3DHobbyShop.com AJ Slick User manual
3DHobbyShop.com
AJ Slick 89” Assembly Manual
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, hot irons, 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.
SAFETY in Flying
ALWAYS fly your aircraft in a safe area, away from spectators.
ALWAYS fly your aircraft in a safe manner, within your control.
NEVER fly too close to yourself.
ALWAYS wear eye protection while operating your model aircraft.
ALWAYS keep your hands and body clear of propellers.
ALWAYS observe lipoly battery safety procedures.
ALWAYS handle gasoline in a safe manner.
ALWAYS perform a ground test and range check of your radio system before flying.
REQUIRED ITEMS
Drill and drill bits
30 Minute Epoxy Glue (NOT 5-minute Epoxy)
Hobby Knife
Phillips Screwdriver
Set Metric Allen Wrenches
Small Pliers
Wire Cutters
Rubbing Alcohol
Paper Towels
Blue Loctite thread-locking adhesive
Dremel-type rotary tool
Small adjustable wrench or wrench set
IMPORTANT NOTE: 3DHS Recommends ONLY High-Torque, Digital, Metal-gear Servos for this
aircraft. Suitable part numbers include Hitec HS-7955TG, JR 8611A, and JR 8711A. DO NOT
attempt to use nylon-geared servos on this airplane.
THIS AIRCRAFT IS NOT A TOY! IT IS A HIGH PERFORMANCE AEROBATIC AIRCRAFT AND
IMPROPER SETUP AND/OR USE COULD RESULT INJURY OR DEATH.
Assembly Instructions
UNPACK
Unpack your airplane and examine the components. Check for damage of any kind. If you find any
damage, contact 3DHobbyShop and report the damage.
COVERING SEAMS
There are many seams in the covering on this aircraft where one color meets another. We recommend
using a covering iron or trim sealing tool to go over all of the covering seams on your Extra. This will help
to prevent any peeling of the covering. Repeat this periodically.
WRINKLES
Your Slick was packed 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,
using an iron and/or heat gun. 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.
Wrinkles do not affect flight performance.
COVERING MATERIAL
Your Slick is covered with genuine OraCover material, and we have included repair sections in your kit. If
you need to repair larger sections, matching covering is sold at most hobby stores under the “UltraCote”
brand.
Hinging the Rudder
Your Slick uses hinge-point type hinges. The aileron and elevator hinging is done for you already. You
will need to hinge the rudder.
The hinging procedure is illustrated below using a typical surface, in this case a horizontal stab, but your
rudder uses the same procedure.
Apply the Vaseline only to the center of the hinge point where the two halves hinge together. We have
also used oil applied with a syringe, but the Vaseline stays in the center of the hinge point better than oil.
Apply 30 minute Epoxy glue to the inside of the holes in one surface. In the following photo, we are using
the end of a nylon zip-tie to apply the epoxy inside the hole.
Insert the hinge points into one side, and carefully align them so that they sit perfectly centered in their
holes.
Clean up any excess epoxy which comes out of the holes with a paper towel and rubbing alcohol.
Make sure the hinge points are properly centered and aligned, and set the surface aside to allow the glue
to cure.
Once the glue has cured, repeat the procedure to install the opposite surface. Push the other surface up
tight against the first one; they should almost touch. Please see photos. Use paper towel and rubbing
alcohol to clean up any excess epoxy. Allow to dry fully.
Landing gear
User blue loctite to lock all of the screws on the tailwheel assembly and re-tighten them.
Attach the tailwheel to the bottom of the fuse as shown with 3 x 3mm screws and washers. Use blue
loctite on these screws.
The main axles must be shortened .25” (6mm) with a dremel or similar tool or a hacksaw. WEAR EYE
PROTECTION when shortening the axles. Place one wheel collar over the axle, then the main wheel,
then the other collar and tighten as shown.
Note: the supplied wheels are lightweight models. If you fly from a rough field or like to do
harrier landings often, HD wheels are a good upgrade.
Insert the wheels and axles into the wheel pants and attach to the main landing gear with the nylock nuts.
Install two Phillips-head screws through the landing gear and into the pants as shown.
Tighten the 3mm hex screws inside the fuselage that hold the aluminum angle brackets to the tunnel
sides.
Attach the main gear to the fuselage using 4 x 4mm screws, washers, and locknuts.
Attach the cover plate over the landing gear screws using epoxy glue or silicone adhesive.
Elevator and Aileron Control Horns
Your Slick features phenolic control horns. The slots for the horns are pre-cut into all of the control
surfaces.
You will need to remove the covering over each of these locations. The best way to trim covering on this
aircraft is with a hot pencil-tip soldering iron. This method gives a clean cut and also seals the edges of
the covering at the cut line. You can also use a hobby knife if you cannot use a soldering iron for this job,
but the iron is recommended.
1. First, locate the control horn location in each control surface.
2. Cut away the covering over the two slots.
3. Assemble the control horns as shown, and temporarily push the horn into the slots in the control
surface (do not use glue at this time).
4. Using a pencil o marker, mark around the outside of the square base of the control horn.
5. Remove the horn and use the soldering iron to trim the covering just inside the square mark you made
with the pencil.
6. The control horns will need to be trimmed as shown. Use a dremel tool with a sanding drum
attachment. Do this work in a well-ventilated area and use eye protection!
