Burn In Designs: Airship Assembly Guide

Assembly Guide - Airships

Equipment:

150-220 grit sand paper
hobby knife
PVA, CA glue and/or a Glue gun and glue sticks
masking tape, rubber bands or clamps
damp rag or paper towels
needle nosed pliers (optional)
small files (optional)

The parts are ready to assemble as they are shipped but for the wood kits we recommend you give them a light sanding with some 150 or 220 sand paper to remove any cut marks from the laser. Using an electric palm sander for this is faster but a basic sanding block will work fine as well. You only need to sand the flats and not the wedges. The laser leaves a very clean edge that is normally free of splinters and we try to catch and clean up any before the items are shipped. If you do find one though, you can clean it up with either sand paper or a hobby knife.

For glue on wood kits, our personal favorite Aleene's Original Tacky Glue is the best glue ever made for craft projects like this. It doesn't run and gives you plenty of wiggle room for alignment. It also is easier to control and clean up than regular PVA glue. To speed things along during assembly I recommend using hot glue. It is great for reinforcing joints while PVA sets and can easily be removed with rubbing alcohol.

The tape, rubber bands and clamps are just for holding parts as you assemble then and let the glue set. Due to the odd shape, rubber bands are the perfect clamp for holding things in alignment.

Red Robin Airship

Air-frame Assembly:
The Airships are all based on a central wooden dowel spine. This piece can be removed once the assembly is complete. To ease this assembly lightly sand the dowel to remove any roughness.

Begin by sorting the parts into groups. as shown. Then locate the star shaped parts that make up the central spine of the model. There will be 4 of them in different sizes and 8 smaller octagonal pieces. Finally locate 2 of the U-shaped pieces labeled "Assembly jig".

Stack and glue the pieces as shown using the assembly jigs to keep everything in line. Be sure not to glue the parts to the jig. You will need them to assemble the other 3.

Next take the largest of the stars (#2) and slide it onto the dowel a couple of inches. Do NOT glue them to the dowel. You may need to turn them to get parts aligned correctly as you move forward. Now slide on the star labeled #1 as show.

Locate the spacer blocks. There are 8 short and 4 long blocks. Slot 4 of the short blocks into the openings between the stars making sure all the parts are as closely aligned as possible. There should be no twist in these parts and the tips of the stars should be inline with one another.

Starting at the opposite end slide star #3 onto the dowel. This time leaving enough between it and star #2 for the longer spacers. Then fit the spacers in as before. Finally add star #4 and its spacers to complete the spine assembly.

Next we need to install the ribs. Installing the ribs can be challenging. Each rib has 4 mounting tabs that need to be aligned. The ribs use a snug locking connection that requires a little bit of force to get them in place. be sure to press directly over the thickest part when sliding them together so you don't break any of the ribs. If you feel the resistance when slotting the part together is too high for your comfort, sand the slots on the star pieces to make the assembly easier. It will add a little slack into the design but that is ok, wood is a very forgiving material.

There are 3 different versions, 4 fin-less, 3 finned and 1 cabin mount. Start by installing the 4 fin-less ribs on opposite sides until you have all 4 installed as shown. This is a good place to use hot glue to hold them in place since it has better gap and reinforcing properties than any other glue. Also once the frame's skin is added it will not be visible.

Repeat this process with the remaining 4 ribs.

Install the final 2 slotted rings on either end of the structure as shown followed by the smooth tail ring on the finned end of the structure.

To finish off the airbag assemble the 4 nosecone pieces together and glue them to the end of the structure. As before do not glue them to the dowel.

Finally carefully remove the dowel from the structure by carefully twisting it out. The structure is pretty strong without it thanks to the rig structure. Alternately, you can leave it and just cut the end flush with the tail of the air frame.

Cabin Assembly
The cabin for the airship uses a simple oval cone shape. They should go together easily but if you have larger fingers a good set of needle nosed pliers will make aligning parts easier. Again go slowly and it will all fit.

