Rumbuilder 71 B-17 Congrats on your Rumbuilder B-17! We re glad you chose to fly with us! If you have any problems, or missing/broken kit pieces, please contact us. We d be happy to replace any damaged items, to get you back in the air. We re committed to you having an enjoyable flying experience! This B-17 kit contains 20 pieces, 5 control horns, 5 Z-bend pushrods, a spine spar, and 2 wing spars. You may wish to paint your B- 17, and we recommend assembling the wing and fuselage components first to ensure proper bonding of glue. Control surfaces can be painted first and then attached with either hinges, or tape. If you plan on using tape, cut the control surfaces at a 45 degree angle. Also, this kit can be built for either 2 or 4 motors. For 2 motors, we recommend the outer nacelle locations. Two of the nacelles are precut for motors, and the other two are scored. Before assembly, check the list below to make sure you ve got everything. Don t worry, we ll show all the pieces for each step. Let s get started! Airframe Component List: 1. Top Vertical Fuselage Front 2. Top Vertical Fuselage Back 3. Vertical Stabilizer 4. Rudder 5. Horizontal Fuselage Front 6. Horizontal Fuselage Middle 7. Horizontal Fuselage Back 8. Bottom Vertical Fuselage Front 9. Bottom Vertical Fuselage/Wing Brace 10. Bottom Vertical Fuselage Back 11. Main Wing Right 12. Wing Tip Right 13. Horizontal Stabilizer Left 14. Horizontal Stabilizer Right 15. Wing Tip Left 16. Main Wing Left 17-20. Nacelles 2 precut, 2 scored 1
Horizontal Fuselage 1. Lay out the Horizontal Fuselage pieces 5, 6, and 7. * Make sure the Spar Slot (green arrow) is facing DOWN when gluing these pieces together. ** Make sure NOT to glue inside the rectangle holes (blue arrows). These are alignment holes for the vertical fuselage. 2. Apply hot glue to the areas indicated in red below, to the Horizontal Fuselage, pieces 5 and 6. Press the parts together as indicated by the arrows, and let the glue solidify. 3. Apply hot glue to the areas indicated in red below, to the Horizontal Fuselage, pieces 6 and 7. Press the parts together as indicated by the arrows, and let the glue solidify. 6 7 5 Spar Slot Facing DOWN Top Vertical Fuselage 1. Lay out the Top Vertical Fuse Front(1), Top Vertical Fuse Back(2), and Vertical Stabilizer(3). 2. Apply hot glue to the areas indicated in red below, to the Top Vertical Fuse Front(1), Top Vertical Fuse Back(2). Press the parts together as indicated by the arrows, and let the glue solidify. 3. Apply hot glue to the areas indicated in red below, to the Top Vertical Fuse Back(2), and Vertical Stabilizer(3). Press the parts together as indicated by the arrows, and let the glue solidify. 4. Glue in the 6 spine spare as indicated. This will help strengthen the fuselage. 3 4 2 1 2
Bottom Vertical Fuselage 1. Lay out the Bottom Vertical Fuselage-Front(8), Bottom Vertical Fuselage-Back(10), and completed Horizontal Fuselage. 2. Apply hot glue to the areas indicated in red below, to the Bottom Vertical Fuselage-Front(8). Using the alignment tabs, press the parts together as indicated by the arrows, and let the glue solidify. * Make sure the Spar Slot (green arrow) is facing DOWN when gluing these pieces together. 1. 3. Apply hot glue to the areas indicated in red below, to the Bottom Vertical Fuselage-Back(10). Using the alignment tabs, press the parts together as indicated by the arrows, and let the glue solidify. 10 Spar Slot Facing DOWN 8 1. Time to join the fuselage! Apply hot glue to either the upper fuselage, or the horizontal fuselage, in the areas indicated in red below. Press the pieces together as indicated by the arrows. *Note: DO NOT apply hot glue to the areas indicated in YELLOW. This is where the horizontal stabilizer will fit, and glue here may cause fitment issues. 3
