I was concerned with weight, and went and used monocoat over the stock balsa on my Top Flite P-47 Thunderbolt, shot Warbird Colors paint over it with my airbrush. They recommended scuff sanding the monocoat first, which I did , using some medium steel wool to start, then some 350 grit sandpaper, which seems to work better. Wiped it down with some paint thinner, and let it dry. The finish was great, it looks pretty much like I wanted it to (I am no artist). The whole thing came out under 10 lbs, but I did use mechanical retracts. You can see it in my gallery.