SIGLENT NITRO RASCAL Assembly Manual

NITRO RASCAL ARF ASSEMBLY MANUAL

INTRODUCTION:

Congratulations on the purchase of your SIG Nitro Rascal ARF kit!
This model continues the great line of ARF Rascal kits, with their
great looks and superb flight characteristics. The Nitro Rascal
makes an almost perfect aircraft for those modelers looking for a
maximum amount of 1/2A performance out of a great looking
airplane. The Nitro Rascal ARF can be easily flown in smaller
fields but is equally at home on normal club-size flying sites. The
Nitro Rascal ARF was specifically designed to take full advantage
of the great power and reliability of the Norvel .049, .061, or .074
glow engines.

Performance? You bet! The SIG Nitro Rascal ARF is a very
capable airplane. It has a wide speed envelope from very quick at
full throttle to a virtual "crawl" at low throttle. It is fully capable of a
wide range of 3-channel aerobatics including beautiful rudder rolls,
spins, inverted flight, snap rolls, touch and goes, etc. And the
included 2-ounce fuel tank will allow you to enjoy 15 - 20 minute
flights, depending upon fuel management. The kit also includes a
great tail wheel assembly that provides excellent ground handling.

Like it's electric powered cousin, the Nitro Rascal is beautifully built
from balsawood and ply and expertly covered in premium
Oracover

®

polyester film, using the signature "Rascal" two-color
trim scheme. This also means that the covering on the Nitro
Rascal ARF is easily repairable and easy to work with. Assembly
is straight forward if you follow these instructions carefully.
Deviating from these instructions has the potential to cause
problems later in the assembly process or during flight. The
successful assembly and flying of this model is your responsibility,
so take your time and enjoy the process.

NITR

O RASCAL ARF SPECIFICATIONS:

Wing Span: 49"
Wing Area: 324 sq. in.
Length: 32.5"
Flying Weight: 18 - 20 oz.
Wing Loading: 8.0 - 8.8 oz./sq.ft.
Engines: .061 - .074
Radio Requirements: 3 Channels - 1 Micro Receiver

& 3 Micro Servos Required

RADIO EQUIPMENT:

The Nitro Rascal ARF derives its performance from several
factors. Two of these are its light ready to fly weight and generous
wing area. This combination makes for a very favorable wing
loading, allowing the airplane to perform very well with the
recommended Norvel engines. Since the Nitro Rascal ARF is
factory built, you can only control the final ready to fly weight by
choosing the most appropriate airborne radio equipment. In short,
the performance of this model will be great with the right
equipment but will be less so by choosing overweight or
inappropriate radio equipment. This is a simple reality that has to
be addressed. Fortunately, after-market receivers and servos,
appropriate for this model, are not only readily available and are of
good quality, they're now very reasonably priced.

In flight-testing our Nitro Rascal models, we've used a wide v ariety
of airborne radio equipment. For servos we have used and can
highly recommend Hitec

™

#HS-55 servos and the MAXX MX-50
servos. Similar servos are also available and can be used in the
Nitro Rascal, provided they are of the same size, weight and po wer
output. For receivers, we have used and can highly recommend
the Hitec

™

Electron 6 or the 555 Micro Receivers, as well as the
FMA M5 Micro Receiver. Again, other receivers may be useable
but make sure they are small enough and light enough. For best
performance, always avoid excess weight. DO NOT use single
conversion receivers for this aircraft. Such receivers are more
prone to interference and should NOT be used.

To power the airborne radio system, we used either a 270 or 300
mAh Ni-Cad battery pack. Properly charged, this pack provides an
honest 45 - 60 minutes of safe flying. These results can v ary so be
sure to cycle your battery pack to determine the safe amount of
operating time for your particular system.

ENGINE SELECTION:

The Nitro Rascal ARF model was specifically designed around the
Norvel

®

AME .061 R/C engine. This engine provides a lot of power

1

R

and is perfect for a model of this size. The motor mount can be
easily enlarged a little to accommodate the Norvel

®

.074 BigMig
R/C engine and this will be covered in this Assembly Manual.
NOTE: Using engines any larger in displacement than the Norvel

®

.074 is totally unnecessary and is not recommended.

COVERING MATERIAL:

Your Nitro Rascal ARF has been professionally covered using
Oracover

®

. This material is world famous f or its ease of application,
light weight, and consistency of color. If you live in a dry climate,
you may notice that some wrinkles might develop after removing
the covered parts from their plastic bags. This is perfectly normal
in low humidity climates. The model was covered in a part of the
world with relatively high humidity and therefore the balsawood
was carrying a fair amount of moisture. When exposed to drier air,
the wood typically loses this moisture, dimensionally "shrinking" in
the process. This is what may cause some wrinkles. However,
wrinkles are easy to correct by simply using a heat iron.

