AVRO 504K Assembly Manual

Avro 504K Laser Cut Kit manual 9/5/13

AVRO 504K

Assembly Manual

1

Avro 504K Laser Cut Kit manual 12/19/14

History – Britain’s most produced air-

craft of The Great War

Over 8,000 Avro 504 aircraft were produce

starting in July 1913, and by the end of the

war, more 504’s had been built in Britain than

any other aircraft. They were employed in a

variety of missions in the Great War, carrying

out bombing attacks, Zeppelin raids, and naval

reconnaissance. However, its primary mission

was that of pilot training, being used to essen-

tially train nearly every British pilot in WWI. Thus

as the most widely used British trainer of World

War One, the Avro 504 was the equivalent

of the standard US Army Air Service training

machine, the venerable JN-4 Jenny - which an

estimated 95% of all US trainees ew.

The Avro 504 was the rst aircraft to strafe

troops, and it achieved the unenviable distinc-

tion of being the rst English aircraft shot down

in combat when No. 5 Squadron’s Lt. V. Wa-

terfall and his observer, Lt CGG Bayly, were

downed by infantry re over Belgium on 22

August 1914.

Among the unique innovations of the Avro 504

were: the large skid between the wheels which

protected the propeller in the event of a tail high

landing –and it also prevented tipping over; the

Gosport speaking tube, which enabled the in-

structor to communicate with his student; and a

universal engine mount that allowed the accom-

modation of a wide number of rotary engines.

The subject of my kit, the K model, was in-

troduced in 1917 - it was the most numerous

model, with 6,350 being produced. This robust,

maneuverable, and light wing loaded aircraft

was especially suitable for training pilots as it

was powered by a rotary engine that students

would likely y in combat. The Americans were

so impressed with this model that they ordered

52 for the American Expeditionary Force.

Specications of the Avro 504K:

•Wingspan: 36 feet

•Length: 29 ft 5 in

•Height: 10 ft 5 in

•Wing area: 330 sq ft

•Weight: 1,230 lb. empty; 1,829 lb. maximum

take-off

•Engine: 110hp Le Rhône rotary

•Absolute Ceiling: 16,000 feet

•Max Speed: 95 mph

•Max Endurance: 4.25 hours

•Armament (single seat version): Lewis ma-

chine gun

Postwar Service

After the war, many of the 3,000 surplus 504s

were used as barnstorming and towing ma-

chines in the 1920s, being noted for their easy

handling and excellent maneuverability.

The aircraft continued to be produced in Great

Britain as a trainer. Additionally, it was exported

to several foreign militaries, with licensed pro-

duction taking place in Denmark, Belgium,

Canada and Japan. Copies were made in Rus-

sia and China.

The Avro 504K was selected as the standard

trainer for the Canadian Air Force in 1920, and

remained in service there until 1928. Addition-

ally, the Swedish Naval Aviation used ve Avro

504Ks as trainers on frozen seas.

References include:

•Wikipedia

•Avro504.org

•The Aerodrome

•Acepilots.com

•The History Learning Site

History compiled by Gene Korotky (Speedy01),

retired USAF pilot.

Special thanks (in alphabetical order)

Gene Korotky - Speedy01 (beta testing, manual review)

Paul Gibson (refreshing music)

Paul Stamison - Newbeyer a.k.a.Crazy Canuck (support and encouragement)

Pete Schumann - Mtyr (beta testing, ight testing)

2

Avro 504K Laser Cut Kit manual 12/19/14

This kit requires following parts:

Receiver:

AR6400*

http://www.spektrumrc.com/Products/

Default.aspx?ProdId=SPMAR6400

Receiver for Vapor, Champ, J-3 Cub

8.5mm Motor/gear box

http://www.parkzone.com/Products/

Default.aspx?ProdID=PKZ3624

130x70 Propeller

Parkzone UM P-51,T-28, Sukhoi XP

E-ite 4-site,

Hobbyzone Champ.