Horizontal Stabilizer 1. Apply glue to the area indicated in red below, to the Horizontal Stabilizer Left(13) and Horizontal Stabilizer Right(14). 2. Quickly slide the two pieces together through the slot in the vertical fuselage, and firmly press the parts together as indicated by the arrows, and let the glue solidify. 14 13 3. Ensure the horizontal stabilizer is straight, and perpendicular to the vertical fuselage. 4. Apply a bead of hot glue to the areas indicated in red below, and let the glue solidify. 4
Wing Halves Assembly 1. Lay out the Main Wing(11&16) and Wing Tip(12&15) pieces, with the spar groove FACE UP. 2. Apply glue to the area indicated in red below, and firmly press the parts together as indicated by the arrows, and let the glue solidify. Make sure that as you re pressing the pieces together, that the spar grooves line up as closely as possible. 11 12 16 15 1. Insert the spares into the spar groove for each wing half. We recommend inserting the spar into the end of the spar groove, and then sliding it all the way until it s fully in place. (See blue arrows below) This might take a fair amount of force, take your time, and make sure it fits tightly, and stops at the end of the spar groove in the wingtip. The spar will stick half out above the wing, this is normal for this kit. 2. Once the spar is fully inserted into the wing, make sure it is fully seated into the groove, and then glue the sections ONLY indicated in red below. Make sure to glue around the tip of the spar as well. Also, don t glue the spar past the overlap section. (Green Circle) This section will be glued in the next step, when joining the two wing halves. Insert spare into the end of the wing here. Insert spare along groove, all the way to the wingtip. Don t glue spar here.yet... 5
Wing Assembly 1. Time for lots of glue! Apply hot glue generously to the area indicated in red below, and firmly press the parts together as indicated by the arrows, and let the glue solidify. Note: We find it works best, to apply a bead to the edge of the wing, then apply glue liberally to both the spar itself, and in the overlap section where the spars cross. You ll want to work quickly on this step, but it s not difficult. Make sure to press and hold the two wing halves together so they are flat and completely joined together. It may not seem like a strong joint, but we ve tested this in a 30mph dive, pulling up at full throttle, and have had no strength issues. Spars should overlap, and fit into the wider spar grooves on each wing half. 2. Attach the Bottom Vertical Fuselage/Wing Brace(9) to the BOTTOM of the wing, with the ball turret at the rear/trailing edge of the wing. Apply glue to the areas indicated in red below, and press into the bottom of the wing, as indicated by the arrows. Once it s in place, you should also run a bead along the joint for extra strength, since you ll probably be hand launching from this piece. 9 6
Final Assembly 1. Attach the wing to the fuselage using the nylon bolts, nuts, and washers. There is no need to overtighten! Use one washer on either side of the wing, to sandwich the wing tighter to the fuselage. No glue is necessary, as the wing is removable for easier transportation. 2. Slide the nacelles into the wing, with the precut nacelles on the outside motor pylons. Cut the pre-scored lines on the wing nacelles so you can mount motors. If you prefer the motors to be in the inside pylons, simply cut those lines instead. If you want to build a 4 motor B-17, you can cut all the pre-scored lines on the nacelles and pylons. 3. Attach the ailerons, elevators, and rudder with your method of choice. We usually cut a 45 degree bevel on our controls, and then use the fiber reinforced Extreme Packing Tape to attach them. 4. Add servos, motors, esc s, battery, and wiring of your choice, and enjoy! NOTE: CG (green dots) should be located approximately at the wing spar, or no more than 1/2 inch either side of the spar (except forward). The B17 kit is very forgiving for CG location. The battery (generally 3S 2200mah) is usually attached at the nose, as indicated below (red block). We hope you enjoy your RUMBuilder.com 71 B-17! If you have any questions, please let us know! We re happy to help get you flying, Thanks! 7