Futura57

I've actually spent most of the three weeks working on my driveway. That said, masking everything up and protecting remaining areas from overspray takes hours, and is all about accuracy and symmetry. Spraying takes only a few minutes, then half an hour plus to remove all the masking to get sharp lines before the paint dries too hard. Then it repeats for the next colour, etc. Then a few faux panel lines on the fuselage, finished with a couple of coats of clear lacquer. It all has to be left to dry well between every spray. Fortunately no paint has lifted anywhere and just a tiny bit of overspray in one place which was easily rectified. My favourite bit is applying the decals.

Close, but no cigar. I'm off to Italy until the 25th. When I return that doesn't leave much time to finish and maiden her before BOB@B at the end of the month 🙉

I'm glad you are back on the build Matthew. The skids were not on my original prototype. However, on one landing, an elevon horn fixing on the underside caught the grass. So on the plan, and the second prototype, I added the skids to mitigate any servo strain or gear stripping. If you have a smooth underside to the rear wing, including a recessed wing bolt, then you can omit them.

I use a 500ml hand water spray, sold for indoor plants, to wet my brown paper a little. I don't soak it as such.

I think I have the RCM&E issue somewhere with the free plan. I have a full-on day tomorrow, but if I remember I will seek it out.

Drop him an email. I'm sure he will oblige 🙂

I think it's fair to say there is the 'wet camp' and the 'dry camp'. The former works for me because I treat the damp brown paper like thick tissue. I handle it with care, use good quality paper and work it while it can stretch a little, but before it gets saturated and starts to fall to pieces. Getting air bubbles out by wiping over with a damp sponge cloth works for me. I may try a credit card next time. The dryer approach with thicker PVA just didn't work for me, especially on double curvature surfaces. I found that small localised areas got wetter, sooner, and I got too many air bubbles. To treat persistent bubbles you have to do an 'H' cut and squeeze in more PVA. Too much hassle for me. And, applying heat with an iron, as some advocate, just made a mess. Horses for courses. Try different approaches and see what works for you.

Do it in small sections/panels and orient them sympathetic to a largely single curvature direction. Some stretching is possible to accommodate a little double curvature, but it depends upon how long you let your diluted PVA soak in. I tend to use brown paper like thick tissue. I make it quite wet and delicately stretch and push it down on to the surface. Once thoroughly dry, overlapping areas are easily sanded to disguise joints. I try to tear my brown paper pieces to shape to get a more feathered edge, giving invisible overlap joints with minimal dry sanding with 240 grit paper. I use titebond wood glue, which I find sands better than some cheap rubbery PVA. For example, think about how a boat hull is formed from straight flat planks. For a warbird fuselage consider rings of paper wrapped around, perhaps between where the fuselage formers are positioned. Cowls can be a bit more challenging, but all doable.

Agreed. I have a Hanger 9 Twin Otter with 80 something inches span. Contra rotating props are not necessary. Not sure of my model's weight but I have 2 x 1kW JP outrunners. Can't remember exact spec, but it has more than enough grunt.

Definitely a firm C/L history for me. Pictures of some of mine in here...

Sacrebleu !

I've started the paint job using Halfords rattle cans. After a grey primer coat I went all over with a light silver. I then decided on a US flag scheme with metallic steel on the top of the wings as a contrast. My intention is to repeat the pattern on the underside using red and blue. All very time consuming to mask, as I'm sure you are aware. Little sticky backed stars have come in handy with the masking. Perhaps a few panel lines here and there drawn with a 0.5mm fine tip pen followed with some hand cut Oratrim USAF lettering and star and bar decals. Perhaps a final clear coat will be in order for the metallic paint to look its best. I think it will look stunning. She'd better blimin' fly after all this effort.

That's a cracking looking model. Looking forward to any video.

I'd like to bring my Strange Quark Mk2 EDF prototype with vectored thrust (not Laser powered 🤣). I'm currently painting it, then I need to install the radio and maiden it. I have a two week holiday to Italy in the interim and have to spend a couple of days preparing my drive way for a 10 tonne delivery of MOT type 1 sub base which I have to level and compact. And I have to take my wife shopping today. The clock is ticking. 😱

@Tim Kearsley What is the final AUW inc Lipo please. In new money 😉