Cermark Super ViperJet MkII PART1 - RC Universe

RCJI viperjet art. 11/3/05 1:00 pm Page 27
VIPERJET
MKII
Countersunk Allen head screws sit flush in load-bearing washers in the
fuselage, retaining the tailplane
Aileron and flap linkages with lock-nuts and clevis retainer sleeves all
correctly fitted
supplied epoxy fibre board horns in the elevators
to line up with the servo output arms. I cut
slots with a razor saw and epoxied the horns in
place, taking care to make sure the holes in the
horn lined up with the hinge line. The servos
are fixed using the aluminium brackets supplied,
and wooden blocks set in the pre-cut
holes in the underside of the tailplane halves.
The elevators and fin are held in the fuselage
by counter sunk 3 mm bolts which screw into
the aluminium spars previously mentioned. A
nice metal insert is imbedded into the fuselage
at each screw position which gives a positive
and solid fixing. This also makes everything
easy to take apart for transportation.
Wings
The wings are constructed in the same way
as the tailplane. This really is quality moulding
at its best. Only the joints between the wing
upper and lower halves need cleaning up. The
epoxy fibre board horns are installed in the
same way as for the elevators. Again the holes
for the Robart hinges for the ailerons and flaps
An aileron and a flap servo will be fitted to the
hatch cover. Note the glue on the protruding
hinge ends
are all pre-drilled, all you are left to do is glue
them in. However, the factory-installed balsa
blocks for the hinges are too small, in my opinion
as the Robart hinges protrude 10 mm into
the wing space, so when glue is put into the
hole it is pushed out into the wing. It would
have been much better to have had bigger
blocks so that any glue put into the hinge hole
would have remained in contact with the hinge.
Before gluing any hinges always put a smear of
Vaseline on to the pivot area to stop any glue
from jamming them solid. I shall cross-pin my
hinges to be sure that they will not pull out.
When installing the flaps I had to remove
some of the edge of the lower wing surface so
that the flap did not foul the wing skin when
fully deployed. I removed 3 mm to give me the
required movement. The servo hatch is precut,
the flap and aileron servos are mounted on
the inside surface with the supplied aluminium
brackets and wooden blocks. I found that if a
servo is positioned in the middle of the hatch
there is a good chance that it will foul the top
wing skin. More space can be found for the
servos by moving them forward.
There is a very nice wing fairing that attaches
to the root wing rib. This is simply put on over
the wing root and super glued in place, making
for a very nice transition from wing to fuselage.
The winglets at the tips are pushed on and held
in place with two bolts. A nice touch are the
lenses for the lights or strobes, whichever you
prefer to fit. I lined the inside of the lens cavities
with sticky backed silver paper to act as a
reflector for the lights that I will fit at a later
date. A screened single core wire had been
installed in each wing, this could be used to
connect to the lights or strobes, but the screen
would have to carry the electric current. It may
be more sensible to use this wire as a pull-wire
to pull in a screened two-core cable, especially
if strobe lights are installed.
All that remains is to install the landing gear
and jet-pipe and test fly the aircraft. This will
be described in the next issue.
Likes
A model which is very pleasing to the eye
and a good choice of jet scale subject
Big compartments for engine and radio
installation
Cockpit and seats, not made from ABS.
Fixing of fin and tailplane, easily taken
apart for transportation.
General finish of the whole model
Dislikes
Instruction manual - very little in the way
of written instructions
Balsa blocks for pin hinges too small, but
hinges could be pinned
Optional extras could be included in the
kit as they are all needed
Contacts:
Manufacturer: Cermark.
e-mail: cermark@aol.com
Technical Support: tamjets@yahoo.com
UK distributor: CML Distribution
www.cmldistribution.co.uk
E-mail: cml@cmldistribution.co.uk
Tel: 01527 575349
APRIL/MAY 2005 RCJI
27