Hey All,
I received my Xtreme Jets Rafale ARF Kit about a month ago. I had some QC issues with the jet which caused some extra delay on the build but the great customer service by Anton and Morne got me back in business with replacement parts and even offered me a nice, anxiously awaited, add-on (will keep secret but will post pics when I get it) for the trouble. With this great response from both of them, I am pleased and thankful to have the assurance of a stand up jet manufacturer.
After all the ground work out of the way, I'm in the painting phase. I'm trying, not a new method of paint, but a different product.

I will post additional pics and methods closer to the completed design.

OK, with exception of some minor details this is the completed paint scheme. Sport scheme with high viz being the motive. I call it a sunburst scheme.
Time will tell about the durability of the paint. I used a latex product with a urethane topping, all water based, easy to clean. I will post pics of the paint next. I had some problems with the clear coat but I was in a rush so that caused some problems but all in all she looks great I think. Time to get it finished..What do you think?

Looks good dragonpilot. Did you sand back and glue the elevons in before painting? If not, the yellow/red boarder lines might mismatch when you go to finish them. How did you install the fueling probe?

Ken

Hi Ken,

I didn't sand them and painted them disattached but I dry fit them and taped them in place when I taped off the paint lines, they seemed to function just fine but the hinge hole alignment didn't quite match so I will oversize the holes and fill them in when glueing in. Did you run into another problem, I didn't anticipate?
On the fuel probe, I thought it would be too long and would get ripped off so I cut it down. Then I dremeled a slot for it in the fuse. I also drilled out the probe tip hollow as I am installing a brass fuel tube in it. It will then be attached to the overflow fuel line and function as thus. This way the fuel system will function better with the added air pressure. It will also be a nice easy disconnect for the overlfow tank. When I'm finished with the tank install, the probe will be glued in place from the inside with some wood blocking.
How is your repair going on yours?

Tim

Is it going to be ready for the jet rally next weekend here in Austin? Looks cool.[sm=shades_smile.gif]

My Rafale has been ready to go for a few weeks, but I discovered a problem with my ECU/fuel valve. They are both at JetCat right now being looked at. I got the old nose section repaired, but I elected to install the brand new one from X-tremejets. I was a little upset that the new nose section came without some of the basic parts such as a front windshield and brass tubing. Anton did send me some touch-up paint and that has been useful.

I found some smaller nose strut wheels that help make the gear look more scale. I too had to over drill the holes for the elevon hinges. You need the play to get the elevons to fit up against the fuselage. That's pretty cool what you’re doing with the fuel probe. Hopefully I'll get mine back in the air in a few weeks.

Thought I'd post what I used for the paint.
A friend of mine recommended a K36 2 part primer and we did a little test on the nose. This was a disaster as it was too thick and came out all bumpy when dry. It required heavy sanding. It also filled in the detail work on the jet, rivets, panel lines, etc...
With some research I found a guy who uses the Rustoleum product shown below. Wow, what a find. Not only did it spray on evenly and smooth, the finish dried so smooth there was no need to sand this primer. It was also only $3.50 per can and it took 2 cans. The only drawback was the odor and fumes.
I sanded the gel coat well so the primer adhered very well.
The paint is latex and also by Rustoleum. I used gloss red and yellow and semi-gloss white for the bottom and some flat black for some trim. The gloss works well and allows you to really see how well you're spraying.
It also provide a more durable coating. Other than that, the gloss gets coated anyway with the final polycrylic water based gloss coat. This top coat was the trickiest part. I wanted to do the job in one spraying and because the product is so watery thin, it ran a bit on vertical surfaces. Not too bad but did so because I was rushing and loading up the gun.
I did a test paint job before venturing into the whole jet and I was pleased with the results.
All the products are water based except for the primer which was in a can already. For the rest, clean up was great and you can also leave the paint in the guns overnight for further work the next day.
Now before I can go and recommend all this, the true test will be in the daily operation and handling of the jet. Once the top gloss coat is cured, should be great.

Quick summary:
Pros:
-Inexpensive, $7.50 per quart latex
-Easy water cleanup
-Easy to work with.
-Paint can last a few days in the spray gun
-Easy gun maintenance
-Great stock colors or mix your own
-Easy repair work
-You just saved hundreds of dollars over using catalyzed auto paint.
-Not as toxic, almost no fumes!
-You saved hundreds of dollars on not having to buy an air inducting respirator
-Your home doesn't smell like a body shop
-You won't have brain damage.

Cons:
Dry time is a few hours before handling
and some wait time before final top coat.

Hi Ken,

How are your glue joints holding up. During building, mine have separated from the fiberglass. This has pretty much happened at the rear gear/turbine mount and at the front retract mount, both crucial areas. So I've had to pretty much reglue everything and reinforce after I shot this video (gluejointfail1.AVI) on rcu vids I pulled with little effort and the glue pieces between the fiberglass and the wood came right off... Did you end up re-glueing your mounts?

I took a look at your video. Yes, in many areas on my Rafale the fuselage broke loose from the formers. The worst areas where around the main gear formers and in the nose section. I didn't have chunks come off like in your picture however. I first noticed this problem when I was trying to get all the little white foam beads out of the jet (I bet there are still some hiding in there). I used thin CA over most of the glue joins and that has been holding up quite well. The thin CA can easily wick in between the glue joins and the fuselage.

I showed my wife your paint scheme and she really liked it. Please get some video once you’re airborne. Should look really cool….

We saw dragonpilot's Rafale fly today (T-38 jet rally at Abernathy/Lubbock) - great presence in the air and the paint scheme looks great! Rotation on takeoff was not an issue. It's a keeper. I ordered the kit version (w/the SM gear upgrade) from Anton last week and, POOF!, 48 hours after DHL picked it up it was stateside sitting in my pal's office with nary a scratch/ding on the box ... Now that is great service. I'm looking forward to getting started on mine.

Mike