TopCap (oz10449)

About this Plan

TopCap (Top Cap). RC profile fun-fly model. Wingspan 44.62 in, wing area 646 sq in, for .40 to .53 engines, with 4 channel radio.

Quote: "The 'funest' of the fun in the Morris Profile Series. Designed by Roy Haggard. Vertigo Inc Engineering. Inspired by Tom Stryker."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Note photo of completed TopCap model [pic 004] was found online at http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=77 also that page has some exellent further details and a full review (by J David Johnson, dated 2003) of the TopCap model.

Update 15/2/2024: Added kit review from MAN, Mar 1999, also full-page Morris Hobbies advert, thanks to theshadow.

Quote: "MAN Field & Bench Review: Morris Hobbies TopCap, by Keith Palmer.

You don't need a helicopter to hover. How many times have you thumbed through the pages of magazines and seen pictures of TOC pilots flying their big, powerful airplanes like helicopters? We imagine ourselves at the field doing hovers, tumbles and Lomcevaks and being the envy of everyone. Then the reality of a tight budget or marginal building skills sets in, and we are left with just our daydreams!

Thanks to Morris Hobbies and the TopCap, your dreams can come true without breaking the bank or trying your patience in the workshop. Morris Hobbies has produced one of the most complete kits ever for under $100. Included are a pair of lightweight wheels, fuel tank, hinges, horns, hardware, pull/pull cables and enough extra wood to build a second set of tail feathers. Also included is a very easy-to-understand instruction manual and a well-drawn plan.

This airplane has very large surfaces and a long, wide, built-up profile fuselage that requires a very flat building board that will allow you to pin the pieces down tightly. It is also useful to have a miter sander to make nice, gap-free joints on the x1/4-inch formers. This will help shorten the building time.

Fuselage: The fuselage is built mostly from 1/8 x 1/4 in balsa sticks. Start by laminating the 1/8-inch die-cut canopy, stab support and wing-cutout pieces together. Pin these parts down over the plan, and then cut the 1/4 x 3/8 sticks to size and pin them over the plan to form the outline of the fuselage. A drop of CA on the butt joints will hold the frame together. Reinforce high-stress areas with 1/8 x1/4 in spruce.

The next step is where a miter sander is worth its weight in gold. With the frame securely pinned down over the plan, cut, trim and sand all of the 1/8 x 1/4 sticks, and glue them into place with thin CA. Take your time and make sure all of the joints are tight. I also like to start with the longest formers first, just in case I cut some sticks too short.

After completing the frame, unpin it and block-sand it lightly on both sides to remove any high spots. The instructions call for the left side sheeting to be glued on next; then you're supposed to install the tubes for the pull/pull cables; I found it easier to do these steps in reverse order. I marked the formers where the tubes were to be routed through, and I drilled them by hand 1/32 inch oversize. This eliminates any chance of the cable binding.

Before you insert the tubes into the fuselage, trim them to a length of about 1/4 inch at each end... "

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