China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

Well the verdict is out... CHINAKOTE SUCKS.

I am sure there are those of you who have come across this stuff, unfortunately, more and more ARF makers are using it over name brand UC or MK. It is found on the Chip Hyde planes, BME, and many others are starting to use it as well.

I am an expert at covering, I have covered probably hundreds of planes in the past few years. I find that ChinaKote is heavy, extremely weak, does not respond well at all to a heat gun, and it is a real nighmare to remove.

I occasionaly pick up an ARF between builds, but when I do I usually give it my own covering scheme. I just don't like the way ARFs color schemes go.. with a few exceptions..

Well, the BME edge I have is not the exception. The color scheme was busy, downright ugly. I stripped it down the white base, but even minor covering removal is a hassle with this stuff, the color base gets left behind while the clear plastic rips off... and instead of coming off in sheets, it falls apart in little pieces. It took me 15 minutes to remove a very small area for glueing..

It would take a week to strip the whole airplane!

I guess the reason I am posting this at all is that if you are like me and want to customize your ARF.. you are best to steer clear of ANYTHING with ChinaKote on it.. What a nightmare..

I got it looking pretty good now, but I could have done an ARC in less time...

DP

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

How do you know a plane has Chinakote on it before you get it? Is it in the description?

Don

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

DP is one unhappy man! Well you got what you pay for.

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

If the plastic comes off and only the color layer is left behind you can remove the color with a rag soaked in break cleaner, Berrymans B-12 or other carb cleaners. I have had to pull my hair out trying to get the junk off to recover a plane. The old self stick-um shelf was also junk, but atleast it came off in big easy pieces.


Dru.

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

Are you using the term ChinaKote as a generic reference tho the cheap stuff that comes on many ARFs these days or is this some new covering I haven't heard about.
One of the most enjoyable planes to fly I own is covered with this generic stuff. In my case, it's keeping it stuck down around the edges that's giving me fits. CA works to some extent, but I'm constantly futzing with it. I'm a bit suprised that a company with BME's reputation would use this stuff on their products though.

Don most ARFs that use a brand name covering will advertise it as such. If you see the term " real iron on film " and no brand mentioned, watch out.

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

Guys ... so what does H9 use? My Aresti is peeling too. I cannot keep some of the edges down, not all that bad but its coming off. I do know that Oracote is good stuff, I bought some Black Horse ARFs and they do not need any ironing even after 60-80 flights.

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

Same with my Ultra Stick 40. Guess ya can't trust anyone these days---. At least with the Ultra Cote or other brand name stuff I can find replacement covering that matches.

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

Ultracote or Oracover in my opinion are inferior compared to the original and still the best plastic heat shrink film called "MONOKOTE";)

Ultracote does not stay down on the edges it is always lifting.
Ultracote wrinkles in the Summer
Ultracote does not have the color depth or shine of "MonoKote"
Ultracote is heavier than "MonoKote"
Ultracote is not as strong as "MonoKote"

To Sum It Up!

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

Monokote woould keep the prices of ARFs high ... hahaha

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

Price $ of MonoKote verses Ultracote!!!!!

MonoKote (Opaques) = $10.99
MonoKote (Neon/Fluoresent) = $16.99
MonoKote (Transparent) = $11.99
MonoKote (Pearl) = $13.99

Ultracote (Opaques) = $12.99
Ultracote (Neon/Fluoresent) = $17.99
Ultracote (Transparent) = $12.99
Ultracote (Pearl) = $17.99

Ultracote must be better than MonoKote because
Horizon Hobby charges more for it?????????????
But Horizon Hobby charges more for almost all
hobby products[>:]

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

Not all "Chinacote" are the same. The new World Models ToughLon is now distributed by Sig under the name AeroKote. I have seen it on several Chinese made ARFs and it is pretty darn good. Less wrinkles and about as easy to work with as Ultracote, which is made by Oracover in Germany.

Monocote is the worst as far as layer separation is concerned. If you are not careful applying it, especially around the edges, the color layer melts and smears all over the place. You can stick down and peel back Ultracote several time with little problem. Not so with Monocote.

Until I have some more experience with AeroKote and see its durability and such, Oracover is still the best covering IMHO.

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

covered in a premium iron on film..........( in other words- cheapo china kote ) i know one thing- i would rather pay a litttle more and get better covering. when i'm shopping for an ARF, one of the first things that gets looked at is the type of covering. if its china kote, then it's a NO SALE!!!

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

Now what is that Supposed to mean??? Chip Hyde's planes are on the high side of ARFs...as are BME, Planes Plus, etc... I would not expect crappy covering on them.

I will say the covering work was very good (i.e. few wrinkles, and it was ON very well... like impossible to strip)..

I normally build all my planes (Carden or Aerotech) and I use Ultracote on those... I would expect higher end ARFs to have the same stuff I use.. H9 and GP use Ultracote and Monokote..

I was only buying an ARF to get something smaller in the air for my Xmas break...
DP

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

I ended up using a 1/2 quart of paint thinner!!! Had a nice buzz when I was all done too!!
The good think about thinner is that it evaporates fast so it won't harm the foam underneath the sheeting!

DP

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

H9 is the US distributor for Oracover (Ultracote).. all their planes are covered with it. You will have to use the heat gun and iron to go over it out of the box, but once done.. you will rarely have to touch it...

