parchafly

I want to make it clear that I want to fly my plane (meaning I am not building a competition model), but I want a realistic durable finish. I have ZERO experience in fiberglass and am only using an OS .91 Surpass II (4 stroke) so I cannot add too much weight on my 81" wingspan Cessna. Please suggest some NEW and CURRENT finishing techniques which I can apply to my plane.

I am willing to use any technique except fiberglass. Suggestions?

Thanks in advance guys!

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

What's wrong with MonoKote or Ultracote?

parchafly

Nothing is wrong with Monokote, I plan to use it on the wing, but not on the fuse... I'm leaning towards Koverall, but I need the experts to chime in with their 2 cents...

kdheath

Could be as simple as Minwax Polycrylic and silkspan. Two coats applied with a foam brush. Sand with 80 grit. Spray with rattlecan auto primer, wet sand with 600 grit and spray with Rustoleum. Fairly fast and easy. Worst thing is waiting for the Rusto to dry-it is a little slow. Or if you have spray equipment use auto paint. Available in a zillion colors and custom mixed.
Kelvin

KidVermin

My Feedback: (3)

And all this time I thought you were an expert, Mike.

parchafly:
Since you're mixing surface finish, the fuse won't match the wing. Why not use UltraCote on the fuse ? Less weight and makes it easier to apply the side stripes. Is there a special look you're after on the fuse ? And I am an expert.

Putz Brother

I don't know what you expect your plane to weigh, but mine weighs 11lbs. and flies with the same engine, at about 3 cliks of throttle. You can actualy have fun challenging people to a fuel milage contest. Flew mine once for 57 minutes on one tank of fuel. [stock tank]

parchafly

Ok, I am not set on the Monokote on the wing... What do you guys suggest? Ultracote on everything? I just don't want to see a cheap looking plane, I'd like for the fuse to look tight, like the wing will look, but I don't want to glass and sand for days... All of you have suggested viable alternatives (with a question at the end which leaves me puzzled), but I think each plane tends to have a tried and true covering technique due to its curves and scale finish... i.e. cub and fabric. I infer upon experts to tell me what I should cover the thing with, that won't be over kill.

I would like for the plane to look shinny and smooth, but not fiberglass (perfect) smooth... It sounds like I've over complicated this whole question. I really just need suggestions on what you all have seen Cessnas covered with, which will look great, but will not involve as much labor as glass requires....

I would like the plane to weigh about 12 lbs max, 11 would be nice .

Wow, I didn't know you could get that much time up in the air with that engine.... I can't wait....

Thanks again for your patience...

KidVermin

My Feedback: (3)

My T/F 182 was covered in UltraCote and looked very scale with no weekly wrinkles to seal down. The MonoKote has too much memory and is very difficult to keep from sagging. If you plan the covering layout, there will be very few visible seams. The hardest part for me was blending in the rear window panel.

I too had the OS 91 4c. Very scale performance -- but DON'T pull off runway before it's ready to fly. It may look like a trainer, but it will snap in a heartbeat.

puff daddy

Hey Parchafly, My friend has some pictures of my plane that was fully monokoted that he is going to try post. It has won three scale fly in's. Not sure what you are trying to do but it will only look as good as the worst part of the covering. Monokote in white is a good look for stand off scale. Hang in there and most of all be patient. Scale rules AKA Puff Daddy. Also noticed your first name is Randy, so is mine, also from the midwest, I'm originaly from St Louis. RReiss, never had a problem with mine snapping. Take offs occur at about 3/4 throttle and at about 500ft. How about yours?

A7Bldr

My Feedback: (40)

Randy in KS, So how DO you blend in the rear window frame with film?
I saw one covered in Monocote and it looked pretty good except that area.
Even the Hangar 9 ARF isn't perfect there either.

Jim

puff daddy

I've come to undertand that the rear window design sux. Not sure, have removed mine three times and glued it back in. Last time I spent alot of time filling and blending with Epoxy and micro balloons, looked great for a while but eventualy it popped loose too. My new one is fiberglassed and made a fiberglass frame for the window using the window as the mold. Looks a whole lot better. But things always look better with glass and real paint. If I was to do the first one over again [monokote] I would build the window frame up with balsa and cover it with monokote as part of the fuslage. Love the way the plane looks in the air. Going to the fifth scale fly in this weekend with it, hope I add another first place to my trophy case. P.S. If it's not a hastle, it's not scale.

