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3 D H O B B Y S H O P . C O M

Assembly Manual for the 51” AJ Slick

Thank you for purchasing this 3DHobbyShop ARF RC aircraft. If you have any issues, questions, concerns or problems during assembly, please contact our tech department at: Info@3DHobbyShop.com or 1-830-990-6978 10am-5pm Central M-F We highly recommend www.RCGroups.com as a good source for RC tips, tricks, and information. SAFETY in Assembly During assembly of this aircraft, you will be asked to use sharp knives and hobby adhesives. Please follow all safety procedures recommended by the manufacturers of the products you use, and always follow these important guidelines: ALWAYS protect your eyes when working with adhesives, knives, or tools, especially power tools. Safety glasses are the best way to protect your eyes. ALWAYS protect your body, especially your hands and fingers when using adhesives, knives, or tools, especially power tools. Do not cut toward exposed skin with hobby knives. Do not place hobby knives on tables or benches where they can roll off or be knocked off. ALWAYS have a first-aid kit handy when working with adhesives, knives, or tools, especially power tools. ALWAYS keep hobby equipment and supplies out of the reach of children. IMPORTANT NOTE – We strive to provide the absolute best-quality ARF aircraft on the planet. However, the ultimate success or failure of this aircraft is dependent upon proper assembly by you. If you have questions about an assembly step, please contact us, or read the assembly thread for your airplane on RCGroups.com before proceeding. It is always better to slow down and be sure of your assembly than to rush through it and make a mistake which can cause a crash. SAFETY in Flying SAFETY NOTICE: This is NOT a toy! It is a very high-performance RC airplane capable of high speeds and extreme maneuvers. It should only be operated by a competent pilot in a safe area with proper supervision. ONLY fly your aircraft in a safe, open area, away from spectators and vehicles–and where it is legal to fly. NEVER fly over an unsafe area, such as a road or street. NEVER fly near overhead power or utility lines. If your airplane ever becomes stuck in a line or a tree DO NOT attempt to retrieve it yourself. Contact the authorities for assistance in retrieving your aircraft. Power lines are DANGEROUS and falls from ladders and trees CAN KILL! Never fly too close to yourself or spectators. Spinning propellers are DANGEROUS! Never run your motor inside a house or building with the propeller attached – Remove the prop for safety. Always fly within your control.

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Always follow manufacturer’s instructions for your radio system. Always obtain proper insurance before flying – contact the AMA at www.modelaircraft.org Designer’s note from Andrew Jesky – In designing the AJ Slick I wanted to create an airplane that could handle the everyday ins and out of flying and give you that feeling of flying a much larger IMAC plane. I feel that 3DHS and myself have created an airplane that does that and so much more. This airplane is a great little IMAC airplane as well as 3d plane. You soon will find yourself not only throwing the Slick around in 3d maneuvers, but I guarantee you will be flying IMAC sequences with the model as well. Follow the instructions on recommended equipment and on the build, in doing this you will have yourself many hours of fun with a great flying model. With 3DHS building techniques this is one of the strongest airplanes designed in this size. Go out have fun and fly hard. For further questions about the flight characteristics of the Slick or anything else regarding the Slick please feel free to drop me an email at Andrew@soaringsoftware.com Please title the email AJ Slick. -Andrew Jesky REQUIRED ITEMS CA Glue – Thin and Medium or Thick Hobby Knife Small Phillips Screwdriver Set Metric Allen Wrenches Scissors Needle nose pliers Adjustable wrench or wrench set Clear Tape Wire Cutters Optional – Heat gun and covering iron Threadlocker (Blue Loctite) Tape measure Assembly Instructions – Read completely before starting assembly! UNPACK Unpack your airplane and examine the components. Check for damage of any kind. If you have damage, please contact 3DHobbyShop to discuss. WRINKLES Your airplane was packed in plastic at the factory without any wrinkles in the covering. You may notice some wrinkles now; more likely, you will notice a few in a day or two or the first time you take the plane out to the flying field. These wrinkles are the result of wood shrinkage and/or expansion. Balsa wood changes size and shape slightly as it is exposed to varying humidity in the air. This is a natural property of balsa wood. As your airplane adjusts to the weather in your part of the world, wrinkles may appear and disappear. Wrinkles may be removed with the gentle application of heat to the covering material on your airplane. The best tool to use is a covering iron. Apply the heat gently: the covering material will shrink as you apply the heat, and this will remove the wrinkles. BE CAREFUL! Too much heat applied too

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quickly can damage the covering, either by causing it to pull away from the wood at seams and corners or even by melting it. The covering will shrink at low temperature with patient application of heat. Wrinkles in the covering DO NOT affect flight performance. If you must shrink on a color-seam, use the iron and go slowly and carefully to avoid any pulling or lifting at the seam. Remove the canopy before attempting to use heat on your covering! The canopy is made of thermo-activated plastic and WILL deform with the application of heat. Do not apply heat to the canopy. PAINT If you need to clean your airplane, we recommend using a damp towel. The paint used on the canopy and cowl is not safe for all cleaners. In particular, DO NOT use alcohol on these parts, it will remove the paint. Assembly

Start by sliding the wheels onto the aluminum wheel axles, and tightening the aluminum wheel collars with a 1.5mm hex driver.

