3DHobbyShop.com Vyper 46" ARF User manual

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3 D H O B B Y S H O P . C O M
Assembly Manual
Vyper 46” ARF
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:
[email protected] or 1-830-990-6978 10am-5pm Central M-F
We highly recommend www.RCGroups.com as a good source for RC tips, tricks, and information.
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.

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Always follow manufacturer’s instructions for your radio system.
Always obtain proper insurance before flying – contact the AMA at www.modelaircraft.org
REQUIRED ITEMS
CA Glue – Thin and Thick
Hobby Knife
Small Phillips Screwdriver
Set Metric Allen Wrenches
Scissors
Small Pliers
Wire Cutters
Masking tape
Optional – Heat gun and covering iron
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 are shrinking
inside a large area of one color, and not at a seam, the heat gun is the best choice. 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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ASSEMBLY
Locate the wheels, wheel axles and axle nuts, wheel collars, and wheel pants.
Fit the wheel onto the axle. Install the wheel collar to retain the wheel onto the axle, as shown. Slide the
wheel/axle assembly into the wheel pant.
Use the axle nut to affix the wheel/axle/pant assembly onto the gear leg, as shown.
Install the landing gear legs into the fuselage with the shorter of the provided 3mm screws as shown.

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Remove the covering on both sides of the fuselage as shown, for the wing spar tube, aileron wire access,
wing retaining screw, and anti-rotation pin. Use either a sharp hobby knife or hot soldering iron to cut the
covering away.
Also remove the covering over the horizontal stabilizer slot as shown, on both sides.
Using a generous amount of thick or medium Ca glue in the slot, install the vertical stabilizer onto the
fuselage as shown:

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Slide the horizontal stabilizer into the fuselage cutout and center it side-to-side, measuring with a ruler.
Locate the carbon wing-spar tube. Slide it into the fuselage and slide the wings on as shown. Measure
as shown with a tape measure or yardstick to ensure that the stabilizer is straight. Both sides should
measure exactly the same.
Apply thin CA glue to the joint of the horizontal stabilizer and fuselage. Allow the thin Ca to wick into the
joint. NOTE: It is not necessary to remove any covering on the stabilizer.

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Slide the right side elevator onto the stabilizer, inserting the fiberglass joiner strip through the fuselage
cutout as shown – DO NOT GLUE THE HINGES YET.
Slide the left elevator onto the stabilizer, gluing the fiberglass joiner strip in with medium or thick CA – DO
NOT GLUE THE HINGES YET.
Once the joiner strip glue is dry, flex the elevators up and down to make sure you can achieve 45 degree
of elevator throw in each direction without binding. If the elevator hinge gap is too tight, the elevators will
bind, so flexing them up and down before gluing ensures that you will have no binding. Apply two drops
of thin CA to each hinge and allow to dry.
Slide the rudder onto the back of the vertical stab, make sure the rudder swings freely 45 degrees as you
did on the elevators and glue the hinges with thin CA glue. Allow to dry.

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Using your hobby knife, remove the covering on the bottom of the rudder over the tailwheel wire slot.
Using the end of a small screwdriver, or a small drill bit, make the necessary hole for the bent-portion of
the tailwheel wire so that the pivot of the tailwheel is exactly in-line with the rudder hinges. Glue the
tailwheel wire into the rudder with thick CA as shown.
Slide the tailwheel pivot plate over the wire and install with two screws as shown. Install the tailwheel and
collar, tighten the collar. NOTE: YOU MUST INSTALL THE WIRE and PIVOT PLATE in the right
location for the rudder to swing freely – the pivot joint of the tailwheel must be in-line with the rudder
hinges. If after you install the tailwheel, the rudder does not swing freely, re-do the tailwheel and ensure
that there is no friction or binding of the rudder.

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FUSELAGE FRONT ASSEMBLY
Take THIN CA glue and go over the motor mount area and landing-gear mount area, applying a small
amount of glue to all the seams. This is the highest-stress area of the airframe, and we want to make it
as strong as possible.
Your airplane includes a pre-drilled firewall with pre-installed blind nuts that fit Omega, Torque, Reaper,
Hacker, and other popular brands of brushless motors. If your brand of motor uses a different bolt
pattern, use your hobby knife to carefully remove the blind nuts and plywood circle spacers from the back
of the firewall, and then re-drill the firewall for your motor.
Assemble brushless outrunner motor as shown for mounting in front of the firewall surface. The prop
adaptor should be on the OPPOSITE side of the motor from the mount.

