My only experience is with an H9 ARF, which went together remarkably well. I am ready to try an easy kit like a Top Flite or Skyshark. Only issue I can foresee is getting the covering right. I hear glass is the better alternative, but not sure how to do that either. I saw a little about glassing a boat on Radio Control Hobbies (the TV show) and it didn't look that difficult, but was wondering if the same techniques would apply to building an airplane.

Which easy kits would you reccommend for a TT .91 FS?

do covering, not glassing. glassing will look like poo, and if you get so much as a wrinkle, there goes your finish. get some scrap pieces of balsa, (maybe airfoiled or shaped or angled and such) and try covering it. keep working until you get it right, and then try it on the model. also, covering large gaps with fiberglass means cracking, crackkng means ugly and all kinds of stuff

I am a newbie myself and actually asked the same question as you on the 'scale' forum.

First and foremast you only glass over sheeted surfaces - not surfaces with large gaps. If your plane has open bays in it's constructions or a frame of some kind, it is not suitable for glassing. You will need to sheet the model with balsa before glassing. Glassing looks to be much more difficult and painstaking than covering. From what I have read it will give you a nicer and longer lasting finish and most importantly it gives you a finish that can be painted.

Here are some instructions on how to glass that I found:

[link=http://airfieldmodels.com/information_source/how_to_articles_for_model_builders/construction/apply_fiberglass_finish/index.htm]Fibreglassing tutorial[/link]

I would love to try it one day but I doubt it will be any time soon I don't have the space to do it in..

Photoniq

Hgiles..... heres a tread that might intrest you. i'm building my first kit also its a stuka from skyshark and im just about ready to cover it and im going to use tissue paper and glass using poly-c ........ ive tryed a few test pieces and it was a breeze ........ http://www.*************.co.uk/4um/i...66483#msg66483 he mentions in the article what to use and leads for others go from there........ i used minwax polycrylic. it works great for fuel proufing as well ........good luck

Glassing is not hard.

1. You MUST glass over sheeted surfaces only. If you have open bays, do not use fiberglass. Prep your surface. Use 220 sandpaper to prep. Remember, the better the prep, the better the finished product. FWIW - SkyShark kits are fully sheeted.

2. Use 1/2 (.5) oz fiberglass cloth. On larger planes (DESIGNED for 91 or larger) you can use 3/4 (.75) oz fiberglass cloth.

3. Use VERY SHARP scissors and/or a #11 blade on a piece of old window glass or an old mirror for cutting the fiberglass cloth.

4. Use a WATER BASE polyurethane (MinWax PolyCrylic) and a foam brush. You will also need some empty 1 qt cans and a product called "FloTrol" Make sure it is for latex or water base paint.

5. Lay the cloth over the area you want to glass. Using the poly full strength, apply a coat of poly. Start from the center of the cloth and work toward the edges. Brush in one direction only. You only want to use enough poly to stick the fiberglass to the wood. Overlap your pieces about 1". The fiberglass will easily flow into every little nook, cranny, crevis.

6. AFTER EVERYTHING IS GLASSED, mix some poly with FloTrol (I normally use 1 - 1 1/2 caps per quart UNTHINNED) and mix in some micro balloons. Apply a medium coat to the plane and let dry.

7. Wet sand with 320 sand paper to remove any imperfections. BE CAREFUL YOU DO NOT SAND THROUGH THE FIBERGLASS.

8. Mix some poly with Flotrol and spray a light to medium coat on the plane and let dry.

9. Spray a LIGHT coat of primer on the plane, and when dry, wet sand with 320 to show and high/low spots.

10. Low areas are easily fixed with lightweight filler.

11. Repeat steps 9 and 10 until no high/low spots remain. DO NOT LET THE PRIMER BUILD UP ON THE PLANE - PRIMER IS HEAVY.

12. Spray a LIGHT coat of primer on the plane. When dry, wet sand with 400 or 600. All you want to do is smooth surface.

13. Apply your color(s) and let dry.

14. If the paint is not labled fuel proof, I suggest 2 thin coats of poly (fuel resistant to 10% - 15% nitro) or a coat of UltraCote clear or LusterKote clear.

This sounds harder than it actually is. I find it as easy to do a applying a film covering. The water base poly has no fumes, is light in weight compared to resin, a quick dry time and is easier to sand than resin.

CAMPY, Thanks for taking the time to explain the method,im almost ready to cover my skyshark stuka and i couldnt see covering it with a monocote... To nice of a plane,its my first build and id buy another in heart beat great kit, thanks again BILL

My suggestion is a Skyshark kit and covering. Campy is right. Glassing is not that difficult but I feel that learning to cover is important. Cover your first plane. Then glass the next. Then decide which you like the most. Skyshark kits are good ones and you will not regret one. Good luck whichever way you go.

Mark Shuman

also what would i use to fill big gaps on the stuka at the tail they have a few holes were the vertical stab goes and just tell you to fill it, but it didnt recommend any thing in particular so i used pieces of balsa stock but now i still have to make up for the sheething ?

Campy,

What spray brush/gun are you using? I too have a glass and paint project comming up. This will be my first, and any recommendation on equipment would be appreciated.

Scott

Filling the holes with balsa is correct. Then use a liteweight filler to finish it off. Liteweight spackle (harware store) or one of the fillers such as Tower/Hobbico sells. The one from Hobbico fills nicely, can be thinned with A LITTLE water and sands well.

