ORIGINAL: Ed Cregger
Back when rec.models.rc.air was booming, there was a fellow named Brian (with an Italian sounding last name) that clued us in on using laminating film on our fun fly/pre 3D models. Not only was it a cheap iron on with great results, but a light buffing with Scotch-Brite pad permitted painting in any color you pleased, as long as it was fuel proof. He recommended the 3.5 mil stuff, but said he had used the 1.5 mil stuff without a problem.
You can buy a bunch of this stuff for little money, when compared to commercial iron-on films. You can get it with a heat activated glue and iron it on the same way as normal covering too. Still at a cheap price. It holds up as well as commercial iron-on coverings to fuel.
I vowed that if I ever got into fun flying again, even if just for sport, I'd use this film. I'm now ready to give it a whirl.
Ed Cregger
I use 1.5 mil laminating film almost exclusively on all my birds. The biggest I have is 60-size, but I wouldn't hesitate to use it on larger planes. I bought two (2) 25 inch x 500 foot rolls for about $56 shiped at
Laminator Warehouse. This stuff handles very much like MonoKote and Ultracote. It does require a bit more heat and it's a bit more delicate, but it shrinks well and stays nice and tight. I spray the adhesive side with a light coat of cheap 99 cent WalMart spray paint and while it doesn't look as good as conventional covering, it's not terrible. Here is a pic of my Sabre 56, a Saito 100-powered profile ship.
The covering is semi-transparent, so if you are going for a very dark finish or are very particular about color borders and so forth, it might not be a good option for you.