http://www.parkzone.com/Products/

Default.aspx?ProdID=EFL9051

150mah-160mah Lipo Battery

E-ite 150mah (4.3g)

http://www.parkzone.com/Products/

Default.aspx?ProdID=EFLB1501S25

Summary of compatible parts from

Parkzone RTF/BNF products:

Hobbyzone champ:

Receiver, motor/gearbox, propeller,

battery

Parkzone UM P-51 (Non AS3X version):

Receiver*, motor/gearbox, propeller

Parkzone UM T-28:

Receiver*, motor/gearbox, propeller

Parkzone UM F4U:

Receiver*, motor/gearbox, battery

Parkzone Sukhoi XP:

Receiver*, motor/gearbox, Propeller,

Battery

Parkzone Night Vapor/Vapor/ Ember 2/J-

3 Cub:

Receiver

Eite 4-site:

Receiver*, motor, battery

*The AR6400 requires transmitter

programming to allow the rudder to

be controlled by the aileron stick. You

will need a transmitter with mixing

capability such as the DX6i, DX7, or

DX8. The DX5e or stock transmitters

that come with HobbyZone or

ParkZone RTF products are not

recommended.

3

Avro 504K Laser Cut Kit manual 12/19/14

Required Tools & Glues

Foam Safe contact glue

UHU por (UHU creative)

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/uhu_por_

glue_for_styrofoam_1035151_prd1.htm

Beacon Foam-Tac

http://www.rcfoam.com/product_info.

php?products_id=1243

In general, the above glues are best

for Foam to Foam bonding or Foam to

styrene bonding.

During the development process No

Foam Safe CA was used and was not

needed.

Tools

Hobby knife

All the kit parts are laser cut , therefore

no cutting will be necessary but you will

need a hobby knife to cut parts loose

from the carrier sheet.

Long nose pliers or hemostat:

Used when mounting propellers.

Scissors

Used when cutting the gear box ange

and cutting out Vacuum-formed parts.

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Avro 504K Laser Cut Kit manual 12/19/14

Before you start

Please pay attention to the following building process. It is very

important to understand each step and the overall sequence. In this

regard, I recommend reading this manual thoroughly and carefully

studying the accompanying photographs.

This is a laser cut kit that has been thoroughly tested and engineered

for precise t. Cutting and sanding for better t is not required nor

recommended, If you start modifying parts you may have more

trouble later on in the building process.

If any parts are absolutely impossible to t, then I recommend looking

at the manual photos carefully once again and using the Zoom button

in your PDF viewer.

Still having problem?

Send me an email to [email protected]!

We can work this out.

Notes on kit foam

All 1mm foam sheets have some curvature built in. That property is

not a defect and in fact was accomodated when the kit was designed.

The most affected parts are main wing sheets but those parts are laid

out on the sheets to achieve a subtle symmetrical curvature in the

wing.

At rst that curvature may look like a severe distortion but after

the CF rods are glued in place and the wings are attached to the

fuselage, all will straighten out. Wing tips will be raised up slightly but

that is part of ‘wash out’ to prevent tip stalling.

5

Avro 504K Laser Cut Kit manual 12/19/14

Using the stencil

There are two ways to use enclosed

stencils.

Spray paints

Spraying method is rather trickier then

the marker tracing method that will be

explained later but If use the stencils with

patience and a little bit of practice, you

will get more satisfying results.

The most important step in this method is

to test the paint on scrap depron to check

compatibility of the paint and Depron

foam.

The following are some advertised foam

safe spray cans in the US. I haven’t

tested all the colors and all the formulas

mentioned below, so testing prior to actu-

al painting is still recommended as some

propellants can melt the foam.

a. Krylon ‘Short cuts’

Found in the Walmart craft section or

local craft stores. This paint is not a

typical lacquer based formula, and is

safe on foam. If you make a mistake,

you can simply wipe the paint off with

paint thinner and start over.

b. Testors spray can

Your local hobby shop will be the best

source for this. There is a wide selec-

tion of colors but it is pricier then Krylon

shortcuts.

c. Acrylic based spray cans

Trickiest part of this method is knowing

how much paint is “good enough” for the

desired result.

