Bat Instruction Manual
Construction Manual www.oldschoolmodels.com Page 3
Although an easy to build kit, our Bat kit is not for the novice
builder. We are assuming the builder is used to constructing balsa
kits and has the techniques and skills necessary to do so.
Closely inspect the supplied laser cut parts for damage. If you find
any damaged or missing parts, contact us immediately.
When removing the laser cut parts from their sheets, you’ll notice
the parts are held in place by several small “tabs”. These tabs
are uncut pieces of wood and can sometimes make it difficult to
remove a part. Rather than breaking and/or splintering the wood
by forcing out the part, we recommend removing any laser cut
parts from their sheets by using a hobby knife with a #10 blade.
A quick cut of the tab will allow the piece to be removed with no
damage. Sand any tab remainders flush with the part so there will
be no problem aligning them later.
It’s best to not remove parts from their sheets until they are needed.
Refer to Appendix A of this manual as a reference to what all the
laser cut parts look like and are called.
You’ll notice a check box next to each step. Check these off as
you go along so you don’t miss a step. Note that some steps (in
building the wing) have two boxes - this means that the step will be
done twice - once for each wing half.
There could be a step or two which leaves you a bit puzzled. If this
happens, step back and study the photo(s) for that step - both in
this manual and on-line.
All photos shown in this manual are of different Bat prototypes.
Several pieces may have changed slightly with improvements
we’ve made so parts may look a little different in some steps.
Online Supplementary Photos
We realize that the smaller black-and-
white photos in this manual might not
show some of the steps as clearly as you
might want. So we’ve anticipated this
and made these photos available on our
website. You can either scan the QR code
or type this address into your browser:
www.oldschoolmodels.com/mpics/bat/
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU ASSEMBLE THE BAT
KIT IN THE ORDER DESCRIBED. SKIPPING FORWARD IN
THE STEPS COULD LEAVE YOU WITHOUT THE PROPER
LENGTHS OF WOOD TO FINISH THE KIT.
WE’VE INCLUDED ENOUGH WOOD TO EASILY COMPLETE
THIS KIT, BUT YOU MUST TAKE CARE TO PROPERLY
MEASURE AND NOT WASTE WOOD WHEN CUTTING.
n Prepare your work area
You’ll need a flat building surface that
is a minimum of 36” long. Position the
airframe plan over the surface and tape
into position. Tear off a length of waxed
paper long enough to cover the plan and
tape that into position, over the plan.
n Step 1 - Alignment triangles
Pre-cut into BP1 are two triangles. Punch
out the two 90° triangles as these can be
used to vertically align any of the parts
in the construction of your Bat. BP1 also
includes foot pieces that can be used
with the triangles to hold both triangles
vertical hands-free.
n Step 2 - VF1, VF2, VF3
Locate both VF1s,
both VF2s and both
VF3s from BP3.
Glue one VF1 to one
VF2, making sure
it is flat along the
entire length of the
joint.
Once the glue has
cured, glue VF3 to the top of the VF1/VF2 assembly as shown
- making sure it's properly aligned with the leading and trailing
edges.
Now do the same to complete the other vertical fin.
nnStep 3 - R3 ribs
Locate one R3 from BP2. Before
gluing, take a moment to align
the rib with one of the vertical
fin assemblies from the last step,
as shown here. The square notch
in the top of the rib should align
with the square cutout in the fin.
Also the bottom of the rib should align with the bottom of the
fin - along it's entire length. When you see how this should align,
remove the rib, apply glue and attach it to the fin. Use a weight to
apply pressure to that the rib and fin are perfectly flat against each
other while the glue cures.
nnStep 4 - R2 ribs
Locate one R2 from BP2.
Flip over the vertical fin
assembly from the previous
step and use the same
techniques to align R2 to
the vertical fin as shown
here.
Glue it in place and weigh it
down while the glue cures.