Has anyone tried tightening up or getting the wrinkles out of the Lady ? [X(]
I've never seen anything like this stuff....it doesn't shrink hardly at all. If you
put alot of heat to it, to try and shrink it....it "puckers" into a mess. I'm working
on the fuse....on the sheeted places, I can't shrink and rub the stuff down, and
I can't iron it down. If you get the iron hot enough to shrink the wrinkle, 10
more wrinkles will erupt around it under the irom. When you use the heat gun
....it seems like the air wont escape through the balsa (if it is balsa) and the
bubble wont go away, nor can you press it down with the glove....because
the air wont escape....and as the material cools down, the wrinkle is still there.

I've never seen anything like this stuff. Yes I poked holes with the T-pins to
let the air out....that won't even wokk.

Has anyoneone figured out the secret to this covering ?

Please no general covering tips....I've been doing this for 35 years....this
covering is like nothing I've ever seen. [X(]

Dave. [X(]

Dave,

I wish that I could give some insight on the covering material. I have seen problems with this "mystery" covering as a recurring theme when it comes to the Lady.

It's a shame, this bird has some beautiful lines to her. I plan to buy one and just recover it from the get go. Is the yellow/orange color painted on or is it another layer? My old Tower Hobbies trainer had some covering with painted on graphics that sure did react strangely to heat. I wonder if it's the same stuff?

The yellow appears to be another layer, with a thin black trim piece over
the seam. The manual states...."Expertly Covered with Real Heat-Shrink,
Iron-On Covering Material.

I put a call into Global, but all i could do was leave a message.

Dave. []

It is definitely different. I just went downstairs to iron out a few wrinkles and everything you said was true. When you put the iron to it, more bubbles come up than what you started with, and yes I poked them with a needle, too, which didn't help much.

Well, so much for my ModelTech/Tower Hobbies relationship theory...

I was reading through the assembly manual for my new Rascal 40 and SIG explained why sometimes ARFs have wrinkling issues as they come out of the box. They say that the covering is tight when it is originaly applied, however this is done in a part of the world with high humidity, which part is not stated. They go on to explain that the wood shrinks to a degree when it gets to a dryer part of the world and thus wrinkles are formed. I'm in NC and it's pretty dry this time of the year. I've got some work to do with the iron...

Not exactly life changing news, I know, but I found it encouraging that a manufacturer took the time to give an explanation.

If you find the secret, please share it, because I'd love to know the answer myself.


Ken

I just called ModelTech myself and talked to Mike. Nice enough guy to deal with but didn't have any sort of answer for us. He transferred me to Customer Service, but they could not help me either. Customer Service transferred me to the Project Manager who was not in the office and I left a message with him along with my number. The Project Manager's name was Mike too... I wonder if he is the same guy I first spoke to?

Anyway, hopefully he will call me back.

I started on the turtle deck....it was real saggy. The material wouldn't shrink
properly with the gun. Finally, when I got it to shrink it puckered real bad, and
pulled away fron the rear of the cockpit....even though I had my figer blocking
the edge.

I was able to salvage it by putting on a piece of yellow on it. I was gonna put
some black trim on it, to tie it in. I was able to shrink it pretty good with the
iron over the open-bay turtle deck....but after I got all done, it just saggied back
up....so it was a waste of effort.

I figured it would take about 10 minutes to tighten up the whole fuse....just with
the heat gun and a glove to press and smooth the material down. When I went
to use the iron ( because the gun wasn't working) on the top of the fuse in the
front ....all hell broke loose.

I wish I would have found out about the crummy covering before I put the tail
feathers on. It would have been easy to recover the fuse then.

Dave. []

Hey....why didn't ya post this question in the "Beginner" section? Ya dang rookie! 35 years......HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!



P.S. Let me know what ya find out.....I have the same plane.....

It's too bad they don't still offer this in an ARC form (like my first one). Sounds like they maybe "cheapened" it up a bit....

Gary

I wouldn'd be laughin' too hard there Mr. Whippersnapper....whydoncha pull
yours down outta them rafters, and try your hand at that fuselage....

I was able to turn a few dozen large wrinkles into a half million small ones....

....so, there....

( AirGar failed to mention I did a great job recovering one of his planes. [sm=bananahead.gif] )

Dave.

Covering like that is a real bummer. Makes me glad I bought the ARC version a couple of years ago. The Lady is a good solid airplane that flys great and looks good too.

I'm in the same boat [:@]

I got my heat gun out the other day to get some of the wrinkles out, and sure enough, it just grew more.

How difficult would it be to pull the covering off, and re-cover??

Maybe not too hard with a heat gun.

YUP!

I emailed Global Hobby last month about the same problem and got this reply:

"Sorry to hear you had some problem with your Dragon Lady.


The covering is Solarfilm. The technique we find that works best to remove bubbles is to heat the covering and get as many small bubbles as possible into a big bubble, then pop the edge of the bubble to let the trapped air escape. Now, the covering can be rubbed smooth with a rag or iron if needed.

--
Kyle Gittins, Manager

Customer Service
18480 Bandilier Cir
Fountain Valley CA 92708

Ph: 714-963-0329 (9AM-3PM PST, M-F)
Fx: 714-964-6236
Email: [email protected]
www.hobbypeople.net
Toll-Free ordering: 1-800-854-8471"

I've been putting together a VF 66" Edge and haven't started on the Lady yet, but if I can't get this covering squared away, I may just recover mine and this will be the last ARF I get from these people. I think I may just stay with VectorFlight from now on.

Hope this helps,

Look at these wings....[X(]....the tips are real bad too. I know they aren't
gonna shrink up right. I'm gonna hit 'em with the heatgun and see if they're
gonna fly...if not....the covering is outta here. Even if it does shrink up half-way
decent....when the summer heat gets to them, I'll probably wish I had just
removed the stuff once and for all.

I think "Mr Global" owes me some Mono-cote....

Dave. []

Well, no return call from Mike at ModelTech yet... Probably tomorrow.

edit> edited out my BIG question to my Ol' Bud FlyBoy as I realized you guy may not know were Buddy's.

I was just raggin' him a bit in my first post......

Gary

Wow, that bites! I would take the kit back to Hobby People and throw it down on the counter and demand either a refund or another NIB plane.

Try complaining on the Global forum. I know Mike G. checks it out daily and tries to help:

http://globalservices.globalhobby.co...715a451933b410

Solar film....[X(]....I wish I would have know that from the start. That's
a whole different ballgame........I got a technique GOIN' ON !!!

Dave.

Shipped from a high humidity sweatshop to the dry areas of USA. Makes it look like a prune. I say get a box of dry prunes and follow the directions on the side of the box. LOOK MA, NO WRINKLES! Got any Botox??

OK, what's the technique? [sm=confused.gif]

CrashMaster,

Here's a pic (of a pic) of my first DL. Super Tigre 1.41 ci swingin' a 18x6-10. I flew this for years, and was sorry when I sold it.

In the drawer waiting for it is a Super Tiger 1.37 ci (same prop) May just have to get started on it, as I just sold the plane that was on da bench. I'll mount the motor horizontally, and throw the fumes out the bottom with a Pitts.

Gary

Forgot the pic....

I'm still working on the technique....I almost have it down .....

Solarfilm shrinks at a very low heat seting, too high and it puckers or melts. Also very small range from too low to too high heat. Very tricky to work with. IMO Should only be used when every ounce of weight needs to be saved, such as competition sailplanes.

I love the looks of this plane... Hurry and figure this problem out so I can order one... LOL RCU Great Place to let other people figure out the problem... Thanks Guys... Amature like me needs all the help!