Too much spraying will clog openings in

the stencil and eventually ruin the parts.

Too little will result in faint unrecogniz-

able lines, making your hard work barely

visible.

It’s best to practice on pieces of scrap

material and while doing so, try to make

each spray pass consistent. You don’t

want to end up the left wing darker than

the right wings, for example.

Of course you may make some mistake.

Accordingly, It is good to have some form

of solvent that cleans up paints when

something goes wrong. Check each paint

for its recommended thinner / cleaner.

The following is the recommended proce-

dure for using stencils for spray painting.

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Avro 504K Laser Cut Kit manual 12/19/14

1. Temporarily tape parts to stencils.

Painter’s low tack masking tape is rec-

ommended. Again, test your tape on a

scrap piece to check if it easily peels off

from the foam pieces, rather than dam-

aging the foam surface.

2. Flip the stencils and tape them secure-

ly to a at board.

3. Using an airbrush or spray can, spray-

paint over the stencil. Do not spray too

close to the stencil, and wait until the

paint completely dry before removing the

parts from the stencil.

4. Detach spray painted parts and tape

the remaining parts to the opposite side

of the stencil.

5. Securely attach the stencil to a at

board and spray.

Using stencil as a template.

Oil based ultra ne permanent markers

(Sharpie in US) are perfect for this meth-

od. Walmart and local craft store carry

a variety of colors. Refer to the spraying

method above for recommended usage.

7

Avro 504K Laser Cut Kit manual 12/19/14

My personal guide on painting micro

model airplanes.

I have seen many models ruined by a

heavy paint job. I also had the unfor-

tunate experience of ruining my rst

scratch built model.

For small slow ying models like the Avro

504K, a light weight paint job is very

important and can be critical to ight suc-

cess. I have seen models built with the

same material and same glue, but the

nal weight difference ended up being

more than 10 grams. Please don’t ex-

pect that your plane would y same with

10 extra grams heavier than the recom-

mend weight.

The following is tutorial on light weight-

paint job using brush. An airbrush may

give you lighter and better looking nish

but not everyone has airbrush.

This guide is not focused on painting to

achieve an ultra beautiful model. Rather,

I am trying to convey ideas on how to

achieve a of light weight paint job.

To achieve a light paint job, don’t try to

achieve solid opaque nish. You will end

up applying coat after coat of heavy paint

with disappointing results.

My approach here is more like staining

the foam rather painting it - or you can

describe it as water color painting rather

than oil painting.

The paint of my choice is Plaid Apple

Barrel paint. This acrylic paint is relatively

cheap (under $1 in Walmart) and light

weight. My complaint is that the selec-

tions of their greens is too vibrant. In

this regard, I usually add some brown or

black to tone this down. For this guide I

used a mix of Old Ivy and Brown Oxide.

I add a little bit of plain tap water to thin

down the paint.

First, apply simulated ribs using provided

stencil. Wing shown above is traced with

Ultra ne Sharpie.

Apply thin coat of paint using wide brush.

I prefer my brush strokes to be parallel to

the direction of ribs

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Avro 504K Laser Cut Kit manual 12/19/14

The picture above shows the nished

rst coat. Wait until the rst coat is com-

pletely dry before applying your second

coat (a hair dryer shortens the waiting

period).

Since, acrylic paint does not dissolved

with water when it is completely dried,

your second coat will be easier.

Note that an Unpainted canvas color

may not require a second coat.

Above shows the nished second coat.

If the rst coat has not dried completely,

you may experience the rst coat peel-

ing off as you brush on the second coat.

That’s a very hard to x disaster.

Sometimes I add extra strokes where a

darker shade is needed.

I stop at this point and call this paint job

done.

Don’t forget to save some paint for touch

up after assembly. You will need it.

9

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AVRO 504K Assembly Manual

AVRO 504K Assembly Manual

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