Slide the wheels and axles into the wheel pants as shown.

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Attach the wheel pant assembles onto the carbon main landing gear with 4mm locknuts as shown. Hold the wheel collars with needle-nose pliers while tightening the nuts.

Screw wood screws into the pants as shown, going about half-way in. Then, remove the screws and clip off about ½ of their length with wire cutters and re-install.

Install the gear onto the fuselage with 3mm screws as shown.

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Using medium or thick CA , install the landing gear cover plate onto the gear as shown.

Remove covering over control-horn slot in rudder as shown, using a hobby knife or hot soldering iron.

Slide double-sided rudder control horn into slot in rudder as shown, drip several drops of thin CA into the slot to attach horn. Slide rudder into vertical fin as shown, make sure of alignment and drip 2 large drops

of thin CA onto each rudder hinge. Allow to dry.

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Mount tailwheel assembly as shown using two wood screws.

Remove the set screws in the tailwheel assembly with a 1.5mm hex driver, apply loctite, and re-install.

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Use a hobby knife or hot soldering iron to remove two squares of covering on the bottom of the fuselage as shown, for battery cooling.

Remove covering over the wing-spar hole, wing bolt hole, alignment-pin holes, and wire access hole as shown.

Remove covering over the rudder pull-pull cable slot and horizontal stabilizer opening as shown.

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Slide the horizontal stabilizer into its slot. Use a tape measure or ruler to center it side-to-side.

Install the wing spar tube and wings without ailerons. NOTE- Your wing spar is packed inside its transport holder inside one of the wing bags. Use a tape measure to measure from the stabilizer tip

to the wingtip as shown. Make sure this measurement is the same on both sides.

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Apply thin CA glue to the stabilizer joint. Allow to dry.

Turn the fuselage over and apply a generous amount of thin CA glue to the bottom of the joint. Allow to dry. Notice, we DO NOT cut the covering on the stabilizer…it is stronger this way. Also, if your stabilizer

joint is not tight enough for thin CA to work well, medium or thick CA can be used after the thin CA.

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Attach the RIGHT elevator (the one with the elevator-joiner attached to it) to the stabilizer first. Before gluing, flex the elevator up and down, make sure you can easily get 45 degrees of throw up and down.

There is no need for a large gap. Use thin CA on the hinges. Apply a piece of masking tape as shown to hold the elevator perfectly straight.

Apply medium or thick CA glue into the slot in the LEFT elevator half and insert it onto the stabilizer and joiner. Hold the elevator level (you can use another piece of tape on this side) as the glue dries. Use thin

CA on the hinges. Allow to dry.

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Remove the covering over the slot in the LEFT elevator as shown, apply medium CA glue to the elevator horn and insert it as shown. Remove the covering over the elevator servo opening as shown.

Attach an 18-20” servo extension to the elevator servo (use tape or a connector lock to keep the extensions from un-plugging in flight) and feed it through the fuselage to the front. Mount the servo with

the output shaft to the REAR of the airplane.

Assemble the elevator pushrod as shown. The pushrod has excess thread, so you can clip the ends of the pushrod up to 1/8 inch if necessary to shorten the pushrod. Once you get the length of the pushrod

exactly right, apply thin CA glue to the ball-link to pushrod joint.

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The ball links are held onto the servo arm and control horn with a 2mm bolt, washer, and nut. Use medium CA glue to lock the nut onto the bolt after installation. If you do not use CA to lock the nut, the

nut WILL come loose in flight and your plane will crash.

These servo arms are the second-longest in the Dubro DUB#672 pack.

Properly installed elevator pushrod shown. Remember to use medium or thick CA glue on the 2mm nuts at each end of the pushrod to lock the nuts

into place!

Assemble the rudder servo arm as shown. The connector nuts should be loose enough to allow the connectors to rotate freely on the horn, use medium CA glue to lock the nuts into place permanently.

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Mount the rudder servo as shown.

The rudder pull-pull cable system is assembled as shown. Use medium CA to lock all nuts onto their

bolts, or they WILL come loose in flight.

Assemble the rudder ends of the cables as shown. Make the loop in the cable as shown before crimping. Crimp the brass tube sleeve with pliers to secure the assembly. Crimp HARD to keep the cable from sliding, then add a drop of thin CA to the crimp-joint. Use a drop of thin CA where the ball-link screws

onto the chrome end piece.

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Attach the cables to the rudder horn as shown, using medium CA to lock the nuts as shown. Insert the cables into the fuselage through the slots and pull them to the front. The cables should cross once,

forming an X shape inside the fuselage.

