Plantraco Me 163 Komet User manual

Build Guide
1. Remove the plywood nose reinforcement from the parts sheet and use foam safe CA to glue it to the underside of
the wing (the side without hinge tape). Use the motor cutout as a reference for aligning the part on the nose.

2. Glue the top fuselage half onto the top of the wing using foam-safe CA. The tabs will align the fuselage
horizontally, but make sure that it is mounted perpendicular to the wing.
3. Glue the bottom fuselage half to the bottom of the wing. Again, make sure that it is perpendicular to the wing
surface.
4. Press the foam receiver mount onto the HFX900 receiver and attach an LP90 cell. Move the assembly around until
it is centered inside the receiver cutout on the fuselage, then mark its position. Glue the foam mount in place, then
remove the receiver and battery.
5. If you would like to add a decorative finish to your Komet, do so now before mounting the electronics. You can
use foam-compatible spray paint, markers, or printed tissue. This model was airbrushed using thinned Testors
Gloss Red Enamel.

*Be careful when using CA accelerator after coloring your model. It often can remove paint that’s not
completely dry.
6. Use foam safe CA to glue the 7mmmotor into its cutout in the nose. One drop of CA on each of the four edges is
enough to secure the motor while allowing it to be removed for replacement. When gluing, check that the motor is
centered in the mount and not pointed upwards or downwards. Slightly angling the motor to the right is
optional, but it can reduce the effects of the motor torque on the model’s flight. Once the glue is dry, press a Tri-
Turbofan propeller onto the motor with the convex side facing outward.
7. Push the two MiniActs into their cutouts from the bottom of the wing, with the centering magnets in their
respective notches. Add a small dot of CA to each of the tabs to fix the actuators in place, and avoid getting glue
on the wires.
8. Attach a Figure-4 clip to each of the brass pushrods using the included heat shrink tubing. Push the Z-bend side
of the pushrods through the holes on each MiniAct, and then connect the Figure-4 side to the ply control horns.
Glue the control horns into their slots on the elevons, and slide the Figure-4 clip along the brass pushrod to
adjust the length of the control rod. When the actuator is neutral, the elevons should be deflected about 1.5mm
upwards. This is called elevon reflex, and adds stability in flying wing models.

9. If you haven’t already done so, set your HFX900 transmitter to Elevon Mixing mode by holding the right stick
down while turning on the transmitter.
10. Connect the motor and actuator wires to the receiver and verify that all controls work correctly. When the right
stick is moved to the left, the left elevon should move up and the right elevon should move down. The opposite
should be true when moving the right stick to the right. When you pull back on the right stick, both elevons
should move up, and both should move down when you push down on the stick. If you find that your elevons
move differently, reverse or swap the actuator connectors until the movements are correct.
11. Once satisfied that the control surfaces and motor move in the right directions, press fit or use double sided tape
to fix the receiver to the foam mount. Secure any loose wires to the wing with small strips of clear tape. You can
secure the actuator wire by cutting a hole in the fuselage behind the receiver cutout and wrapping the excess
length as shown below.
12. Congratulations, your model is now complete. To reduce the risk of damage to your airplane, we recommend that
you fly it over grass at all times. Happy flying!