I hear you. Both of the small company kits that I mentioned above came with a stack of hand sawn (routed?) ribs.

Hey Matt did you go flying today? I went down to Dallas yesterday and bought some parts and picked up a covering iron and put it back and when I picked mine up last night it would not come on! I borrowed one of Tonys iron to day and I am going to grab one Saturday at the Denton Swapmeet!

Michael

I am probably going to the Denton, Tx. swap meet as well. You never know when you will find a kit that needs building.

You ain't kidding! I found an Ace kit for a Staudacher S-300 for 40 bucks! Also a Sterling kit for the 40-size Waco SRE
for free! The Ace kit is nice. The Sterling kit, well, not so much. But, I expected that. Still. with some TLC (okay, a lot!).the Waco will be a very nice project.

Hey Sensei. Rich Mowery here. Had the buddy with the 540 Carden Edge of yours that had the 200 in plane. You hit it right on the head as always bob.
I have a custom build I saved a buddy on a 40% Carden 300. Thread was started by Crash & Burn Flying Giants. I did some crazy mods to that plane.
Time has flew by for us Bob. If only people new the builder you are/Have done in time.
Yes WE are still out here. I happen to be building an old Yellow Aircraft P-47D razor back now at the time. (Well us builders call Assemble)..
Also Have a Dalton 100cc Extra 260 Build on the table with the fuse almost done. I'm so old now Bob, I fart Balsa dust.
As I say now days Lo & Slow. Little bit here and there. Plane is done.

Those old Sterling kits are what they are, but it is still a chance to build a model that you don't see everyday. I got an old Aristocraft Staggerwing from the local laser cutter after he was done using it to make cut files. (His version has corrected and improved fit and finish) It took a fair amount of work to adapt it to modern equipment but it was a rewarding build.

Does anyone here have a small pieces (think scrap) of Monokote Aluminum or Silver and/or Ultrcote Brushed Aluminum and/or Silver they could part with? I'm trying to replicate the finish on an airplane that is part brush aluminum skin and part fabric with what looks to be silver or aluminum colored paint. Its had to tell on the computer looking at the color samples they post.

I have Silver Monokote, how big a piece do you need? My location might make it a bit awkard in getting it to you.

Thank you! I have another lead here in the states if it doesn't pan out I'll let you. All I need is a small scrap to give me an idea of the look. Computer monitor do lie when it comes to color. Just a limitation on the part of the technology.

Have you considered this stuff yet?
https://www.micromark.com/Bare-Metal...minum-Set-of-2
https://www.micromark.com/Bare-Metal...542.1533585687

At $12.99 a square foot 9 two 6" X 12" strips) MicroMark Metal is cost prohibited to cover the fuselage and part of the wing of a 1/5th scale airplane. Aero Foil is only .0012 thick in a 6" width is $1.50 per foot and in the 12" width its $2.50 a foot so you can buy the exact amount you need. The better known Flite Metal is .0018 thick and you have to buy it in a kit with application tools without knowing the dimensions of the material you are getting. or in a 5 sq ft or 10 sq ft roll at a cost of $3.41 to $3.80 per square foot. Aero Foil directs you to buy certain pottery making tools to apply the aluminum which I found readily available at a local store and I could select other tool shapes if I liked.

Yes, I did a lot of research before buying my covering.

Okay, just figured I'd throw it out there. I didn't realize you were looking at covering a whole plane, or for that matter, a plane that big

It was worth throwing out there. You didn't know what I was covering because some smuck forgot to mention it!

Have you looked at the heat duct tape?

Depending on what is being covered, it works good. A skinned and sheeted plane it works good for since it can be m=paneled, but not for open framework. I might have a roll of the chrome, but not sure where.

OK I give up, can't post the link

https://www.amazon.com/Aluminum-Tape...llic+duct+tape

I looked at the metal Duct tape but I thought it was a bit too thick to mold around compound covers and the width is a bit narrow.

There is that. Half of it is the adhesive. It does work great for wrapping around PEX tubing when you want to secure heat tape and then insulate it. I may use it in some places on my warbirds though, particularly around the exhaust areas.

I could see using it in small quantities in exhaust areas it is readily available and you generally don't mind a little extra weight up front.

Some guys use it for the entire plane, there is a B-29 build around somewhere that was covered with it. Looked really good too.

I've got some MonoKote Chrome. To give you an idea, its shiny like a mirror. I could send a small sample if you just want to see if it will work for you?

Thanks Tom but I have a piece of chrome, I diffidently need to see the silver and/or the brushed aluminum. Fortunately I received a PM from another forum member and a sample is on it's way. I had another thought today Horizon bought Hobbico and Hobbico owned MonoKote and Coverite Century 21 film as well. I wonder if they will combine the two lines or drop one completely? I know judging from Tower's website there is a lot of Coverite still on hand with some showing discontinued. Monokote has a couple of neon colors discontinued with the neon red recommending you use Coverite neon red instead.

They have gone to a place where there is NO ARFs, Get rid of the ARFs , & the Builders will come back.

Nothing wrong with ARFs. All you have to do is throw some balsa at them and sand away all the parts that don't like like an airplane!

So the other day I was at a swap meet and sold three engines in 30 minutes! I was walking around and this guy had the tower hobbies Kaos ARF Yikes I know i hate ARFS too. He had a ton of kits for sale and he was asking 95 for it but he told me he would take 80 bucks I jumped on it and got it. It was made by the same people in China that made the GP easy sport ARF that I also got cheap a few weeks ago. I also have a Tower Hobbies Kaos 40 kit in the box that I will be building in the near futre. The covering on these airplanes is crap it sagged like crazy and I try to seal it with my iron and it didnt like that at all. These days you get what you pay for!
Thanks
Michael

I'm liking the nacelles with their faux turboprop look.