7. Apply 30-minute epoxy liberally to the bottom of the horn and to the wood of the control surface.
Install the horn. Wipe up excess epoxy with a paper towel and alcohol. Temporarily install a 3mm bolt
through the bolt holes to ensure proper alignment of the two horn halves. Allow the epoxy to cure.
Rudder control horn
Your Slick is equipped with two rudder servo locations.
If you use a lightweight engine, such as most 50CC singles, use the forward rudder servo location
in the fuselage and the pull-pull cables. If you are using a larger engine such as 58-70CC you can
use the rear servo location and pushrod to move the CG back if required. Both positions are
illustrated below:
Pull-Pull style horn-
The rudder pull-pull control horn is installed in a similar fashion, except that it is double-sided. Remove
the covering on both sides of the rudder over the slots as you did for the elevators and ailerons, apply
epoxy to the center of the two horn pieces, and install into the rudder. Use alcohol to clean any excess
epoxy and temporarily insert two 3mm bolts through the holes in the horn to ensure alignment while the
glue cures.
Trim the rudder horn outer holes away (as on the other horns) if necessary to match the width of your
rudder servo horn.
Rear–mount servo horn
The rear rudder servo location uses the same rudder horn location, but install the single-sided
rudder horn instead of the double-sided. See photo:
Take your soldering iron or hobby knife and remove the covering over the necessary locations in the
fuselage as shown:
For wing bolt, anti-rotation pins and aileron extensions
For the horizontal stabilizer bolts, pins, servo wires and rudder pull-pull cables if used.
For canister tunnel covers (if canister-style muffler is to be used)
Also remove covering over the rear access port as shown. This port is used to access the pull-string for
the elevator servo extensions, and also can be used to make any repairs ever needed to the tail-wheel
mount or to add tail-weight easily if desired.
This plate is held in-place by 3mm nuts and washers.
Pull-Pull cables
The pull-pull cables for the rudder are assembled as shown in the following diagram:
Assemble the pull-pull cables at the rudder end first, as shown, and feed the cables through the slots in
the fuselage and pull them to the front of the fuselage. Cross them to form an “X” inside the fuselage.
Center the rudder servo. Install the rudder servo as shown.
Assemble the pull-pull ends and ball joints onto the rudder servo arm as shown, and attach the pull-pull
cable using the same technique as before.
Adjust the lengths of the pull-pull cable to get good tension (just snug, with no sag, and no play in the
rudder – “banjo-string” tight pull-pull wires will not make your plane fly better, but they will wear out your
servo).
When you are finished adjusting the pull-pull cables, apply thin CA glue to each of the crimps.
Exhaust Canister Muffler Installation
The Slick includes pre-fabricated mounts for the MTW TD-75K short canister muffler, available from
Desert Aircraft.
Slide the canister part-way into the canister tunnel, you will need to twist the can as it goes in to clear the
fuselage former. Find the two canister mounts, pictured below. Note that the front canister mount is
slightly taller than the rear mount.
Slide the canister mounts loosely onto the canister as shown-
Push the canister mounts up into place, tightly in front of and behind the landing gear plate.
When you have the mounts fully into position as shown, tack them in place with CA glue and then apply
epoxy to permanently mount them.
Pre-drill the screw holes, and use 4 wood screws to attach the canister-cover plate and 4 screws to attach
the outlet plate.
Engine Mounting
The Slick can use a variety of 50-70CC single cylinder engines. This manual shows the installation of a
DA-50. Other engines are similar. Templates are included to locate the mounting holes for the DA-50
(same as DL-50, although you may need to very slightly slot the holes to fit the DL) and 3W engines.
The correct distance between the firewall mounting surface and the prop mounting surface on the front of
the engine is 6 and ¾” inches. Tape the pattern in-place on the firewall as shown and drill the engine
mounting holes. Included on the pattern is the location for the throttle-pushrod slot for use with the
throttle-servo location in the bottom of the motor box. Note that this may require you to flip the carburetor
over on some 50CC engines. Remove the pattern after drilling.
Using threadlocker on all mounting hardware, attach your motor to the firewall. It is a good idea to use
large washers on the back of the firewall to spread the load. Loctite all mounting fasteners!
We have provided more than enough fasteners to secure the firewall to the engine box, if one of your
engine-mounting bolts interferes with one of the firewall attaching screws, remove the firewall attaching
screw if necessary – the engine-mounting bolt will take over its job, provided that your washer overlaps
the aluminum angle-iron bracket.
You have several options for mounting your throttle servo. We have provided a location in the bottom of
the engine-mounting box behind the firewall. This hole is cut for a full-size servo. The throttle linkage rod
and ball-joint are included in your kit.
We have also included two servo mounting boxes for full-size servos. These can be used to place throttle
and choke servos anywhere you need within the engine mounting box. The choke linkage is provided in
the kit. Use good epoxy glue to attach these servo mounting boxes to the airframe. Note that if you use
the throttle servo location in the bottom of the engine box, you can use one of the servo boxes as a heat
shield to protect the throttle servo from the exhaust header.
Mount the ignition box using a piece of foam rubber between the box and airframe to isolate the box from
vibration.
Fuel Tank
We recommend a two-line system for fuel, installed as follows:
Assemble the fuel tank as shown, using small nylon zip-ties as hose clamps to retain the flexible fuel
tubing onto the rigid metal tubing. Place a piece of foam rubber under the tank to isolate the tank from
vibration, and install the long nylon ties through the slots in the tray as shown.
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