We suggest covering the shoe of the iron with thin cotton cloth,
such as an old T-shirt, to prevent scratching. The iron should be
set to about 280

O

- 300OF. Use the heated iron over the wrinkle to
lightly shrink the material - do not press on it. Then lightly iron the
covering back down to the wood. You can also use a hobby-type
heat gun to re-shrink the covering but you must be ver y careful
around seams or joints. Re-heating seams may cause them to
"creep", making them unsightly. You must also be careful when
using a heat iron or heat gun when working around the side
windows and windshield - excess heat will distort these plastic
parts.

An easy way to avoid over-heating seams, joints, and the windows
when re-shrinking the covering is to protect them with wet paper
towels. Soak the paper towels in cold tap water and roll them in
strips for joints and seams. For windows and windshields, just
shape the wet towel as needed. The coolness of the wet towels
protects whatever is beneath them from heat.

For reference, your Nitro Rascal ARF was covered in Oracover

®

film with the following part numbers:

#10 White and
#21-29 Transparent Red or
#21-59 Transparent Blue

REQUIRED TOOLS:

For proper assembly, we suggest you have the following tools and
materials available:

• A Selection of Glues - SIG Thin and Thick CA

and SIG Kwik-Set 5-Minute Epoxy

• Threadlock Compound, Such as Loctite

®

Non-Permanent Blue

• Screwdriver Assortment

• Pliers - Needle Nose and Flat Nose

• Diagonal Wire Cutters

• Small Power Drill With Selection of Bits

• Pin Vise for Small Dia.Drill Bits

• Hobby Knife With Sharp #11 Blades

• Scissors

• Heat Iron and Trim Seal Tool

• Masking T ape

• Paper Towels

KIT CONTENTS: Perform a complete inventory bef

ore starting

assembly.

Pre-Built P

arts:

❑ 1 each Fuselage, Covered
❑ 1 each Fuselage Battery and Fuel Tank Access Hatch, Covered
❑ 1 each Fuselage Landing Gear Spreader, Covered
❑ 1 set Horizontal Stabilizer & Elevator Set, Covered

(With 4 CA Hinges in Place, Unglued)

❑ 1set Vertical Fin & Rudder Set, Covered

(With 3 CA Hinges in Place, Unglued)

❑ 1 set Left & Right Wing Panels, Covered
❑ 1 each Wing Center Section, Covered
❑ 1 set Plastic Wheel Pants, 1 Left, 1 Right

Formed Wire P

arts:

❑ 1 each Main Landing Gear Wire - .09 dia.
❑ 1 each Tail Wheel Assembly With Mounting Hardware
❑ 1 each Elevator Pushrod Wire - .040 x 24"
❑ 1 each Rudder Pushrod Wire - .040 x 24"
❑ 1 each Throttle Pushrod Wire - .040 x 14"

Hard

ware:

❑ 6 each

#2 x 3/8" Battery Hatch (2) and Engine Mounting Sheet
Metal Screws (4)

❑ 4 each

#2 x 1/4" Wheel Pant Mounting Sheet Metal Screws

❑ 2 each

Wheel Pant Mounting Brackets

Molded Parts:

❑ 1 each

#4-40 x 1" Nylon Wing Mounting Bolt

❑ 1 each

SIG 1-1/2" dia. Spinner Assembly With Metal Shaft
Adaptors (2) For Norvel

®

.061 and .074 Engines

❑ 1 each

60cc (2.02 oz.) Fuel Tank Assembly With All Required
Hardware

❑ 1 set

Clear Plastic Side Windows - 1 Left, 1 Right

❑ 1 set

Mini Nylon Rudder & Elevator Control Horns

❑ 3 each

Nylon Pushrod Retainers

❑ 2 each

Nylon Wheel Axle Caps

Miscellaneous:

❑ 1 each

3/16" x 3/8" x 2" Balsawood Fuel Tank Retainer

❑ 4 each

White Self-Adhesive Strips -1/4" x 10" - Wing Joint
Covering

❑ 2 each

Main Wheels - 1-3/4" dia.

❑ 1 each

Instrument Panel, Printed

❑ 1 each

Wheel Fairing Cardstock - 2-1/2" x 4-1/4"

❑ 1 each

Nitro Rascal Decal Set

❑ 1 each

Nitro Rascal Assembly Manual

2

ASSEMBLY:

WINGS:

❑ 1) Start by using a hobby knife with a #11 blade to clear out the
rear wing bolt holes on the top and bottom of the wing center
section. Test fit the wing center section to the fuselage and secure
with the provided nylon 4-40 wing bolt. The fit will be good, with
the center section well centered on the fuselage.