KidVermin

My Feedback: (3)

Jim:

It simply took several trial-n-error fittings to get the curved corners sanded correctly so they'd fit flush with the balsa. I installed the painted panel then covered the plane with an 1/8" overlap with the Ultracote. A real pain not to get the sock covered iron into the paint. Turned out I still had to use 3/16" white auto trim tape to smooth out the transition.

dany_maia

Hello.
I used the car painting technique. First an acrylic primmer and the acrylic paint, just like the real cars. To finish a clear coat gave the final shinning.
I used an OS 120 surpass 3 because I added a lor of scale details and the final weight is about 15lbs. It flyes wonderfully.
You can see a lot of pics, including painting and finishing at:
www.danymaia.no.sapo.pt

Best regards:
Daniel Maia

buzzfly

For light weight and ease of use, I swear by monokote.

Here are some pics of Puff Daddy's (aka Scale Rules) Cessna.

This plane has won three first place awards and a second place as well.

Power is an OS 91 four stroke.

It's a kick in the shorts to do mains only touch and goes at less than 1/4 throttle!

By the way, max flight time was 57 minutes, 12 seconds, June 2003, on the stock fuel tank. Elevation here is 4300', and elevation in Alb. is 5200'.

parchafly

Thank you for the pictures! Noise looking plane, but can't see the finishes that well... I can see the cowl is a different color from the fuse?

Scale Rules thanks for the tips, I will hang in there...

Have you all seen the color scheme for the New Cessna Turbo Skylane T182? That is EXACTLY how I am finishing my plane, graphics and all... Except with a light blue and gray scheme to match my Graupner prop and my aluminum Tru Turn spinner... Bad ass... I love the New T182, I've seen it at Ft. Lauderdale Executive where we hanger our plane. Simply beautiful. Cessna was showing it off and they called me to see it in person (to play with the new Glass cockpit) I had a business trip that same weekend! [&o] That sucked... But I did see it the following week at our hanger with the door closed, *******s even left the Bose headset on the seat, as if to taunt you (buy me buy me!)

Anyways, I think I got enough info from you guys to go at this, I'll let you all know what I ended up using... But thank you all very much for the advice... These forums Rock!

http://turboskylane.cessna.com/gallery.chtml

Putz Brother

Parchafly, Just went to there web site and it has changed since the last time I looked at it. The Cessna I'm currently building is the 182T but it's the burgundy, tan and grey one they use to have in there image galley. Anyway, yes I have seen them, as a matter of fact the color scheme I just mentioned is the back drop on my computer at work. Going all out on this one. Panel lines, rivets, door handles, inspection hatches etc.. To reply to your statement that the cowl on my old one is a different color. That's because the plane is now four years old and the cowl was painted with monokote ultracote and it has yellowed over the years. It actualy flew for the first time in 1998 when it took a second place in it's first contest. Later that year it took a radio hit while taxiing out to the runway, went to full throttle, took off when it rolled inverted at about six feet off the ground and went in. everything forward of the rear side window was gone. Started rebuilding it in Jan. 1999 and finished it that summer. It then sat in a corner of my shop untill the summer of 2000. I had planned on taking a P51 to that years contest, but had nothing but problems with the retracts. My friend and I were sitting there in dismay when both turned and looked at the Cessna. We started the engine which had'nt been run in two years and low and behold it fired up. With only one week to go before the contest we took the engine out and I sent home with my friend Mark for tuning, while I dusted off the plane and started putting some things back in I had not finished like the interior and so on. Mark brought the engine back up on Fri. We installed it went to the field that day and flew it. Trimmed it out and made some changes to weight. Entered it in the contest the next day when it took it's first, First place trophy for most scale like flight. On it's way to another contest this weekend where I hope it takes it's fourth First place trophy overall. Thanks for your reply, Scale Rules PS I will try to post some flight pictures this weekend of it flying in front of the Sandia mountains. Some cool pic's

RCHYFLYER

My Feedback: (1)

I am in the process of glassing my TF Cessna right now! This is my first attempt and I'm sooo happy I went with glass!!! I can not stand seeing wrinkles! I have the TF Corsair as you can see in my gallery and avatar and it is moneycoat covered. Not bad looking, but it was covered by someone thats been covering since they came out with monokote! I'm not happy with it though,so when I'm done with the Cessna, the moneycoat is coming off the Corsair! Don't get me wrong glassing isn't as easy as monokote but the end result will be well worth it. Looks,strength,scale appearance besides what else is there to do right now it is too freaking cold to fly so build I just think for the TF Cessna kit toss the Monokote idea out the window or use it on the PT-40 trainer! IMHO if you have the ability to build the kit you have the ability to glass it

RCHYFLYER

My Feedback: (1)

Puff Daddy could you send me that back drop photo? I'm looking for a paint scheme