Need help with NexSTAR ARF
 

I am building a NexSTAR ARF after an unpleasant greeting with a tree while flying the 1st NexSTAR, I have ran into a small problem, the manual says the fuel tank comes assembled ( IT DID NOT COME ASSEMBLED )and theres no instructions for assembly, am I correct that the hose & Clunk are positioned on the bottom of the stopper with the klunk not touching the back of the tank,and the fill and vent ( MUFFLER PRESSURE TUBE ) are on the top with the pressure tube being bent towards the top of the tank....? Also, I would like to strengthen a few areas so how do I go about thinning epoxy, what do I add.......?
I also have to glue in a peice of stock to hold the tank in place as the manual says to tighten the assembled stopper after sliding the tank through the hole in the firewall and the swollen rubber will hold the tank in place ( IT STILL SLIDES OUT WITH THE TANK EMPTY ), so I want to make sure it is assembled correctly before I glue in a piece of stock behind the tank to hold it in place........Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated......

RE: Need help with NexSTAR ARF
 

Go out to tower hobbies' website. Look up the Nexstar ARF and they have a PDF file addendum to the manual that explains the fuel thank.

EDIT: Here you go [link=http://www.hobbiconexstar.com/downloads/hcaa2025-addendum.pdf]http://www.hobbiconexstar.com/downloads/hcaa2025-addendum.pdf[/link]

RE: Need help with NexSTAR ARF
 

Thanks, thats something I should have found myself as I did look at the manual through tower but for some odd reason my adobe timed out before loading the complete manual, do you know anything about using thinned epoxy to strengthen some weaker areas on a plane....?

RE: Need help with NexSTAR ARF
 

I didn't have to do much to my NexSTAR until I crunched the landng gear, then all it took was some epoxy and fiberglass sheeting and it was back to flying. Perhaps some areas you might want to put a little thin epoxy are in the corners of the firewall. Mine took a bit of a beating but never crashed, other than running it into a ditch after a nice landing.. that's what broke the main gear.. turned left instead of right and went into a shallow ditch where it abruptly stopped pushing the left gear back into the fuselage a couple inches.

RE: Need help with NexSTAR ARF
 

I usually use thinned epoxy for fuel proofing the firewall and fuel tank area. Never really thought to use plain thinned epoxy to add strength Can't really see how it could add that much strength. You might be better off reinforcing weak areas with tri-stock balsa or lite ply or similar materials.

BTW Easist way I know to thin epoxy is with denatured Alcohol (Not rubbing since it has too much water in it). Others use a heat gun

RE: Need help with NexSTAR ARF
 

If you want to add strength to the firewall area, using thinned epoxy "in the corners" won't add that much strength. Thinned epoxy is used more for fuel proofing than adding strength. If you want to add strength to the firewall area get some triangular balsa stock. Cut 2 pieces and epoxy them into the area where the firewall meets the fuselage, on the fuel tank side of the firewall. You can also use some 3/16" dowel to pin the firewall. Drill holes through the fuselage into the firewall, cut 3/16" dowel pieces (longer than the hole), add a couple of drops of Elmer's glue into the hole, tap the dowel down into the hole, and after the glue has dried saw the dowel off flush with the fuselage. See the attached pictures for ideas on strengthen the firewall.

IMHO using thinned epoxy to strengthen joints will add more weight and won't stringed the joint that much, at least not compared to the added weight. If you want to make joints stronger use balsa tri-stock and some Elmer's carpenters glue. if you use the glue very sparingly and apply a very very thin coat of glue on the tri-stock will give you a very strong joint with not too much weight gain.

RE: Need help with NexSTAR ARF
 

Your assumptions about the fuel tank are correct. It is quite acceptable to retain the tank with a bit of balsa stock. If there is no padding on the bulkhead cut-outs for the tank, try to fit thin foam padding between the tank & the cutouts -- this will help prevent fuel foaming (some Nexstars that I have seen have moulded in padding).

Thin your (30-min) epoxy with anhydrous iso-propyl alcohol (get it from a drug store). Mix the epoxy, as per directions, & add just enough alcohol to make it easy to spread with a brush.

RE: Need help with NexSTAR ARF
 

I just wanna thank all of you for taking your time to help me out, your advice and wisdom in my opinion is invaluable, I love this hobby and appreciate the friendlyness of most involved, I will epoxy some Tristock behind the firewall, which I have, I have already placed 1/2 foam on the sides of the tank as it already has a peice on top and bottom , but 1st I will need to reposition the stopper so the tubing matches the manual update from Tower.......Then I may use regular epoxy on the bottom of the fuselage as it is very weak and bows when I pick it up, the 1st NexSTAR had a hole in the bottom from the factory so I know they are easy to poke through........Happy flying this summer to all and thanks again guys for all the advice......