RE: Do you mount your ARTF's engine first?
piroflip2,
I always like to take everything out of the box and look it over for damage and then trail fit the wings and stab halfs on the tubes to make sure the alignment is ok. By doing this first you may catch something wrong that may have to be returned and then you haven't wasted your time shrinking the covering on the plane. Then, once I'm satisfied I just follow the instruction.