Use a piece of masking tape on the rudder to hold it straight.

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Assemble the forward cable ends as shown, do not crimp them yet.

Set the length of the cable as shown, then crimp the assembly in place permanently. We make the cables only as long as necessary, as shown, because they tend to loosen up a bit during the first several

flights.

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Adjust the finished pull-pull cables so that the cables are snug, but not too tight. Too-tight cables steal power from the servo and give a weak, sluggish rudder. Too-loose and floppy cables give an imprecise rudder and an imprecise floppy airplane. Tighten the set screw in the adjuster with a 1.5mm hex driver. Check your cables after your maiden flight and after the first few flights. Adjust as necessary to remain

snug. Assemble your brushless outrunner motor. The Slick is a VERY maneuverable aircraft, capable of violent

tumbles and hard snapping maneuvers. The soft aluminum X-mounts supplied with many popular outrunner motors will not last forever if you perform hard tumbles and other abusive maneuvers. Either

upgrade to a steel or carbon fiber X-mount, or inspect your aluminum X-mount for cracks frequently.

Assemble your motor to the firewall as shown w/ 3mm bolts. Mount your ESC on the side of the motor box and hook up to the motor.

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Tape strips of paper to the fuselage as shown to provide a guide to the location of the plywood-square cowl mounts. Before installing the cowl, make sure the canopy-hatch is installed so you know everything

fits together.

Slide the cowl on. Install the spinner and use tape to hole the cowl in position.

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Using the paper strips for location, use a hobby knife to make small holes in the cowl, and install wood screws to hold the cowl in position.

Remove all tape, your cowl should be perfectly located.

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Align your ailerons onto your wings so that all the covering stripes match up, there is no need for a large gap between the surfaces, 1/32 inch or 1mm is plenty. Apply two large drops of thin CA glue to each hinge. Allow to dry. Turn your wings over, locate the hole for the aileron servo and the slot for the aileron control horn. Remove the covering over the hole and slot with a hobby knife or soldering iron. Install the aileron control horns exactly as you installed the elevator control horn, with medium CA glue. Install your aileron servo wire extensions onto the aileron servo. Use tape or a connector lock to keep this connection firmly attached.

Tie the string which is pre-installed into the wing onto your servo extension wire. Pull the wire through the wing.

Mount the aileron servo with the output shaft toward the FRONT of the wing. Trim the wing sheeting as

necessary to get a snug fit.

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If using the recommended DUB672 servo arms, use the longest arms in the package for the ailerons, shorten them as shown.

Assemble the aileron pushrod as shown. As on the elevator pushrod, you can trim up to 1/8 inch from each end of the threaded pushrod to get an exact fit. Once you are satisfied with the pushrod fit, use thin CA on the ball link-to-pushrod joint. Be sure to use CA glue to lock the 2mm nuts in place as you did on the other linkages.

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Plug your servos and ESC into your receiver, attach your battery and test your radio system. Check for correct motor running direction WITHOUT the prop installed. Leave the prop off until you are outside in a safe location. Setting CG

Balance your Slick at 60mm back from the leading edge at the wingtip. NOTE: this is approximately 1/8th inch behind the end of the wing leading edge sheeting. See photo above. Control Throws

Use the supplied angle gauge to measure control throws, set high and low rates. Ailerons: Low 15 degrees High 30 degrees Elevator: Low 15 degrees High 45-50 degrees Rudder: Low 30 degrees High As much as possible.

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Use Exponential on all controls. We recommend starting with 25% on low rates and 70% on high rates. Adjust as needed to obtain the control feel you want. Consult your radio manual for help in setting exponential properly. Self-adhesive Velcro is included in your kit, apply one side to your battery and the other to the battery tray. Use the included Velcro strap around the battery to hold it tightly down to the tray. You MUST use the velcro strap around your battery because of the high G-forces during aerobatic flight. Make your first flight with the controls set on low rates. During the trimming phase, we recommend landing with some throttle, not attempting to “dead stick” the airplane. This may mean you need to time your flights and keep them a bit shorter than usual. After your first flights, check all control connections and motor and prop mounts for tightness. Check your rudder pull-pull cables for tightness at the beginning of each flying session. Pull-pull cables tend to loosen a bit over time, and loose pull-pull cables (cables that flop, or have sag, or that allow you to move the rudder with your hand without the servo arm moving) are a major contributor to poor aerobatic performance. Periodically inspect the battery tray area in your aircraft. This plane does excellent high-speed tumbling maneuvers, and this type of maneuver puts tremendous stress on the battery tray area. Occasionally adding a bit of CA glue to the battery tray joints will help your aircraft last through hundreds and hundreds of flights. Your Slick kit contains a decal sheet. Cut out the decals with scissors or a hobby knife and install them dry onto your Slick as desired.

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