i thought there was a considerable amount of time between the glassing and the final paint . 1.5 sounds heavy though the reason is sound to me. it just seems to me that alot of the warbirds i have seen didn't show this stuff. like i said theirs was built up vs. foam core stuff. FYI.. the foam used in the wings is most likely 3 lb. i just had some new cores cut for a corsair and i shed 3/4 of a pound of each by going to 1 pound . i guess i have to live with it. besides .. it flies so good