sahartman21

While I was building the Sam-Rai I traced and cut out a couple fuselage kits (scratch built) for further building.

The following model uses a scratch built fuselage and 66012 airfoil.

It is my "Fall Special" as it is painted in fall or Halloween colors.

sahartman21

Duane Hulen and others have been using automotive clear coat as the primary finish on their models.

I tried this out on the Sam-Rai fuselage and now am hooked. This simple finishing method allows you to have a painted model that actually comes out underweight.

I will publish more pictures after the model completes. It will be powered with a Jett 426 engine.

resourcecapital

My Feedback: (2)

question as it is hard to tell. are the parts glassed and bag'd or just clearcoat over glass??

sahartman21

For the wing the fiberglass cloth was applied and placed between layers of peel ply (nylon fabric) and then vacuum bagged. On the fuselage the glass cloth was applied, finishing resin was applied, and it was allowed to dry.

Parts were then sanded with 220 grit paper on a sanding block until smooth.

Another thin layer of finishing resin was applied and allowed to dry. This was then sanded again.

The trim colors are then sprayed on.

Automotive clear coat is then applied on over the top. A light coat first the following with thicker layers.

After this dries the finish is wet sanded with 2000 grit paper on a sanding block. This is polished with rubbing compound and wax.

The site below shows more detail on the Sam-Rai:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_10..._4/key_/tm.htm

DHULEN

My Feedback: (11)

I think it looks great and I think you should just sell it to ME just the way it is ???? LOL

Duane

Scorpion Racing

Good job Scott, I am partial to the clear wood look too!

GSJames

I wish I could find something that nice in MY local pumpkin patch...

sahartman21

Scott Smith,

I found that an inexpensive rattle can works fine for the trim colors. What's been your experience?

The fluorescent orange was Krylon brand while the black was an inexpensive off brand.

Scorpion Racing

Yup, I agree. The Rust-Oleum & Krylon colors work fine, as long as you give them a few days to fully cure and then top coat them with a fuel proof top coat. The single stage (rattle can) paints are not really fuel proof and get soft and sticky, so you need to clear it with a catalyzed clear coat for maximum durability. The 2 in the above picture are just MGS resin with no clear, but held up really nice.

I may clear coat a couple 424's in the future, your finishes are making me jealous now!

sahartman21

Here is the brother of my "Fall Special".

My rough calculations show that the full base-coated finish (yellow wing) adds about 1 to 2 ounces to the wing weight.

Don't look too close, the clear coat has not been applied yet to the yellow wing.

Both wings will be in the 17 to 18.5 ounce range.

After adding the servo the Fall Special wing weighed 18.8 ounces. The other wing weighed about 19.8 ounces, but before painting was around 1 ounce lighter than the Fall Special wing.

sahartman21

void

DHULEN

My Feedback: (11)

That one looks good too

Duane
MOKAN

SSAN

That looks nice, Scott!

sahartman21

Here are a few more pictures getting the model ready to fly.

Velcro was applied on a couple tire balancing weights. About 2 ounces was stuck in place to bring the model up to minimum weight.

A piece of foam was applied over the weights and the tank was installed.

sahartman21

The finished weight is still a little under the minimum, 60 ounces.

After trimming and applying tip weight, I will add final weights as needed.

sahartman21

Here are a few photos prior to making the maiden flights.

DHULEN

My Feedback: (11)

So how did it go ? Good i hope.

sahartman21

I haven't flown the Fall Special, but it is ready to go.

Here's its brother. It weighed in at 61.5 ounces and has a Thunder Tiger Pro 40 for power.

The wing on this model was around 1.5 ounce more than the wing on the Fall Special. Not applying filler or color to the wing reduces the weight by around 1.5 ounces.

I had to add about 1/2 ounce to the tail for balance.

sahartman21

The Fall Special and its brother were flown today.

It was cold, around 35 degrees, without any wind.

They both flew fine without any issues.

I'll be ready for the racing season when it makes its way back.

Scott Hartman
Fritch, TX 79036

fizzwater2

My Feedback: (61)

Glad to hear it Scott - you're ahead of me!

PylonDave

Scott, are you going to make it to Winterfest this year??

sahartman21

I'm planning to attend the Phoenix QM40 Classic, but I don't think I can make the Phoenix Winterfest Q-500 Race.

I have semiannual reports that are due in January, so it makes it difficult to attend the Winterfest race.