIRED ITEMS
CA Glue – Thin and Medium and Thick
Hobby Knife
Small Phillips Screwdriver
Set Metric Allen Wrenches
Scissors
Small Pliers
Masking tape
Wire Cutters
Drill and drill bits
Optional – Heat gun and covering iron
Optional – Epoxy glue b
Threadlocker (Blue Loctite)
Assembly Instructions – Read completely before starting assembly!
UNPACK
Unpack your airplane and examine the components. Check for damage of any kind. If you have
damage, please contact 3DHobbyShop to discuss.
WRINKLES
Your airplane was packed in plastic at the factory without any wrinkles in the covering. You may notice
some wrinkles now; more likely, you will notice a few in a day or two or the first time you take the plane
out to the flying field. These wrinkles are the result of wood shrinkage and/or expansion. Balsa wood
changes size and shape slightly as it is exposed to varying humidity in the air. This is a natural property
of balsa wood. As your airplane adjusts to the weather in your part of the world, wrinkles may appear and
disappear. Wrinkles may be removed with the gentle application of heat to the covering material on your
airplane. The best tools to use are a heat gun and covering iron. Apply the heat gently: the covering
material will shrink as you apply the heat, and this will remove the wrinkles. BE CAREFUL! Too much
heat applied too quickly can damage the covering, either by causing it to pull away from the wood at
seams and corners or even by melting it. The covering will shrink at low temperature with patient
application of heat. Wrinkles in the covering DO NOT affect flight performance. If you must shrink on
a color-seam, use the iron and go slowly and carefully to avoid any pulling or lifting at the seam.
Remove the canopy before attempting to use heat on your covering! The canopy is made of thermo-
activated plastic and WILL deform with the application of heat. Do not apply heat to the canopy.
PAINT
If you need to clean your airplane, we recommend using a damp towel. The paint used on the canopy
and cowl is not safe for all cleaners. In particular, DO NOT use alcohol on these parts, it will remove the
paint.
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Install the wheels onto the axles and secure with the wheel collars, as shown. Tighten the collar set
screw as shown. If you encounter any problems, a spare collar is included in your kit.
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Install the wheel/axle into the wheel pant as shown. The fit is intentionally tight, and you
will have to flex the lip of the pant opening to make enough room for the axle to slip inside.
Iinstall the wheel assembly on the landing gear leg. Tighten the locknut as shown to secure the assembly
onto the gear leg. Repeat for other side. NOTE: A special small wrench is included to hold the axle
while it is being tightened.
Attach the gear to the fuselage with 3mm screws, use loctite. NOTE: Check the fit of the screws. Do not
allow the screws to contact the carbon tubes inside the fuselage. If they do, use one or two of the
included washers as spacers between the head of the screws and the landing gear.
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Install gear cover plate as shown, with clear tape or thick CA.
Remove covering over horizontal stabilizer slot on both sides of fuselage as shown. Remove covering
over elevator servo opening on LEFT side of the fuselage as shown. You can use a sharp hobby knife or
a soldering iron with a sharp tip. HOWEVER – If you do not have experience using a hot tool to remove
covering, BE CAREFUL. It is very easy to melt the covering too much at the edges, giving a bad
appearance. If you use a hobby knife, make sure it has a fresh, sharp blade.
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Remove covering over wing spar tube hole and wing pin holes in fuselage as shown.
Remove a square of covering on the bottom of the fuselage behind the wing as shown, for cooling.
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Insert the horizontal stabilizer into its slot. Do not glue yet. Center the stabilizer side-to-side in the slot
using a ruler.
Install the carbon wing spar tube into the fuselage (Note – never glue the carbon wing spar tube to the
airplane, it is designed to be removable). Measure as shown in the photo. Make sure this measurement
is the same on both sides.
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Check the stabilizer to make sure it is level to the wing tube. A slight variation here will not affect fight
performance. If you need to level the stabilizer, sand the mounting slot as needed, and use a piece of
cardstock as a shim in the slot as necessary.
When stabilizer is centered and aligned, drip Thin CA glue onto the stab-to-fuselage joint top and bottom.
NOTE: We do not remove any covering form the horizontal stabilizer. This keeps the stabilizer strong,
and thin CA makes an excellent joint to covering material. If your stab joint is not tight enough for thin CA
glue, or if you have to trim the opening to align the stab, you can use thick CA glue as well.
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Install the elevator half with the fiberglass joiner rod onto the stabilizer. Makes sure it flexes easily at
least 45 degrees up and 45 degrees down, and has approx 1/32” of gap in the hingeline. Apply thin CA
glue to the hinges, 2 large drops on each.
Place a piece of removable tape on the elevator counterbalance as shown. This will hold the right side
elevator in perfect alignment with the horizontal stab. Install the other side elevator without glue and look
at its alignment. Make sure you can align both elevators, sand the elevator joiner slot in the elevator if
necessary. Make sure you are happy with the alignment of the elevators.
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When you are satisfied with the alignment of the elevators, put thick CA or epoxy into the slot as shown,
and install the elevator.
Immediately place a piece of tape on this counterbalance to the stabilizer as shown. Apply thin CA to the
elevator hinges and allow everything to dry.
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Locate the rudder control horn slot in the rudder as shown and remove the covering over it
on both sides.
Install the rudder, take your time to align it, and make sure it swings freely. Apply thin CA
to the rudder hinges.
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Remove the covering over the elevator horn slot. Install the elevator and rudder horns as
shown, aligning the rudder horn side to side as shown, using medium or thick CA glue.