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Install motor with the longer 3mm screws as shown. Please note that the motor is installed IN FRONT of
the firewall.
NOTE: Your kit contains 4 plastic motor mount spacers. They may be used as shown to space the motor
away from the firewall as needed for cowl clearance. Short motors, such as the Omega 103g1030KH,
Hacker A30-16M, or Torque 2818-T900 require the spacers. Longer motors, such as the Reaper Gr-35,
Torque 2814-T820 do not require the spacers.
Install speed control to fuselage with short velcro strip or zip ties.
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. The following procedure is helpful to be sure the wood
screws hit the plywood squares:
Install the canopy hatch (if the canopy hatch is not installed when you fit the cowl, it may be
impossible to fit the canopy hatch after the cowl is installed!).
Tape small strips of paper over the plywood cowl-mounting tabs as shown below. Install the cowl and
align. Use the small pieces of paper as guides to make holes in the cowl and install the wood screws.
Remove the cowl and screws and soak the plywood mounting tabs in thin CA glue. This will strengthen
the mounting tabs.

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Assemble the pushrods for the elevator and ailerons as shown. The longest pushrod in the kit is for the
push-pull rudder and is used in only some applications, which will be mentioned later.
Attach the ball links to the control horns as shown using 2mm screws, washers and nuts. Tighten the
nuts, then apply a drop of CA to each nut to lock it into place so that it cannot come loose. Be sure to
note that the two aileron control horns are different in shape from the elevator horn.
Open the covering over the elevator servo hole and the elevator control horn slot, and install the elevator
servo and pushrod as shown. Glue the control horn into the slot with medium or thick CA glue.
Assemble the pushrod connector onto the servo arm as shown. Note that this pushrod connector must
swivel as the arm moves, so it cannot be tightened down all the way. Just make the nut on the connector
snug, then lock in place with CA glue.

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Assemble the ailerons onto the wings, flex them up and down to check for free motion, and drip thin CA
glue onto each hinge. Allow to dry.
Remove the covering over the aileron servo openings and aileron control horn slots as shown. Mount
servo as shown.
Install aileron control horn into slot with medium or thick CA glue and assemble aileron pushrod onto
servo arm, exactly as you assembled the elevator control system. Be sure the 2mm nut on the control
horn is locked in place with CA glue.

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NOTE – RUDDER SERVO LOCATION
The Vyper can use two types of power systems, lightweight 3S lipo systems and heavier 4S lipo
systems. For the lighter 3S systems, use the pull-pull rudder system with the servo mounted
under the canopy. For heavier 4S systems, use the rear-mount push-pull system with the steel
pushrod. If you are in doubt, we suggest using the pull-pull system.
Both types of installation are detailed below.
PULL-PULL Cable rudder servo installation. (If using the Rear-Mount rudder servo location, please
skip forward to that section)
Remove the covering over the control horn slot in the rudder in the location shown and install the double-
sided pull-pull control horn in the rudder with medium or thick CA glue. Remove the covering over the
slot for the cable to enter the fuselage, as shown.

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Please examine the pull-pull system assembly diagram closely:
When attaching the servo connectors to the arm, do not tighten the nut fully, but leave it a bit loose so the
connectors can rotate freely. Use a drop of CA glue on the nut to prevent it from loosening in flight.
Start by attaching the cables to the pull-wire end. Crimp well, preferably by making creases in the crimp
tube with a sharp pliers or cutters, rather than smashing it completely flat. Apply a drop of thin ca to the
completed crimp to prevent it from sliding on the cable.

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Feed the cables through the slots into the fuselage and route them forwards to the rudder servo location.
They cross over each other to form an X before they reach the rudder servo.
Mount the rudder servo as shown.
Install the rudder servo arm, and spend time to find the exact correct length of the pull-pull wires before
attaching the pull wire ends at the front. The system provides approximately .25 inch of adjustment on
each wire, so your assembly must be accurate. When you are certain your wire length is correct, crimp
the wire to the ends and use the adjustor to properly tension the wires as a final adjustment. We want the
wires to be snug, without sag, but not springy-tight. NOTE – Proper adjustment of the pull-pull wires is
critical. Too-loose wires allow the rudder to flop back and forth in flight, ruining precision flight. Too-tight
wires cause the servo to drag and lose power, leading to a lack of rudder authority. Note that we have
trimmed the pull-pull rudder servo arm to clear the very narrow Vyper fuselage.

