splais

My Feedback: (25)

I purchased what I believe is a really old GP Patriot that has been highly modified and nearly completed The fuselage has been glassed and prepped for painting. The wing was built to be covered and I will cover it with monokote. I'm going to cover this plane in a black and school bus yellow paint scheme. Covering the wing is not an issue for me, but painting the fuselage is; never done it before. I have two questions.

1. The fuselage is in pretty nice "ready for paint condition". but it is old and there are several boo boos that require repair. Question, what is a good filler to use to fill in small dings and imperfections in an already prepped surface?

2. The plane is going to be mostly black with yellow trim. Question, should I paint the black, mask and paint the yellow trim; or do it the other way round?

thanks

TomCrump

Can we see some pics of the required fuselage repairs ?

Generally, since the fuselage is already glassed, I'd say prime it first. If the "boo boos" aren't too bad, automotive spot putty should take care of them. This putty works best over a lacquer based primer. I suggest Duplicolor high build sandable primer, as it is readily available.

The process is to sand the glassed surface with 300 grit, clean, and then prime. Sand the surface again. This will reveal your low and high spots. Spot putty the lows areas, and sand the high areas flat. Sand the spotty putty. Prime again, and see if you need to repeat the process. Continue priming and sanding untill you are satisfied. The last coat of primer should be sanded, too. Clean your model, making sure that it is dust free, and spray your color coats.

The yellow should be painted first, and then masked off when you paint the black.

An alternative might be to paint the fuselage black and have yellow vinyl graphics made for the fuselage and wings. The wing will be covered in black, right ?

There are good graphics suppliers out there, who regularly work with modelers. You won't have any trouble getting good graphics.

splais

My Feedback: (25)

Thanks Tom. The dings are mostly just small spots where something has poked into the plane, like small holes and gouges to fill. And yes, after I posted about which color to paint first I thought about using graphics. The wings are going to be black also.

PS: isn't there a product you brush on bare balsa to help covering stick better?

TomCrump

If you follow my suggestions, you should be fine.

The sandable high build primer, by itself, should cure many of your problems.