Will Sgarlat

A friend gave me a roughed-out Sig Kadet Senior kit and I want to give it a really "Dated" look from the 1960's. Can anyone recommend web sites that have lots of pictures of vintage model aitcraft from which I might draw inspiration? Here's a pic of the fuse and the K&B .60 that will power it. This plane is special because it was built to this point by a WW11 aircraft mechanic named Hank Cahill.

iflyj3

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Try http://www.photobucket.com/vrcs I just started it but there are a lot of pictures already. I don't know if it will help you or not.

gittarpikk

Hi Will

Try the AMA website, I think I remember a lot of pics of old planes there. If you can get a copy of RCM plans catalouge, I think there were tons of old plans there . Any Old plans service may have a catalouge of plans and therefore pics of old paint schemes. A note, A lot of the very oldest planes were painted with military and civilian aircraft colors of Butyrate dope which came in gallons for use to dope the fabrics of those planes. One of the real Old Timers in my neighborhood as a kid used a gallon of Dark Blue Butyrate (from the PT heritage of Air Force planes) on about every plane he built (FF, U,C, and eventually R/C). There were not a lot of those colors which kind of "standardized" some of the older hobby colors.

Maybe this will help ya some...

skylark-flier

Hey Will! Being one of those "vintage" builders myself (I like that term, much better than "old fart") I remember most planes as being rather simple in color schemes. Biggest reason was (and still is) the cost of dope, plus the definite lack of color availability. There were a lot of planes that tended to be one color on the fuse and another color on the wings - quite often a combination of blue/white, blue/tan, red/white, black/yellow, black/orange, black red, any color/clear.

If you actually want to finish the plane "vintage", that red/black color scheme that's on the original box fills the bill quite nicely - by the early 1970's (when the original Kadet models were taking to the air) that red/black was pretty much one of the hottest color schemes in existance.

Also, for a true vintage effect, NO MONOCOTE! I'd recommend SIG Koverall, a couple coats of nitrate clear and whatever butyrate colors you actually decide on.

The Kadet's a great flier, very stable and has no vices. She WILL do basic aerobatics but is best as a "cruise around with the birdies" kind of plane.

Actually, I have a plane here that I fly a bit - it's a 1961 kit of the 1933 Great Lakes 2T-1A Sport Trainer, and it's very typical of planes of that period. Will include a pic for you.

Dave

Will Sgarlat

Skylark_flyer The colors and color combos you recommend sound great, any of 'em. At a Nats meet in Chicopee, MA, I saw a beautiful scale model of a cup racer like one that might have flown against the Wedell-Williams Red Lion plane. It had darkish red trim against a cream or ivory base color, with black numbers and text...a real photograph of it lies in some well hidden spot in the basement.
Your bipe is beautiful with actual paint and what appears a great building job. I accuse you of being a real modeler and one that doesn't buy ARF's! Heh heh.
I never considered doing fabric & dope...that's a tough call! I sure like my shrink film!! I'll let that idea jangle thru the hopper. The model will tell me what it wants. Thanks for the reply and your considered thoughts.

skylark-flier

Just a quick note here; I found another pair of planes from the early 1970's or late 1960's, one is of a 1930-era model (the blue/red), the other is an ORIGINAL SIG KADET, in the original colors (red/white or cream). Can be found at [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_8640462/anchors_8640462/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#8640462]original Kadet[/link] http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_86...tm.htm#8640462
Just click the "original Kadet" link and it should get you there.

Yeah, I'm one of those who LOVES building, especially the older kits. Right now I'm working on a 1970's-era Top Flite kit of the P-39 Aerocobra, about 2/3 done with the wing. There were lots of missing pieces (all the hardwood and planking mainly) but surprisingly, the canopy is in perfect condition, which is a rarity with the old kits.

My Great Lakes was painted in the colors of an original that's still flying, factory serial #21, and is based (if I remember rightly) in Oklahoma today.

You're right too, cream/ivory was a VERY popular base-color for planes, all the way from WW-1 through to the 1950's and some into the early 1960's, most notably the Piper Cubs, Bellancas and most of the earlier Cessna planes.

Hey man, don't be afraid of dope & fabric - I've used silkspan since I was 7 but now use Koverall, it's MUCH MUCH stronger and actually looks better, more "fabricy", if there is such a word. It's a bit of a pain sometimes, getting it down right and cleaning your iron afterwards but it sure is worth it.

ARF's? Yeah, I've heard of them. Supposedly they're fairly decent aircraft.

Anyway, I thought you might appreciate the original Kadet pic.

(pic here is the original that my model was painted after)

Will Sgarlat

Skylane. Excellent! I do appreciate the original Kadet Pic very much. Your info on materials is also appreciated, knowing which materials offer the best compromise of strength, weight & aesthetics is good. I have some non-adhesive Micafilm, but I think that's too light for a large wing. Some of the guys in my club use Koverall and paint, so I have seen it up close and discussed.

I love building and flying, but I have to say I'm less than thrilled with repairing. This is the biggest reason I like shrink film: it's easy to use and easy to make repairs, especially in multi-color areas. But in favor of paint, you get a really great look and unlimited colors are possible. Repairing the covering a painted plane is unquestionably much harder than slapping on some Monokote.

But I think this Kadet has a chance for paint. I may call on you again for specifics, I still have some nice epoxy paints: primary colors and black & white. When you think of why we choose to make and fly model airplanes, my answer would be that it's an exploration into really cool stuff that's mentally challenging, fun to do, with great rewards and fantastic failures. Ain't it so?
Best regards