Full Text Searchable PDF User Manual
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
F-4 Phantom II
Specs: Length: 38.5” Wingspan: 28.5” Weight: 19-24oz
Wing area: 297 sq inches
Wing Loading: 10.67 oz/sq foot
Center of Gravity Location: 5 7/8” to 6 1/4” measured back from the leading edge of the
wing were it connects to fuselage
6mmFlyRC.com
Get Ready To Fly
The parts template page should be used as a guide only for part recognition and as a
general guide. Your kit has been modified from these plans. 6mmFlyRC thanks
Matti Houviala for his permission to use his design for the F-4 Phantom II.
Review the entire construction manual
before you start building.
Fuselage Side Construction
First, assemble the two fuselage sides by
applying epoxy to the edges and pressing
together.
Doubler Installation
1. First locate the fuselage sides (2) and
intake sides and your 3/8” doubler strips
(10). We will be attaching the doubler
strips with 3M Super 77 spray and a
small amount of 5 minute epoxy to
ensure a strong bond on the curves.
2. Take your two fuselage sides and
make sure you make a right and left
side
. Lightly spray the 3M Super 77
Adhesive on the edges of the fuselage
pieces and on the doubler strips. It may
be necessary near the nose to secure the
strips with a dab of epoxy. Near the tail
section, allow 4 inches without doubler
strips. This is necessary to install the
motor mount (later). See pictures.
Allow 4 inches from the end of the tail
section.
It may be necessary to apply a small
amount of epoxy to hold the doubler
strips around the curves.
3. Next, apply doublers strips to the
intake sides using the same techniques.
Again, it may be necessary to use a
small amount of epoxy on the curves to
ensure a tight bond
. Make sure to
make a right and left side.
Intake Sides
Intake Sides with doublers installed.
4. After installing the doubler strips,
you may place these parts (fuselage sides
and intake sides) aside; they will be used
later in the installation.
Wing Assembly
1. The wing of the F-4 is composed of
several parts. Main wing (1 piece), wing
tips (2), and the ailerons (2). You will
need to install the carbon fiber rod that is
included in your kit. Do so by applying
a strip of masking tape over the pre-cut
slot on the TOP SIDE of the wing.
2. Flip the wing over. Pour epoxy into
the slot the entire length of the channel,
making sure you have plenty of epoxy.
Press the carbon fiber rod into the slot.
Epoxy will ooze out of the channel. Use
alcohol to wipe away excess epoxy
before it cures, making sure the carbon
fiber rod is completely embedded. Let
dry and remove tape.
Your carbon fiber rod should go from
end to end.
Fuselage Assembly
1. You will need the two fuselage sides
you prepared earlier and the three (3)
bulkheads. Attach to one side the
bulkheads at the points indicated in the
pictures. The smaller bulkhead attaches
at the nose, the next size bulkhead with a
centered hole assembles just behind the
canopy section, and the third bulkhead,
with the off set hole goes at the furthest
point rearward in the main fuselage
body. The hole should be oriented
towards the top of the plane. Use epoxy.
Refer to pictures below. The placement
of the forward bulkhead and the rear
bulkhead should be flush with the
fuselage side.
2. Next, apply epoxy to the other side of
the bulkheads so you may put the other
fuselage side together. Dry fit and trim
any bulkhead that doesn’t allow for a
good fit.
Fuselage sides assembled.
Wing to Fuselage
1. The first step is to take the bottom-
front fuselage piece and attach it to the
fuselage piece. Take extra care to get a
tight fit. Pre-bending the piece
sometimes helps. Make sure the piece is
flush with the nose. NOTE: Your kit
contains a cockpit floor doubler piece
that is optional. It simply doubles the
floor thickness of the cockpit floor.
Pre-bent piece to fit the curve of the
fuselage side.
2. Now we will attach your wing
assembly to your fuselage piece. With
the fuselage piece you just assembled
turned over so the bottom of the fuselage
is up, place the wing assembly on it for a
dry fitting. Align the piece from the
nose back.
2. After you are satisfied with the fit,
remove wing and apply epoxy to the
edge of the fuselage pieces and place the
wing on top making sure to have a tight
bond on all contacted surfaces. Allow
adhesive to dry. NOTE: Make sure you
get good contact with the fuselage sides
to ensure a good bond.
3. Next, attach the rear fuselage piece to
the bottom using the same techniques.
This piece is almost square, but tapers
slightly, make sure to dry fit this piece
first as one side does match up to the
main wing assembly. Be sure to epoxy
along the butting edge as well.
Intake Assembly
WARNING:
SOME
OF
THE
FOLLOWING
PICTURES
ARE
INCORRECT! TAKE NOTE OF THE
PICTURES DIRECTLY BELOW TO
ALIGN
YOUR
INTAKES
CORRECTLY FRONT TO BACK.
THE INTAKE SIDES HAVE A
CURVED SECTION THAT SHOULD
BE TOWARDS THE REAR OF THE
AIRCRAFT DESPITE SOME OF THE
PICTURES.
