I am planning to cover the wings of my Slow poke project with transparent blue Monokote and the fuselage with opaque cream Monokote with blue trim. Unfortunately, the Tower website doesn't show a blue trim sheet that is a match for the transparent blue. Does anyone know which opaque or trim Monokote comes closest to their transparent blue?

Many thanks,

Harvey

If I were you, I'd avoid the trim sheets altogether, and just cut and apply regular kote as trim. I've had difficulty with all brands of self-adhesive trim lifting when exposed to exhaust, the adhesive gets right gummy and won't allow it to be easily re-stuck.

Just cut the piece you want on the plane to the exact size and shape you want it. Position it on the plane where you want it and then apply your iron to the middle to tack it down. Be sure to have the iron only hot enough to make the adhesive stick, you really don't want to shrink it. Now work from the tacked spot out to each end, being sure it's well adhered.

Some also use a method that uses windex to place their trim. You simply wet the area where the trim will go with windex, and lay down the piece of trim. Squeegee it to remove the bulk of the windex from under the trim, and allow it to dry overnight. The windex will allow it to slide into place easily, makes bubbles a thing of the past, and works really well. Hit it with the iron to be sure it's sealed down the next day. Again, tacking heat, not shrinking heat. Minnflyer has a good tutorial here somewhere.....

J

Just remember that transparent is just that. You really need to make sure you have some sort of contrasting effects so you can see the thing and tell if it's upright or upside down, and how to make your coordinated turns without losing sight of the thing. Those transparent colors blend together pretty quickly as the plane gets more distant.

It looks cool, but in some cases, cool looks just don't cut it. You need to see the thing and those types of covering just don't work for good visibility.

CGr.

I use transparent a lot, all of them. The best complimentary match in a blue opaque for Monocoat blue transparent is regular Monocoat insignia blue. As aready mentioned you are better off than using the stick on stuff anyway.

Look closely at my Schneider Sport and you will see a lot of Monocoat opaque insignia blue Monocoat black and Monocoat transparent blue.

John

John,

Your Schneider Sport looks GREAT but to be honest with you, the Insignia Blue looks to be a much darker blue than the transparent blue, at least in the picture. (And yes, I'm taking into account that you can see through one and not the other.) The Insignia Blue appears to be a darker shade of blue whereas the transparent blue looks more like the Royal or Sky Blue.

Harvey

Or maybe I'm looking at the black or the blue that's in the shadows. The Transparent Blue wings are obvious. Which is the Insignia Blue on your plane?

And I like your plane! Was it a kit or plans-built?

The open bays of the wings are transparent blue. The leading and trailing edges and solid area are insignia blue. The vertical and horizontal stabilizers are insignia blue and the rudder/elevator as well as the top of the fuselage are black.

It is a restoration of a thirty year old airplane built from Stream Aircraft kit.

This photo is my most recent completion a Telemaster that I happened to do in the same colors
The open bays of the wing are blue transparent and black leading edges and so forth. The after fuselage is transparent with black forward. Horizontal stab is transparent but the solid vertical stab is insignia blue as well as the forward nacelles top hatchs.

You will not find a perfect color match anywhere between an opaque and a transparent. The trick is to choose what appeals to you and/or use a constrasting color.

I would love to find a transparent black (Oxy-moron huh, OK call it transparent smoke) but sorry to say no one makes it.


John

Same one as your avatar?

No thats the old Quad Kaydet about six years as a quad and somewhere around 170 flights both wheels and floats and a few at night. It is covered mostly in clear Yellow because the airplane is internally lit with yellow Glowire for night flights.

Thanks John

Thanks John,

It looks like the Insignia Blue IS a good fit with the transparent blue.

That's probably the most interesting conversion of a Telemaster that I've seen so far. Have you flown it yet? I have an eight-footer still in the box that I bought specifically for hanging two Saito 40s on.

And I agree; I'm surprised that Monokote isn't available in a smokey transprent. I thought about that when Great Planes introduced their three transparent "electric" spinners last year - red, blue and black.

Again, thanks for helping me with my Monokote question!

Harvey

Your welcome Harvey. The Six Pack only has two flights so far and quite successfull but I have been waiting for warmer Wx to continue as I don,t do very well with this cold wx. It was a wreak dug out of the dumpster and the club keeps threatening to build me a wheelchair access ramp into the dumpster. I suppose I would have to get me one of those scuba diver flags though lest the driver come while I was inside

Here at RCU there is a current thread in the multi engine forum about a telly being bashed into a nice twin and the fellow is doing a nice job. You may want to check that thread out.

John

John,

I'll try to find that Twin Telemaster thread. Might be a build-off worth watching.

Let me know if you got my PM. I can't tell if it went out or disappeared into the ozone.

Harvey

Yep got your PM and replied. Here is a link to the Telly twin thread:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_7008113/tm.htm

Found it, thanks. It looks like one to watch.

Harvey

I ran into this problem when I tried to do a 3D american flag on my Byron's CAP 21. I ordered a roll of transparent blue vinyl, and it matched pretty well, except the gloss level. The vinyl is on the wings, the transparent blue is over the white on the fuselage, right behind the cowl. Cowl is painted with testors candy blue, and cleared with water based polyurethane (gas engine, not glow).

For the transparent black I wonder if you could use the window tint material we use on cars and homes. It's pretty tough and should hold up well and can be worked with in much the same manner as monokote. awesome plane their John and good luck with that dumpster diving

Interesting thought there. But I suppose that window stuff would probably be to thick and no heat sensitive adhesive.


Thanks, John

Mono coat comes in clear . I wonder if it could be dyed ? Some of the 1/2 A guys are playing with stuff called "DOCULAM" its clear, irons on, not as "shrinky" as $kote but they mist some color LIGHTLY on the glue side ands it looks good like a transparent or semi opaque. To much paint kills the sticky though and it requirers some edge sealing with monokote or paint on the seams but it is light weight and very low cost. check for it in the 1/2 A forum here.