RE: Is dope & fabric covering dead?
Sig has (or had) a product called STIXIT. You brushed it on the frame, and then used a monokote iron to activate the adhesive . Just laid your Koverall on, and proceeded to iron it down, working the wrinkles out as you go. Works great.
I too, dislike the plastic shrink covering. I always thought it made model aircraft look like toys. I still have a good supply of the old Sig Nitrate, and also have quite a bit of Aerogloss from Pactra. I have been using Randolph dope with great success. You can usually find what you need by contacting Aircraft Spruce, or go to Randolph directly. They are accustomed to dealing with model builders, and do not mind filling special orders in smaller quantities. The prices from Randolph are in line with the quality of thier products.
I wish I knew how to download some photographs of some of my projects, so that I might share them with you. Maybe I'll get one of the local kids to show me how to do it. I built my first model in 1949, and it came out pretty good (if you shut one eye and squinted with the other) been at it ever since, and I wish that the young people today were not into instant gratification of the ARF's. I finally broke down and bought an ARF from one of the more respected names in the business, and what a dissapointment. The entire framework is assembled using hot glue. Even for the retract gear mounting rails and the firewall. I have about 100 hours invested in it now, and it still looks like a toy airplane. Live and learn. Back to the building board and the finishing room for me.
Take care all,
Bill