I'm working on re-covering my trusty old skybolt and have a covering scheme that's been stuck in my head for a long while now. I'm just trying to nail out the details...

It's going to be moneykote yellow and metalic plumb with some aluminum/silver (it's part way covered so, no, I'm not changing colors anymore).

I just can't decide on two options (see pics below).

1. Wings: 2 lightning bolts or one?
2. Should I do away with the long silver lightning bolt on the side? It looks like it might be a bit much, but I need another opinion...

Thanks!
-Todd


EDIT: I should add that the tail is now completely purple/met. plumb and it looks fantastic. More pics on the way.
EDIT2: The bottom of the wings and stab/elevators will be yellow with silver/aluminum checkers.

I like the 2 lightning bolts on the top. I also like the silver one on the fuse.

This should be a nice looking scheme. Yellow/blue or yellow/purple have always been may favorite combinations.

Yup. Yellow and purple sure are loud together... It should be quite visible in the air. Thanks for choosing the option that's the most work I guess I do have all winter to finish it though so there's no rush...

Anyone have and artistic advice on the proportions of the lightning bolts? I'm trying to figure out the best method for making them look "right".

What is the bottom going to be ?
Either pattern looks good, I am partial to the big and bold because I can see it better than the small and intricate. But that is just me, lots of the guys i fly with have planes that look the same top and bottom and they fly them in worse light than i can fly mine.

Two lightnings looks better, I would make the purple tail cover also the bottom.
IMHO its looks good from top the division: half plane purple and yellow.
Maybe neon yellow…..

I like the 2 lightning bolts on the wing and the silver bolt running down the fuse.



-- TakingFlight96

Fuse: yellow
Wings and elevator/h stab: yellow with medium sized (1" or so) silver/aluminum checkers.

Too late, bottom is already completely covered yellow... Sounds like the concensus is for 2 bolts on the wings and the more I think about it, that's how I'm leaning too.

Alway room for contraversory LOL Personally I like the single large bolt. 2 bolts just looks to dainty for me. I love the bolt on the side and the purple tail. great color combo.

Love the scheem .I have a 60 sig kit and did it in yellow and black and silver sun ray style looks good and easy to see also went with duil ailerons dident on my first it was lathargic

Kicking some more wing lightning bolt ideas around...

Hmmm...

(the grey represnts silver/aluminum)

I came up with something a little simpler.

I'm a firm believer in the "less is more" philosophy.

I'd leave the lightning bolt on the top wing as you already have it.

I'd change the bottom wing bolt to start at the front, top center of the cowl, go out and back, then down the sides of the fuse, and then down across the top of the bottom wing. But this would be at a sharper angle than the top wing.

I hope the words make sense. And the picture helps...

Or.. to make things even simpler.. Don't put any lightning bolt on the bottom wing at all. You can hardly see the bottom wing from above anyway.. might has well leave it solid yellow. I bet if you polled people 4 out of 5 wouldn't be able to tell you if there was or was not a lightning bolt on the bottom wing. In my eye, it really doesn't add anything to the look of the plane.

As far as that goes, assuming up put a checker pattern or something on the bottom of the wings, there really isn't a need for that pattern on the bottom of the top wing. Nobody will notice one way or another. Except if it looks too "busy." Better to err on the side of too little than too much....

Thanks for the tips vmsguy... I like the idea of the lightning bolt starting at the cowl. And you're right, sometimes less IS more.

I'm definitely checkering the bottom of both wings though. It used to have a one off standard skybolt scheme with white/gold checkers on both wing bottoms... It looked stunning!

-todd

Update:

You can see which direction I've decided to take.... I still have to add lightning bolts to the bottom wings and checkerboard the bottom of both wings and the tail (and paint the cowl and landing gear), but it's getting close.

I'm still split on the lighning bolt on the side of the fuse, sometimes I think it looks great and sometimes I think it's too much. It's only applied with windex right now so I can take it off if I want to, or even change it. I'll probably leave it that way and decide what to do when it's all done.

My wife thinks it looks like a Super Hero. I'm not sure if I like that title or not, but I think I should start designing football helmets.

-Todd