Start by assembling the sides of the cabin as shown. Be sure to check the door placement so they don't go on upside down. The sides should flay outward.

Next install the 10 roof supports. Here I recommend again using hot glue to reinforce them.

Now add the roof. Here is where the needle nosed pliers can help. Try pressing the pieces together then using the pliers to carefully move them into position. If you find the parts not aligning easily try holding the roof on with a rubber band while you move the m supports into position with the pliers.

With that complete you can add the landing gear to the cabin as shown.

Engine Assembly
The kit uses 2 engine assemblies made by stacking layers together. Shown in the pictures are the parts required for 1 engine. You will need to repeat the process for the second.

Begin by locating the central engine layer. It is the one that looks kind of like a 4 legged crab. Now glue and stack the pieces in the order shown making sure to align the holes in each as you go. Next slide in the long,U-shaped center support/mount. Then top it off with the final U-shaped engine piece.

Now flip the engine over and repeat the process. This side should go together a little easier now that you have the post for alignment.

Add the "piston heads" to the motor. Again these pieces stack together. Don't worry if they don't fit 100% flat to the engine body. Unfortunately, wood only uses "nominal" thickness. This means that 1/8" plywood isn't exactly 1/8" and can be slightly thicker or thinner.

With the piston heads complete add the last 2 supports for the fan shroud in the slots provided. When complete you should have a 4 pronged mount to hold the fan shroud.

Lastly glue the fan and shroud parts together in the order shown.

Engine Frame and Air-frame mount
Due to the addition of 2 guy-wire mounts, this is the only part that should need to be modified for assembly. Also there is an extra mounting shim that can be used if needed. This is to fill any space should a thicker material be used to cover the air-frame.

Locate the parts as shown. Take the V-shaped brace and using a hobby knife carefully trim the points on the bottom by the tabs. This will make sure the parts fit flush in the next step.

Glue the V-brace to the larger engine support frame.

Now attach the engine to the stalks at the end of the engine support frame.

Final Assembly
With all the sub assemblies complete you can dry fit all the parts together. Place the engine frame and air-fame mount on top of the cabin aligning the holes as shown.

Now attach the air-frame using the tabs and the build is complete.

The Bluejay Airship

Locate the 3 star shaped central support and the 6 octagonal brace. Finally locate 2 of the U-shaped pieces labeled "Assembly jig". Stack and glue the pieces as shown using the assembly jigs to keep everything in line. Be sure not to glue the parts to the jig. You will need them to assemble the other 2.

Slide the 3 stars onto the dowel with the largest one in the middle. Leave a couple of inches between each. You will be moving them into their final positions in the next step. This is is a dry connection so do NOT glue them to the dowel.

Next we need to install the ribs. Installing the ribs can be challenging. Each rib has 3 mounting tabs that need to be aligned. The ribs use a snug locking connection that requires a little bit of force to get them in place. Be sure to press directly over the thickest part when sliding them together so you don't break any of the ribs. If you feel the resistance when slotting the part together is too high for your comfort, sand the slots on the star pieces to make the assembly easier. It will add a little slack into the design but that is ok, wood is a very forgiving material.

Locate the 2 heavy base ribs shown. Using them as guides, slide the stars up and down the dowel until they match the spacing of the tabs on the ribs. Press the ribs in the stars and glue them in place. This is a good place to use hot glue to hold them in place since it has better gap and reinforcing properties than any other glue. Also once the frame's skin is added it will not be visible.

With these 2 ribs installed we have established the bottom of the air-frame. We are going to repeat this process with the remaining ribs. Take care to decide on the placement of the ones with fins. You want to balance them so they don't all end up on the same side.

Next add the slotted rings and end caps to the air-frame. Again hot glue makes this a little easier and gives a little more reinforcement to the ribs.

To make attaching the outer skin easier we need to add some additional glue surfaces for the areas around the fins.

The final piece to complete the air-frame is the mount for the cabin. This piece slots in using 6 tabs into notches on the heavy base ribs. Do NOT glue this part on until the skin has been added to the air-frame. It will make it easier to attach.