Well I didn't actually think this would work, but I had to give it a try....I have been using Monokote for years, but never tackled a lot of complex curves (other than some curved wingtips, which I have gotten fairly good at). As most aviation enthusiasts know, full-scale Cubs have that gorgeous, unique fancy little curve/fillet in the covering around the front of the vertical stabilizer. I have an old GP .40 size Cub that I purchased assembled in 1998. I'm finally getting around to restoring it...it's not going to be a show queen, but I really wanted to replicate that curve if possible. I didn't really think Monokote could do it, based on some experiments years ago trying to make a fillet of sorts between the vertical and horizontal stabilizers on a sport plane. But I figure hey, it's a small piece of covering, and it's no big deal to rip it off if it doesn't work out, so why not?

First attempt:

WOW! I was amazed at how well it came out! Unfortunately I did make the mistake of cutting into the covering at its sharpest curve point to "help" make the angle, which resulted in some wrinkles where the covering could not properly anchor (seen here covered up a bit with extra covering from the other side).

Second attempt (right side):

Much better....no extra cuts, got good anchoring around the entire perimeter of the piece.


A look down the front profile:


I realize this may be rather ho-hum for the more advanced Monokote folks amongst us, but it's pretty exciting for me. That fillet is 100% Cub, I love it!!!

Matt

You have mastered a difficult area in model building. Well done !

I've found it easiest to do the same thing, by covering the fin before installing the stab. This wasn't possible, in your case.

It's the little things like this that can really bite people when covering, even those of us that have done it for a lot of years. Sometime you should give SolarTex a try. Planes like the Cub look really good in Tex covering. If it wasn't for the price I would use it a lot more. Last Cub I built Tex was used. You can iron it down on the flat surface then just shrink it down over the curves with a heat gun. Makes you look like a pro.
Last summer I gave the covering sold by Hobby King a try, not only is the price right but it is almost as easy to work with as TEX. It doesn't come in near as many colors as Mono but there are enough to keep me happy. It is also as good in the hot sun as Ultra, maybe even better.
You really did a good job on a tough area, I was impressed, took me a long time to be able to do places like that without swearing a lot.

Congratulations there bigboy, you have unlocked one of the
secrets of the universe. Time now for a big sig 1/4 scale.

Thanks guys, I'm really proud of this rebuild/restoration so far. Yep, I would prefer to do tail feathers before attaching, but of course that's not really possible on a resto. I did remove the rudder, as it was using CA hinges that are easy to cut. The elevator is pretty well stuck on there, so there is some roughness and loose covering edges in a few spots on the hinge line.

I considered Solartex after reading good feedback, but this was supposed to be a quick/easy/cheap resto, so I wanted the cheapness and familiarity of Monokote. But, I'm a perfectionist, and she's turning into a cherry little Cub. I am not crazy about spending $120+ just on covering for a 40-sized model, but I will probably give it a try on my next stick-and-fabric scale model. Is Solartex as easy to work with as Monokote? Or, should I say, is it SIMILAR? I don't suppose Monokote is particularly easy, I'm just familiar with it.

Cubcrasher: Funny you should mention the big Sig. I attended a giant-scale fly-in a few weeks ago at Bartlesville OK, and it got me thinking about big models again....I have always wanted big, but never had the budget or space for larger aircraft. Now I am in a better position and could actually get into giant-scale, except for the lack of large transportation (perhaps a nice little enclosed trailer would be appropriate). I absolutely fell in love with how my Cub flies, and have wanted to build the 1/5th scale Sig Cub for many years, but I'm thinking the 1/4 scale would be nice...or even the 1/3 scale! I don't think the total budget for the 1/3 scale would jump all that much compared to the 1/4 scale (I will have to get larger servos and a new engine in either case).

For now, however, I kinda need to focus on my other project (BIG flight simulator build). I'm just fixing up what I have, and the Cub is actually the last of my old/broken airplanes. I will have a shiny refreshed fleet after this.

Matt

Solartex is the easiest to apply covering that I have encountered. I'm covering a model in Monokote, right now, and I find it much more difficult to deal with.