Okay showing my newbie side. I'm just finishing the build on my first balsa plane and been looking for my
next build. I see many planes with tissue covering. Can monokote be substituted for the tissue cover?
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It depends on the size of the model/airframe you have. Alot of the older control line models came with silkspan for covering & their wing structures were strong enough to be able to substitute Monokote in place of the silkspan. However, most of the rubber powered kits also came with silkspan & monokote potentially could crush or warp the structure during application. You didnt mention the type airframe you have, so just be aware that Monokote could produce the above mentioned results. I just finished applying Monokote to an old Mini Mambo kit and the monokote wanted to twist the wing during application. I got it done, but had my hands full keeping everything square. This was a kit that came with silkspan for covering.......Gene

Thanks Wilson, the plane I have been looking at are electric powered.

Hi!
Choose Oracover instead of Monokote! Much better!
You should not use tissue for covering an R/C model. Covering will be too fragile! Tissue is only used on small, light free flight planes and CL planes when used in conjuction with silk and dope.

Great thanks never heard if orocover. What makes it better?

There are threads in which people argue at length about Monokote and Oracover (called Ultracote in the U.S.) Some people prefer one, others like the other one. Don't take any one person's word as gospel. As for tissue, if you are building a small, light model and the instructions call for tissue, either Monokote or Ultracote would likely be too heavy and too likely to damage the framework when shrinking. You wouldn't use tissue on a .40 size sport model, but you wouldn't use an ordinary film covering on a 1/2A Texaco model, either, at least not on the wings. Coverite makes a lightweight covering called "Coverlight" which is easier to apply than tissue and lighter than conventional films. Both tissue and silk take some skill to apply. What model are you building?

I am covering a Shoestring and after trying both Monocote and Ultracote, I prefer Ultracote. It shrinks way better than Monocote, its easier to work with due to the lower temp used, and feels tighter when done.

Ed