❑ 2) Remove the center section from the fuselage and test fit the
wing panels onto the exposed plywood dihedral brace ends. The
fit should be firm. Use 5-minute epoxy to join one of the wing
panels to the wing center section. Apply glue to the correct side of
the exposed rib on the center section and also apply a thin coat
onto the plywood brace. Slide the center section plywood brace
into the slot in the appropriate wing panel. Press the wing panel
firmly in place to the center section. Wipe off all excess glue with
acetone or alcohol and tape the panel securely to the center
section - top and bottom. Allow the epoxy to set and glue the
remaining wing panel in place.

❑ 3) After the glue has set, use the four provided 1/4" x 10" self­adhesive strips of white Oracover

®

film to cover the bottom and top

wing joints, centering the covering over each joint. Save the

excess strip material. Check the fit of the completed wing to the
fuselage. Remove the wing and set it aside for now.

FUSELAGE:

❑ 1) Using a hobby knife and a sharp #11 blade, clear-out and
open up the various required holes in the fuselage covering; the
rear rudder and elevator control cable exits, the antenna exit hole
on the right fuselage side at the top just behind the window
location and the on/off switch slot on the left fuselage side,
beneath the side window. Also cut the covering away from the
slots on each side of covered plywood landing gear spreader.

❑ 2) From the kit contents, locate the printed instrument panel.
Use scissors to cut out the instrument panel including a recess at
the top, allowing clearance for the forward cockpit supports. Test
fit the instrument panel in place. Trim as needed for a good fit.
Glue panel to front fuselage cabin former using a little white glue.

❑ 3) The rudder and elevator servos are now installed into
fuselage. Note that the pre-installed r udder and elevator pushrod
tubes cross each other as the progress to the rear of the fuselage.
Therefore, viewing the fuselage from the rear, the rudder servo is
installed on the right side of the servo tray and the elevator ser vo
is installed next to it, on the left side. Both servo output arms face

3

toward the fuselage sides at 90Oto the servo body. The throttle
servo is installed with its output arm aligned with the throttle
pushrod tube.

❑ 4) From the kit contents, locate the two .040 x 24" wire
pushrods for the rudder and elevator and one .040" x 14" pushrod
for the throttle. Using a pair of needle nose pliers, bend a simple
“Z”-bend into one end of each of the three pushrods. Insert the
straight, unbent end of one of the 24” pushrods into one of the
plastic pushrod tubes - just behind the servo tray - and feed it
through to the exit at the rear of the fuselage. This is easiest to do
by running the wire through one of the side window openings.
Install the remaining 24” pushrod in the same manner.

Feed the 14" throttle pushrod wire through the top rear wing
opening and into its plastic tube. Take care not to permanently
bend or kink the pushrod during this process. Remove the servo
output retaining screws in all three servos. Remove the output
arms and attach the "Z" bend end of each pushrod to its
corresponding output arm. Temporarily press each output arm
back in place onto the servos. Plug your servos into the
appropriate receptacles in the receiver and plug the battery pack
into the system. Turn the transmitter on, making sure the trim
levers are in neutral. Now reposition the rudder and elevator
output arms back onto their respective servos, as close to 90

O

as

possible to the servo body. The throttle output arm must move
back and forth to operate the engine's throttle lever, so set it at
about 20

O

to obtain roughly equal fore and aft movement. With the
output arms correctly in place, re-install the output arm retaining
screws and turn the radio system off.

❑ 5) The main landing gear is now glued in place in the fuselage
using 5-minute epoxy. First check the fit by sliding the landing gear
in place into the two slots at the bottom, front of the fuselage.
Carefully slide the gear all the way up into place inside the
fuselage to get a feel for the fit. Remove the gear from the
fuselage and use sandpaper to sand the wire, where it contacts the
fuselage sides. Apply 5-minute epoxy into each landing gear slot
on the inside of the fuselage - just enough to fill the slots. Once
again slide the landing gear wire in place into the fuselage.
Carefully wipe off any excess glue with alcohol and allow the glue
to set.

❑ 6) Fit the covered plywood landing gear spreader in place over
the wire landing gear legs and onto the bottom of the fuselage.
Trim as needed for a good fit. Remove the spreader and apply
5-minute epoxy to its bottom outside edges, where it contacts the
fuselage bottom. Also apply a little glue along the front edge of the
spreader where it butts against the bottom forward fuselage
sheeting. Press the spreader in place, wipe off any excess glue
with alcohol. Tape firmly and allow the glue to set.