THE
SECTION
EXPLAINING THE INSTALLATION
OF THE TOP INTAKE PIECE IS
CORRECT
IN
REGARDS
TO
ALIGNMENT.
Questions? sixmmflyrc@yahoo.com
Correct orientation front to back.
Curved part is rear of the aircraft
1. With your fuselage and wing
assembly completed, place the model
right side up. You will now attach the
previously assembled intake sides with
the doubler strips to the wing assembly
parallel to the fuselage body.
2. Align the intake sides with both the
outside of the intake bottom that is part
of the wing assembly and with the edge
of the rear fuselage piece you just
assembled in the previous step. The
doublers should be on the inside of the
intake.
Intake side placement. Make sure to
have the intake sides flush with the
outside intake edge.
Side view of assembled intake side.
Note: incorrect alignment front to back.
3. Repeat for other side.
Top Intake Assembly
1. Next you will be installing the intake
top. NOTE: If you want to avoid
fishing your servo wires later, servos can
be installed at this point for ease of
wiring.
See
our
SERVO
INSTALLATION page later in the
instructions to see our recommended
placement.
2. Take your intake tops and note the
angled portion featured at the bottom of
the picture. The right and left placement
of the tops is represented in the photo as
well. The angles cant outward on the
intake. It may be necessary to gently
bend the REAR of the intake tops to
curve around the intake sides.
This can be done by gently bending the
pieces by hand or with a heat gun on
very low heat. We recommend just
using your hand.
3. Next apply epoxy to the top of the
intake side you are working on and to
the edge of the intake top that butts
against the fuselage side. Attach the
piece, making sure to get a good bond.
Repeat for other side. Make sure you
align the piece from the front to back,
making the front flush and saving the
rear for any trimming that may be
needed.
Top intake installation continued.
Intake lips angle out
Completed top intake installation.
Tail Assembly
1. Flip your model over so you can
install the bottom tail piece.
2. Apply epoxy to one side of the
fuselage body edges and attach one side
of the rear lower tail piece. After drying,
repeat and gently bend the fuselage tail
to form the triangle shape.
Wing Tip Installation
1. Now it’s time to install the wing tips.
The wing tips cant up. For this step you
will need four (4) of the angle braces
provided and the wing tips. They look
like little wooden boomerangs. This
provides the correct angle for the wing
tip installation.
Before applying epoxy to the angle
braces, dry fit the angle braces and wing
tip against the main wing. Bevel the
edge of the wing tip to match the angle
so the joint is flush. This can be done
with a medium grit sandpaper (150).
Bevel applied to wing tip edge
2. Next, lay the wing tip on a flat
surface. Put a strip of tape across the
angle brace slots so you don’t glue your
wing tip to the table. Using a small
amount of epoxy, install the angle
braces, making sure the edges of the
braces are flush against the table. This
will insure that the angle of all the braces
will be the same.
3. To finish wing tip installation, apply
adhesive to the angle braces and to the
edge of the wing and press into place.
Make sure the wing tip does not sag
during the curing process. Repeat
process for other wing tip.
Vertical Tail Installation
Next, you will need the vertical tail and
the top fuselage piece that receives the
tail. You will also need the motor stick
mount.
1. First, apply adhesive to the tabs in the
vertical tail and butting edge and insert
into the corresponding slots in the
fuselage top piece. Make sure to install
the vertical tail at a right angle relative to
the fuselage top.
2. After the tail has cured, install the
stick motor mount by applying liberal
amounts of epoxy to the stick. The
placement of the motor mount should
completely cover up the slot that
received the tail and it must be straight
and centered. Take extra care in
installing the motor mount correctly.
Centered and straight motor mount.
NOTE: Elevator servo wires and motor
wires can be run at this step to avoid
fishing the wires later. See our servo
installation section for recommended
placement.
3. Next, to install the top fuselage piece
and vertical tail, apply epoxy to the
fuselage side edges and place the top
fuselage piece on top of your model.
Line up the top fuselage piece by placing
the front of the piece at the back edge of
the beginning of the canopy section.
Using small amounts of masking tape or
t-pins to hold the piece in place is
helpful and helps ensure proper
placement.
Tail Assembly continued on next page.
For the next step you will need the
triangular piece that bridges between the
main fuselage and the tail.
1. Apply epoxy and install making sure
to have good contact to the main
fuselage. It may be necessary to sand,
using a sanding block, the rear of the
fuselage to remove any excess depron to
ensure a tight fit.
Note: the piece does not extend to the
end of the tail section.
Nose Installation
For the nose installation, you will need
the small top fuselage piece, and the 3
pink foam nose cone pieces.
1. First, install the front fuselage piece,
making sure it is flush with the front
bulkhead. The shape of the kit requires
the front side fuselage to be pinched in
slightly. The use of pins to secure the
fuselage sides in place may be
necessary.