Assemble elevator pushrod as shown. Use thin CA on the ball-link to pushrod joint after installation to
lock the ball-link onto the pushrod permanently.
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Install the pushrod connectors onto the servo arms as shown. Tighten the nuts just to a snug fit – the
connector must be able to rotate after installation. Use medium or thick CA glue on the nut to keep
the connector from falling off due to vibration. Remember – the pushrod connector must be able to
rotate so that the servo arm can move.
Install elevator servo extension onto elevator servo, and install elevator servo into fuselage as shown.
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Install elevator pushrod onto horn as shown. Tighten the ball-link to the elevator horn using a 2mm
screw, washer, and nut. Once the 2mm screw and nut are tight, use medium or thick CA glue to lock the
nut in place so it cannot rotate. Make sure the 2mm screw and nut cannot come loose in flight.
The rudder pull-pull cables are assembled as shown in the above diagram.
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Assemble end of pull-pull wire as shown, double-looping the wire through the brass crimp sleeve before
crimping. Crimp the brass crimp sleeve tightly with pliers and apply a drop of thin CA to the crimp. Install
the ball links onto the rudder horn using the 2mm. Be SURE to use medium or thick CA to lock the 2mm
nuts on the rudder control horn.
Assemble rudder servo arm with servo connectors as shown. Be sure that the connectors are free to
rotate on the arm, and use medium or thick CA to lock the nuts.
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Assemble the front ends of the pull-pull cables as shown, double looping the wire through the crimp
sleeve. NOTE: the pull-pull cables cross over once inside the fuselage, forming an “X”. Adjust your pull-
pull cables to be snug, with no sag, but not too tight. “Banjo-string-tight” pull-pull cables only sap the
power from your rudder servo and cause poor handling. Just snug is all you need.
Use the X-mount for your motor to mark the firewall for drilling. Drill the 4 mounting holes.
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The firewall of the Slick is arranged to allow the widest possible selection of motors to fit. Extra space has
been provided for long motors and long prop adaptors. For this reason, if your motor is compact, you will
need to supply spacers to extend the motor forward as shown. Attach the motor using the included
4mms screws and blind nuts, using loctite. Mount your ESC to the side of the motor-mounting box.
The cowl is mounted onto the fuselage with 4 wood screws. These screws go into the small plywood
squares on the front inside of the fuselage. Soak these squares in thin CA glue to harden them before
proceeding.
The following procedure is helpful to be sure the wood screws hit the plywood squares.
First, make small holes into the plywood squares through the covering, with the cowl and canopy off.
Tape small pieces of paper over these holes, as shown, and mark the hole locations on these pieces of
paper.
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Install the cowl and use the holes in the paper markers to help you install the wood screws in the right
location.
Glue the aileron hinges with two large drops of CA per hinge.
On the bottom of the wings, locate the servo cutout and aileron control horn slot. Remove the covering
over both. Glue the horn into the slot with a generous amount of medium or thick CA. Use the string in
the wing to pull the servo wire through the wing.
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Assemble the aileron pushrods. Assemble the pushrod connectors onto the servo arm as you did for the
elevator and rudder arms, and install the pushrod as shown. Be sure to use medium CA glue to lock the
2mm nut that holds the ball link onto the control horn. Repeat for other wing. Mount the wings to the
fuselage using the nylon thumbscrews.
Locate the balsa receiver mount marked “Rx”. You can mount your receiver to this mount with Velcro and
use CA glue to mount the balsa to the airframe.
Apply one side of the self-adhesive Velcro tape to the battery tray, the other to your battery. Use the
Velcro strap as a “seatbelt” to hold your battery in position. Always make sure your battery is firmly
strapped down before flight.
Balancing – Your Slick has a very wide CG range. The forward edge of the range is 85mm back from
the leading edge of the wing where the wing meets the fuselage. This is approximately ½ inch in front of
the carbon wing spar tube. This CG location is recommended for precision flight and sport flying.
A typical range for 3D flying is 100-112mm back from the leading edge of the wing where the wing meets
the fuselage. This equates to the location of the carbon wing spar tube, form the front edge of the tube to
the rear. At the rear location, approximately the rear edge of the wing tube, the aircraft will have a lot of
pitch authority for 3D flight, but precision flight may suffer and the aircraft will require more attention
during landing.
Control Throws (in degrees and inches) and Corresponding Exponential
Control Throws
Elevator
Low rate - 15 degrees - 1.25" deflection - 30% expo
High rate - 55 degrees - 4" deflection - 75% expo
Rudder
max throw - just short of touching elevator - 75% expo
Ailerons
Low rate - 17 degrees - 1.75" deflection - 30% expo
High rate - 30 degrees - 2.25" defection - 60% expo
Remember, JR and Spektrum radios use positive (+) exponential, Futaba and Hitec use negative (-).
The above throw measurements were taken at the aft edge of the ailerons and elevator, and from the
bottom aft edge of the rudder. Keep in mind that even the low throws mentioned here are relatively
aggressive, so be sure to also program the matching exponential listed to help soften the model’s feel
around center stick.
Test your power system in a safe manner on the ground before ever attempting to fly your aircraft.
Range check your radio system according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Make your first flight with the controls set on low rates. During the trimming phase, we recommend
landing with some throttle, and not attempting to “dead stick” the airplane. This may mean you need to
time your flights and keep them a bit shorter than usual. After your first flights, check all control
connections and motor and prop mounts for tightness.
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We hope you enjoy your 3D HOBBY SHOP Aircraft.
Be sure to look for new aircraft and products coming soon from
3 D H O B B Y S H O P . C OM
Copyright 2011 3D Hobby Shop
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