❑ 7) The 2-ounce (60cc) fuel tank supplied with this kit is now
assembled. We suggest using a simple two-line system in this
airplane. One fuel line is connected to the "clunk" or fuel pick-up
line and the engine's carburetor. The second line is the overflow
line for use when filling the tank. This same line is then connected
to the muffler pressure nipple, providing muffler pressure to the
fuel tank. Note that the "sides" of the fuel tank are the flat sides.

The rubber stopper for the tank has two holes all the way through
it. Use these two holes for the two aluminum fuel lines. Slip two
aluminum tubes through the rubber stopper. Slide the smaller

4

diameter rear clamp plate over the two tubes and up against the
rear face of the rubber stopper. Slide the larger diameter front
plate over the two aluminum tubes at the front of the stopper and
up against the stopper itself. Press the clamp bolt through the front
plate and the rubber stopper, back to the rear plate. Use a
screwdriver to start the bolt threads into the rear plate - do not
tighten yet. At the front, leave approximately 1/4" of each tube
exposed in front of the plate. Gently bend the aluminum
overflowtube upwards to about 80

O

to reach the top of the tank
body - always leave about 1/32" space between the overflow tube
and the inside of the tank body. Trim the two tubes to appropriate
length and remove any burrs with sandpaper. Install the fuel pick­up weight onto one end of the silicon tubing. Measure and cut the
tubing length to allow the fuel pick-up weight to just about reach
the rear of the fuel tank, allowing its free movement within the tank­body when the rubber stopper is fully in place in the front of the
tank. With everything now adjusted and fitting nicely, insert the
tank stopper assembly fully into the front of the tank body and use
a screwdriver to firmly tighten the clamp bolt while holding
the stopper assembly firmly in proper orientation. The bolt
compresses the rubber stopper between the plates, forming a
good tank seal.

❑ 8) The assembled fuel tank is now installed into the fuselage.
First, trial-fit the tank in place to check for the fit. Insert the tank
into the nose of the fuselage through the bottom Tank Hatch
opening and guide the front of the tank to the pre-cut round
opening in the firewall. The tank stopper should fit through this
hole and the tank body should fit up against the rear face of
the firewall. Remove the fuel tank from the fuselage. Apply a
generous bead of clear silicon adhesive (bathroom type is fine)
around the tank stopper at the front of the tank. Re-install the tank
into the fuselage - mak

e sure it is right side up - and press it
firmly in place against the firewall. From the kit contents, locate the
3/16" x 3/8" x 2" balsawood Fuel Tank Retainer. This retainer is
inserted into the fuselage, between the fuselage sides, at the rear
of the fuel tank to hold it firmly in place to the firewall. If needed,
lightly sand its ends to achieve a firm fit. Hold the retainer in place
and use a drop of two of thin CA glue to hold it in place to each

fuselage side.

❑ 9) Locate the pre-covered Tank/Battery Hatch from the kit
contents. This hatch has a plywood "lip" at one end and two
pre-drilled holes at the other end. The end with the lip is the front.
The hatch fits into the bottom of the fuselage and is removable for
ready access to the fuel tank and the battery compartment
beneath the tank. Install the front hatch lip into the fuselage,
beneath the landing gear spreader, pressing it firmly in place to the
fuselage.

Hold the hatch in place and use your pin vise and a .046" dia. drill
bit (#56 numbered drill) to drill two holes through the hatch
retention block, directly beneath the two pre-drilled holes. The
hatch can now be secured to the fuselage using the two #2 x 3/8"
sheet metal screws provided - do not over-tighten these screws,
just snug them in place to create the threads. Remove the screws
and the hatch from the fuselage. Apply a drop of thin CA glue into
each screw hole. Allow the glue to set and re-thread the screws
into each hole to establish the threads. Set the hatch and
mounting screws aside for now.

ENGINE INSTALLATION:

5

PROP T ALK:

Before installing the engine, it is important to give some thought to
suitable propellers for your airplane/engine combination. We have used
a variety of propellers for our Nitro Rascal ARF models and have
learned that different brands seem to all have different prop shaft
hole diameters. Usable prop sizes for the Norvel®.061 are 6" to 7" in
diameter. APC produces great props in these sizes but they are
produced with large diameter shaft holes. The Nor vel .061 engine has
a prop shaft size of .124. APC props in the 6" to 7" diameter have much
larger mounting holes. To mount an APC prop, we found that the
easiest way to center it to the Norvel prop shaft was to "sleeve" its
mounting hole with two short lengths of telescoping K&S aluminum
tubing. The inner piece of tubing has a 1/8" dia. I.D. which fits perfectly.