2. Next, laminate the three nose cone
pieces together making sure the flat side
that butts against the fuselage is lined up
properly. Attach to the front fuselage
making sure its not on upside down.
The nose should appear to point down.
3. Sand the nosecone into shape now or
before painting.
Elevator/Horizontal Tail Assembly
The tails of the F-4 Phantom cant down
at about a 23 degree angle. For the
installation, you will need the two
tailpieces, the 4 angle brackets, and
epoxy.
1. Install the angle braces using the
same techniques you used for the wing
tips. Be sure to make a right and left
side. Be sure the angle braces are
installed to identical angles.
Check the angles to make sure they are
identical.
2. Dry fit the tails by poking the ends of
the angle braces into the pre-drilled
holes in the rear fuselage. It may be
necessary to enlarge the hole. The angle
braces will be visible through the
opening at the end of the airplane. The
angle braces inside the plane should be
horizontal and level. NOTE: do not
attach the elevator permanently at this
stage. Trimming may be necessary after
the tail is installed.
3. Remove the tails and bevel the
inboard edge of the horizontal tail to
achieve a tight fit against the fuselage.
Be sure not to remove too much
material.
4. Install one side of the tail by applying
epoxy to the butting edge of the tail and
to the angle brace. Insert back into the
slots and make sure the portion of the
angle brace inside the fuselage is level.
It may be necessary to hold this piece
while the epoxy cures. Repeat for the
other tail.
5. Bevel the leading edge of the elevator
on the bottom side of the elevator. This
allows for the elevator to be free and
travel down once hinge tape is applied.
6. Temporarily attach the elevators to the
tail using some common scotch tape.
You are checking for the range of
motion in the elevator. Because of the
angle of the tail, the inside of the
elevator may bind slightly against the
fuselage when in the down position.
Simply trim a very small amount from
the inside of the elevator. (See Pictures)
Elevator in UP position
Elevator may bind slightly in DOWN
position
Trim a small piece (1/8”) of the elevator
at an angle to free the elevator.
Attach the elevator using Dubro hinge
tape or with a similar product once free
motion has been achieved.
Motor Installation
Installing the motor is very simple using
the stick mount you previously installed.
It may be necessary to trim the stick
mount during this process. In addition,
it may be necessary to trim back portions
of the foam in the tail. It is important to
get the motor as far forward as possible.
You do not want to just mount the motor
way out on the stick. Any foam that is
removed must be from the bottom or
sides.
1. Dry fit your motor and determine if
any stick or foam will need to be
trimmed.
Underside of tail was trimmed to
accommodate motor.
Marking the stick to be trimmed with a
hand saw.
Motor fitted onto the stick. Ready for
mounting.
Servo Locations and Control Horn
Tips
The servos for the ailerons can be
installed along the intake sides about
3.25” forward of the trailing edge of
the wing. (NOTE: Ailerons not
installed for measurement.)
More pictures on next page.
Aileron servo and control horn installed
Elevator Servo Location
To install the elevator, we used two
servos and mounted them to the tail
sides near the leading edge of the
horizontal tail.
Elevator servo location
Control Horn Installation
The control horns that come with your
kit install by simply applying epoxy to
the spars and bottom and pressing into
place. The spars may need to be
trimmed to prevent them from poking
through the other side of the foam. The
control horns have several small holes
that must be lined up with the control
surface edge (see picture), either the
aileron or elevator.
Control horns
Holes lined up over butting edge of
aileron or elevator
Canopy Installation
See canopy installation guide in your
instruction CD. With the F-4, you will
be using 1 piece of depron (precut)
instead of the 2 indicated in the canopy
instruction guide.
Splitter Installation (Optional)
Your kit also comes with two 3mm
splitter pieces that can be attached by
inserting on end into each intake. These
are decorative pieces and in no way
affect the performance of your park jet.
Power gear recommendations
We recommend a battery of 1800-2100
mah three cell 11.1 volt lipo. This
provides long flight times and plenty of
power for this airplane.
We recommend Himax brushless motors
HA-2015 or HA-2025 in a gear box with
a KV of 4200-5300 with a 9x6 prop.
We recommend a 20-25 amp speed
controller.
We recommend GWS naro standard
servos or Hitech HS-55 or HS-81 micro
servos.
Flight Characteristics
This plane performs like most of our
other parkjets. Very controllable at low
speeds but offers jet-like speed and
agility at higher speeds. Beginner to
intermediate
experience
is
recommended. This is not a trainer.
Finishing Tips
Round over the edges of your model
with medium grit sandpaper to achieve a
scale look taking care not to remove too
much depron. Round over the leading
edges of the wings and tail surfaces.
Refer to pictures. Repeat with a fine grit
sandpaper to achieve a smooth finish and
paint with a foam safe paint. Always
test a small piece of foam to insure the
paint will not harm the foam during
painting.
Additional support at
www.6mmFlyRC.com
. Additional tips and modifications at:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=537312
Modify at your own risk.
