Apogee Heli-Roc Build Part 6 Filling Balsa

Looking ahead to Step 17, the rotor stops should have a dihedral angle of approximately 8 degrees.

I got out my protractor and drew up the angle to check the rotor stops.

After "group sanding" the stops I wanted to be sure the angle was still at 8 degrees.

Note: These steps are not in the instructions. You are directed to seal the balsa surfaces with two coats of sanding sealer. This is just how I chose to fill the balsa.

With the balsa surfaces sanded smooth, I wanted to fill the grain off the body tube.

The three reinforcement strips are small and would be tough to hold on to while brushing on the Carpenter's Wood Filler. I used a pin stuck in the root edge to hold the strip.

After all the wood filler was sanded off, primer was next.

Here's all the balsa pieces stuck on a piece of cardboard for primer spraying.

Masking tape is laid down sticky side up. The root edges of all nine pieces are stuck down with the fin standing on edge. This keeps the root edge clean with no paint on it for a better gluing surface.