gpschult

I'm putting together a Sig Skyray C/L plane. It looks like a lot of people paint them as fuel-proofing, but I'm wondering if Monokote would work instead? Or is that too heavy or impractical for a plane of this size? Any thoughts? Thanks!

GREG DOE

Monokote should be fine. I'm basically a painter myself, but sometimes I use plastic film. I've got a 40+ year PDQ Super Clown (the predecessor to the Ring Master) with orange Monokote on the wings, and K&B Supper Poxy on the fuselage, and tail. It has stood up well. The attraction for heat shrink film is that it's quicker. Dope and tissue or silk take longer to complete, but stand up better to fuel soaking. Oil can creep under film more easily.

gpschult

Thanks! I might try painting my next 1/2A, a Sig Deweybird. One of my big concerns is the fumes from the doping and whatnot.

rgburrill

There used to be a lightweight Monokote or Econokote but I'm having trouble getting to horizonhobby.

GREG DOE

Econokote was developed as a low heat film suitable for covering foam airplanes. It was also more elastic then Monokote, so it got the nick name of "rubber coat". There are many different brands of covering film today, including some "China coat" films. There are also a number of "lite" films more suited to park flyers. Using a light weight film on a 1/2A airplane probably wouldn't save much weight. More important would be to use caution not to warp anything when shrinking the covering.

Lifer

My Feedback: (1)

I've got Monokote on a 1/2a Ringmaster and it is very light. No problems.

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

Agree, typically any iron on film is going to be lighter then painting.

049flyer

My Feedback: (18)

I recently finished a scratch built Baby Ringmaster, the ribs were cut from Dollar Tree foam board. The wing is covered with Doculam and the fuselage with Monokote. The weight ready to fly is 4.8 ounces, powered with a Cox Surestart and it stunts very well!

guitarsbanjo

I've been planning on doing exactly this, where's your fuel tank? I figured I'd need to make the nose longer for balance purposes, and I have a little wedge fuel tank, and several of the little sure start engines.

049flyer

My Feedback: (18)

I have a 3/8 oz tank squeezed in between the leading edge and the firewall. I had to carve out the balsa wedge behind the firewall and then epoxied the tank in the slot. The engine run is sufficient, I would say about 3 minutes. The plane weighs 4-1/2 oz ready to fly (less fuel) so performance is very good, stunts easily. Inside and outside loops, inverted flight and overhead maneuvers are easy, fast, and steady on the 35 ft lines. All this at a field elevation of 5000 ft, should be even better at lower elevations.

guitarsbanjo

thanks, I built a baby ringmaster when I was young, I replaced the Deweybird I learned to fly with, I couldn't get the Dewey bird to loop, and after a lot of figure 9's it was toast. if I'd have known more about balance and setup at 9 or 10 years old, I probably could have got it to loop, but somewhere, somehow, I was taught to balance them on the LE...so I'm sure it was nose heavy. Anyway, the Ringmaster would loop, so I was ecstatic, but I destroyed it too, it wouldn't take the beating of the all-sheet plane. Then I built a Baby Flite Streak. I still have the "bones" of that one, the tissue on the wings is gone, and it needs some work on one of the wing tips, but I plan to refurb it. I have a Baby Ringmaster still in the box, I've copied all of the parts onto poster board, I plan to build the kit, I just wanted everything copied so I can build more if the urge hits me. But I was considering extending the nose about the same length that the Baby Bee tank would be, then sticking a little wedge tank on it. I taught my boys to fly control line on a Beginner Ringmaster Biplane several years ago, and we were using "spider wire", I think I did about 25'. And I can say, these days, 3 minutes would be more than enough flite time...

I've even considered doing an all-sheet version to get my feet wet again, sort of like the "beginner ringmaster", but I think the beginner ringmaster wing cord wasn't as wide, so less wing area, I don't think that makes sense. I thought about just using the exact outline of the baby ringmaster, just on 1/8" balsa. I've also wanted to do a "baby VooDoo", there was no such thing, back in the late '80s in high school I was gifted a VooDoo with a Stallion.35, another one of those fond memory things. I think a VooDoo with about 90 or 100in sq and a baby bee would be a hoot. it would be pretty easy to scale the plans