I have an old single stage Badger airbrush that I use for the detail painting and an "EBay Special" for the large areas. The EBay special is an HVLP electric spray unit. (High Volume Low Pressure) I get nice results with them. They are not show quality, but they are above average.

The amount of painting you plan to do and your budget will determine the type of equipment you get.

If you do not have a compressor, get one. It will come in handy for a variety of things besides painting.

Depending on your budget, a 2 stage airbrush is the top of the line and will provide the most detailed results. Almost any compressor will handle an airbrush.

For the large areas, I would suggest a decent "Detail Gun". These hold anywhere from 4 - 16 oz of paint depending on brand/style. An 8oz capacity should be plenty for the majority of the models you will paint.

For the detail gun I like an HVLP type, because the amount of overspray is minimal compared to a regular type gun and the feet per minute/pressure required are less. These USUALLY have the paint container above the gun, however you can achieve excellent results with a regular gun also.

What you need to ESPECIALLY CAREFUL of is the rating of the spray gun and the compressor. The gun will be rated for "X" amount of air at "X" pressure (this information is usually on the box). You need to make sure the compressor is capable of providing this. I have seen several halfway decent, inexpensive detail guns that require only about 3 - 4 feet per minute at 40 psi. Many require around 7 feet per minute at 70 - 90 psi.

The rating of the gun and how long you plan to spray will determine the compressor/unit size. Using a gun that needs 3 - 4 feet @ 40 psi, you can probably get away with a 100 psi compressor with a 2 - 4 gallon tank. For the other type guns, you will need a MINIMUM of a 125 psi unit with a MINIMUM of a 6 gallon tank.

FWIW, the HVLP setup I bought off EBay new was about $90. I find it does what I want quite nicely. I spray latex and water base polyurethane with it. Usually I paint the whole plane it's "base" color, then mask off and use the airbrush for the contrasting/detailing. If I were to build show models, or be doing a lot of painting, I would spring for the detail gun, a 2 stage airbrush and a good compressor.

The area my HVLP can paint in 1 minute, will take about 30 minutes (or longer) with an airbrush to achieve the same level of coverage.

If you decide to go with the electric HVLP unit, do not get a compressor designed just for airbrushes - for the same money as a good airbrush comprssor you can get a 100 psi 2 gallon regular compressor.

BEFORE you start painting the plane, practice using the airbrush/spray gun on scrap pieces of wood, paper, etc to determine proper paint thickness, pressure needed, speed of the stroke, spray pattern, distance, etc.

A good tip for spraying is to start the painting BEFORE the item to be painted and end the stroke AFTER the item. This will eliminate/minimize and build up.

Hope this helps.

Campy - that is a REALLY informative post - thanks.

So do you think you can do reasonable camoflage jobs for scale like appearance with the hplv system? It sounds easier and cheaper and quicker to use than a proper dual action airbrush...

Or - is the HPLV only useful when you are going to colour the whole plane the same colour?

Thanks,
photoniq

Glassing takes time to learn...ive been playing with it for 8 years now....and im still just good at it...not great...cover it till you learn more bout it...want something different?? try sig coverall...niceeeeeee stuff....but,,,theres a draw back...dope,,,, nitrate ,,,MEK,,,allllll the smelly stuff...LOL...

Campy

That was great information and advice.

Thanks!

Scott

Camo jobs are very easy, but you will need an airbrush (either single or 2 stage) in addition to the HVLP (or other type) system. The HVLP or detail guns, in my opinion, have too large a spray pattern for the detail work. The airbrush can go from 1/16" to about 1" with excellent results. I use a single stage airbrush.

Paint the whole plane with the base color(s) first. Then mask and paint the camo. The Hawker I did had a light blue bottom and a greenish grey top. The camo markings were a dark green/brown applied with the airbrush.

I painted the bottom first, then masked it off and shot the greenish grey top color. Then I masked and used the airbrush to paint the green/brown camo spots. At this point I suggest attaching the main wing so you will get smooth transitioning/camo markings between the fuselage and the wing - the masking for this can be a little tricky.

For the camo markings I cut out the design I want for an area, then roll some tape and apply it under the edge of the outline about 3/8" in from the edge and so the mask is raised about 1/8" from the surface. You want to try to shoot the paint straight on. Do not use much of an angle or you will most likely get too much overspray under the mask. When you spray the camo you will get some overspray underneath the pattern, which is what you want. Camo markings USUALLY have this type of edge and are not crisp/sharp.

After that was dry I masked and painted the white band that goes around the rear section of the fuselage. Then I applied the decals and hand brushed some of the details such as the machine gun barrels, cockpit and cockpit details.

I have had my best results masking with the 3M BLUE masking tape (not cheap - about $4 - $6 a roll). You will need to look at the wrapper carefully. They have an adhesive grading from 1 - 5 dots. I have found the 2 dots hold well, yet do not pull the underlying paint loose. The 2 dot looks like a smooth paper tape, while the 3 dot and higher has a textured appearance. The 2 dot is also rated for a "90 day clean release", where the 3 dot is rated for a "14 day clean release"

I also use regular masking tape to secure the newspaper to the blue masking tape.

Hope this helps.