DP

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

I will disagree. UC is different, but it is not better or worse than MK. I used MK for years, and lately, I have done everything I have built for customers lately with UC. Not sure if this holds true in "normal" climates, but here in AZ, Ultracote holds up the best to the heat and sunlight.. I have one plane 2 years old with 100s of flights on it that still looks great with no wrinkles or pulled seams. My secret is I use the heat gun to get the covering really, really tight. I think it makes a big difference when you do it yourself vs. someone making 2 cents an hour in a factory in China. The factories apply the covering using water, then they seal the edges.. basically there is nothing holding the covering down. You need to take an iron to every square inch on all ARFs to get the covereing perfect.

I still like the Chrome and Black monokote better than UC, but the UC colors are better and they hold their shape longer.

DP

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

DP - I did the ironing before assembly for my H9 Aresti ... it still came off. Heck ... its coming off as we speak. Again, its not areas where fuel or oil has seeped into. Just the edges of the fuse, ailerons etc. Anyways, I did not realise the covering on BME and CH's planes are that bad. If its El Cheapo then that is sad cause those planes are not cheap.

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

I had been working on my chip hyde double vision on and off for about two months.
After hours of trying to iron down the China Kote covering I got so frustrated with it I ripped it all off . After ironing for hours the covering all pulled off in less than two hours with no heat and it did not pull any of the balsa with it. Even the covering does not stick to itself as all the trim just peels right off, even after ironing. (I personally think this cheap covering does not belong on an ARF that costs $600.00 ,maybe on one that costs $100.00 or less. Just my opinion. I got $175 of monokote and will put on a covering job that the plane deserves. I would have paid more for the plane if it meant better covering! (this has been posted in the DV form)

Roy

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

Nice looking airframe under all the ugly chinakote!! Sorry you had to go through that... you are very lucky yours came off so easy. When I pulled mine off, it left what looked like a layer of paint, which had to be stripped with thinner before I could recover it.

Honestly, the covering job was pretty nice on my BME, I just did not like the scheme. I suppose had I left it alone though, I would have had the same issues as you so that is why I chose to strip...

Looks good now though!

DP

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

iIANci - I hear you... you need to use a really high heat!! Believe it or not.. go get a roll of ultracote and read the directions. I thought I knew everything about covering (after years of using monocote)... UC is different, it is a lot more flexible in terms of its tolerance to heat. Once I read the directions and followed them I ended up with absolutely FLAWLESS covering jobs that last as long as you want them to (I strip more covering schemes from being bored with them than I do from then wearing out!!)...

When the occasional urge hits to get a ARF, here is what I do...

1. Set the Iron to about 155* and go over every seam, applied later, etc... twice if necessary. Don't worry about bubbles.. we'll get rid of them later..
2. Get out the heat gun... go over every inch of the plane.. shrink the covering tight.
3. If you should get any bubbles in the covering, first, let it cool and see if they go away on their own.. most do. If some remain under the layers of covering (i.e. color over white, etc) use a pin and pop each bubble... then go over with an iron.
4. After the heat gun treatment... go over everything again with a 200* iron, this will lock the covering down. You have to use some finesse, too much time and you will cook it or pull a seam... same goes for the heat gun. .. there definitely is a trick to it.


The first time I ever encountered Ultracote was on a H9 P-51 mustang. I HATED it... the covering fell off the plane... IN FLIGHT! I almost lost it. I used the techniques that I know from years of Monokote covering and I ended up overshrinking it, baked all the seams, and well, basically ended up recovering it in Monokote!!

I swore I'd never touch that crap again!

Times change - I came across a case of Ultracote at an auction ($120 for 40 rolls of various colors!).. I bought it to re-sell, but I could not resist using a roll or two on a project I was working on at the time.

I have been a sworn Ultracote user ever since.

The stuff really is the best covering out there, but like I said, it takes some getting used to. What works on MK does not do so good on UC... UC is easier to work with. I think it holds its shrink better, but it definitley won't let you sit on it with the heat gun like MK will. It also will shrink so much that you better make sure you have plenty of overlap on your seams of they will pull!!!


DP

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

DP - I think I will try all that for my H9 F90 ... sigh ... its really bad to hear about the DV, you pay that much and you get small problem that takes a lot to resolve. See that means even people like CH do not really know the problems that the product has, this is the beauty of capitalism? Hehehe ... But funny enough my cheap Black Horse has great covering, does not peel at all. Weird ...

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

With the exception of the covering, the Chip Hyde, Planes Plus, BME, Aerotech, etc ARFS really are built very well. I believe they all come out of the same factory in Hong Kong..

Its too bad they don't offer an ARC version, but then again, most people hate to cover.. I am one of the sick few that not only like to do it, but I am very good at it and I can cover an entire plane in a few hours..

So I strip... and strip and swear and strip some more....

DP

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

DP - your address please ... I have this nice 100" ZLIN ARC ... hahahaa ...

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

I think shipping would be more than what the plane is worth!!

I was in KL not too long ago, well, actually Singapore, but I ventured "over the pond" to Malasia.

Enjoyed my visit immensely.

DP

RE: China Kote = GARBAGE!!
 

DP - if you had me as the tour guide you would have enjoyed it TREMENDOUSLY ... how was the food in Malaysia?