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REAR-MOUNT Servo Installation
For the rear-mount rudder servo location, remove the covering and install the servo in the bottom rear of
the fuselage as shown.
Assemble the rudder pushrod and control horn as shown:
Be sure to use CA glue to lock the 2mm nuts so they do not come loose in flight.
Install the rudder horn into the rudder with medium or thick CA and attach the pushrod to the servo arm
as shown.

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Remove the covering over one of the open bays in the bottom of the fuselage for battery/motor cooling.

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Mount the receiver either to the fuselage side or to the balsa piece marked “Rx” and glue into fuselage.
Mount the lipo battery to the battery tray using the included Velcro strip and Velcro “seatbelt” strap as
shown.
Plug your servos and ESC into your receiver, attach your battery and test your radio system. Check for
correct motor running direction now, before your prop is installed. Never run your motor inside a
building with the prop installed. Check for correct servo direction, reverse as necessary. Center all
control surfaces and tighten pushrod adjusters securely.
Scott’s Tip:
Setting CG
Your aircraft has an extremely wide CG range. While some pilots prefer a
dramatically aft CG for 3D flight, or a conservative forward CG for precision aerobatics, I
generally split the difference and fly with the CG set just slightly forward of neutral. What
this means is that the aircraft will require only the lightest breath of down elevator during
inverted flight. I’ve found that this setting has excellent tracking for precision and no
coupling during KE flight, while still offering excellent 3D performance. My personal setup
is as follows:
Reasonable CG range 120mm-140mm measured at the wing root
Preferred CG location 130mm
The easiest way to measure CG is done using your fingertips holding the model
upside down. It is also the least precise. For more precision, there are several commercially
available balancing units. Realistically, however, I generally get the model close on the CG
stand, followed by fine-tuning based on the feel of the model in the air. Fortunately, this
aircraft has a very long battery tray, allowing you to set it up to match your preferred flying
style.

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Install your propeller.
NOTE: Small brushless motors typically have aluminum prop adaptors with aluminum screws threads.
These threads are easily stripped or broken. DO NOT apply too much torque when tightening your
prop. A wrench is not necessary, it applies too much torque. We prefer a nut-driver.
Be sure to check the motor manufacturer’s recommendations for help in selecting a prop. 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, not attempting to “dead stick” the airplane. This may mean you need to time
Scott’s Tip: Control Throws and Exponential
Setting appropriate control throws is a critical step in matching your model to your
flying style. Personally, I use two different flight “modes”– precision and 3D. Depending
upon your radio, you may be able to combine all three dual rate functions onto a single
switch, which is the technique I use. Regardless, be sure to use a common assignment
scheme to prevent being in the wrong rate at the wrong time. I prefer my switches to be
higher for high rates and lower for low rates, but virtually any combination will work – just
be comfortable with your setup.
Low/Precision Rates (in degrees and inches) and Corresponding Exponential
Aileron 15 degrees .75” 30% Expo
Elevator 13 degrees 1.25” 30% Expo
Rudder 45 degrees 3.5” 75% Expo
High/3D Rates (in degrees and inches) and Corresponding Exponential
Aileron 28 degrees 1.25” 75% Expo
Elevator 45 degrees 3” 85% Expo
Rudder 45 degrees 3.5” 75% Expo
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.
One of the things you may notice is that my low rates are dramatically lower than
you might expect. I find that I have such great control authority that I need to minimize the
elevator in particular or the snap rolls will be far too deep into the stall for clean recoveries.
You should also note that even the high aileron rates are also relatively sedate compared to
the extreme 45 degree throws common to 3D models. I set my 3D rate aileron throw for a
comfortable roll rate during the slowest rolling maneuver I fly – the rolling harrier. I prefer
to hold full aileron throw during the rolling harrier, so excess throw results in excess roller
rate, which is detrimental to not only the maneuver’s appearance, but also the maneuver’s
timing.

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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.
If using rudder pull-pull cables, check your rudder pull-pull cables for tightness at the beginning of each
flying session. Pull-pull cables tend to loosen a bit over time, and loose pull-pull cables (cables that flop,
or have sag, or that allow you to move the rudder with your hand without the servo arm moving) are a
major contributor to poor aerobatic performance.
Periodically inspect the battery tray area in your aircraft. This plane does excellent high-speed tumbling
maneuvers, and this type of maneuver puts tremendous stress on the battery tray area. Occasionally
adding a bit of CA glue to the battery tray joints will help your aircraft last through hundreds and hundreds
of flights.
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 O M
Copyright 2009 3D Hobby Shop