spray paint on models

[Gmartin]

I keep reading on the forum about spraying the models, but don't say what they are using. I don't want go use dope. finishing up a piper cub and want to paint it yellow.
thanks

[heywooood]

If you have built it for flight and have already put the tissue on it you are limited to using dope
If it is for rubberband flight you have to use some kind of tissue usually.
If it is for electric RC flight you can use monokote and pick 'cub yellow' and then buy tamiya rattle can 'cub yellow' for the cowling and other plastic components.
If you have built for display - you can use any paint you like...I have used tamiya and testors rattle cans on well doped tissue before with great effect.
Its all in preparation though. And you have to be sure all finishing components are compatible. You dont want your sealer eating your paint or vice versa...

[Bill Gaylord]

Coverite Microlite is a bit heavier than tissue, but not much if unpainted, and still not bad with light painting. I'll be using it on the same model, with yellow covering. A light coat of yellow paint after covering will make it fully opaque. It relaxes a bit after painting, unless using acrylic, but will reshrink after drying. A bit of heat from a high power hair dryer will remove any remaining wrinkles.

[Gmartin]

Guess I screwed up covering with the included tissue paper and didn't check any options. Found the forum too late.
Thanks for the info. Great having people That can help out. All the RC planes I built in the past were covered with shrink film ( in colors ).

[cliffm]

What did you use to put on your tissue. If it was Elmer's mix you can use a water based acrylic which you can get at any art store or wal-mart. Really cheap and works great with an airbrush or just brushing it on. You will have to thin it at least 50/50 or more for airbrush or use really light coats for brushing it on. Good luck!

[Steve Blanchard]

Just a note. If you have covered your model with tissue and are looking to fly it rubber powered you have several options to paint. Dope is not the only way to go. One of the best ways of painting these days is by getting a can of Design Masters Floral spray in the appropriate color, before you spray place the can into a cup of hot water and let it warm the contents of the can. Remove the can from the water and wipe it down. When you spray the model it will spray a very fine mist. After painting, seal it with Krylon crystal clear using the same method. Be sure to wear a mask when spraying.

Steve

[tom arnold]

Actually Krylon "Clear", either matt or satin is better than dope. It shrinks very little and seals and toughens the tissue. One coat is all that is needed for a rubber powered flying model and almost any spray paint can go on top----colored Krylon, airbrushed enamel, acrylic, or colored dope. Be very careful and spray lightly with any rattle can as you can blast too much on very easily.

[tpwpny]

Actually Krylon "Clear", either matt or satin is better than dope. It shrinks very little and seals and toughens the tissue. One coat is all that is needed for a rubber powered flying model and almost any spray paint can go on top----colored Krylon, airbrushed enamel, acrylic, or colored dope. Be very careful and spray lightly with any rattle can as you can blast too much on very easily.

I was actually wondering the same thing - I'm planning on rubber-powered flight with my Cessna 170 (kit 302) and so far have just covered in tissue and shrunk. I take it I can paint on 50/50 dope/thinner and then spray with paint? I plan to paint it white - I have Testor's gloss enamel from a prior (plastic) model kit. Wondering if the latter is okay or will add too much weight, even with a light coat.

[Steve Blanchard]

The absolute lightest and best paints I have used for my rubber powered scale subjects has been the Design Masters floral spray. You have to do several very light coats but the results are excellent. I do not paint a lot of my models. I mostly use the chalk on tissue method but when I do need to paint I use Design masters. Even the silvers, and there are several in the line, are opaque and very light. Give it a try.

Steve

[tom arnold]

The Design Master floral spray is very good. Because I can't get the stuff except over the internet, I use Model Master enamel, greatly thinned and airbrushed on. I don't think you will like the results of using GLOSS enamel, though. It will show up every ding and boo-boo you never knew you had. My attempts with gloss looked like a bad plastic airplane. Flat is so much better and just mist it on such that you can just lightly see the structure through the paint for a flying model.

[scigs30]

It depends on if you want the plane to fly. I would say your best bet is just colored tissue or keep it white and add the decals and let her fly. If you really want to paint the model I would use an airbrush and thinned colored dope painting in light coats. Design Master paint is the next best thing I have found the reminds me of the old Spray Can Pactra dope. This spray paint adds some weight but not as much as the enamel spray paints. Once again do the best you can at applying light coats. I have some older Guillows kits from the 70s and they used to come with colored tissue. The 200 series came with green except the Fokker and N11. The 500 series even came colored tissue. Here are some pictures of the older kits.

[scigs30]

I have contacted Guillows about the colored tissue and was told they looked into it but could not find tissue that price matches the white they currently offer. The only affordable colored tissue they found was not very impressive. When you look at all the Guillows kits for rubber powered you only need a few colors....White, Red, Yellow, Blue, Green and Grey. Of course Guillows already has the white, red and grey. I still cannot believe the simple 600 series now comes with Grey and White tissue

[scigs30]

Here is a Thomas Morse Laser cut that my buddy built as his first plane, with a little help from me You ever notice new model builders never want to start out with anything simple, go figure. Heck I was the same way, must have built a dozen or so scale planes before building a simple model. Anyway he did not want a white WWII plane so I had him use Design Master Floral paint. He brushed on one coat of thinned dope followed by paint. I was weighing the parts and the paint really did not add much weight believe it or not. She is balanced, rubber installed and ready for flight.......at 110grams.