It’s startling how the events in others lives’ can impact your own………
….and that’s all I have to say about that.

The cold has settled back in just in time for me to unwrap the Banshee, and get back to glassing. As noted in a previous post, I ran into some problems with slow curing resin. Well a year later, it has hardened completely. I left some witness samples of the resin mix I used that had given me problems, and they confirm that it had hardened completely. I’m fairly sure that the issue is that the thinned resin simply requires a lot of time to cure when applied as a second coat. The first coat goes on very thin, and much is absorbed into the balsa, which either aids curing, or makes the slow cure unnoticeable. Either way, using un-thinned resin for all additional coats has allowed me to proceed to sanding within 12 hours or so.

I did complete and fly the Super Kaos last year. I was concerned that the Banshee might need a bit more ground clearance for my grass field, and wanted to modify it if needed prior to finishing. However, the Kaos handles okay with a 12x6, and prop clearance is a non issue with an 11x7; the Banshee has 1/8” more clearance than the Kaos. Alls well.

I’m to the point that a decision needs to be made regarding paint. I’m leaning towards Nelson Hobbies paint, as it’s claimed to be brushable, and I might be able to use it in the basement with minimal ventilation. I’m open to other ideas or comments regarding Nelsons’ from others’ experiences.

Thought I’d make certain that I knew where all the pieces were, so she got assembled for a photo shoot. The wing needs a few more coats, and then should be ready for primer. The total weight gain of the wing to this point is (130 grams) 4.6 oz. As pictured below, the total weight is 5# 12.5oz (need to add the remainder of the glass to the fuselage, paint, four servos, receiver, battery, and tank). I’m feeling fairly comfortable about hitting 7.5# or less auw.

Thanks for checking in.

Doug