Monokote??? Yea or Nea?

[Blacksheep214]

Hello All,

I am new to the forum, but not exactly new to balsa planes. I built my first model (a 500 Spitfire) over 10 years ago. Off and on over the years, my private airforce has come to include a 500 Hellcat (currently under restoration to static display), a 500 ME 109 (the only 500 series kit that I have built that flies beautifully), a 400 Focke-Wulf 190, 400 P 51, and a 400 P40 (the best flier of them all) and lastly the laser cut 500 Spitfire which flies better than the die cut, but has been relegated to static display before it meets it's end in the scrap heap. I am currently about to slowly start work on another 400 P40 since the last one has been such a success. I am curious about experimenting with Monokote on this one, as tissue has become monotonous. I first did monokote on the first 500 Spitfire and it was unsuccessful as it was too heavy, but largely due to the die cut wood. My question is, has anyone done monokote on the laser cut planes, and if so was it a good flier? Also, could I cover the fuselage in monokote and do the wings in tissue? Frankly, I am tired of painting, and colored tissue just doesn't cut it as far as looks go for me. Am I just being lazy, or can a monokote model fly just as good as a tissue? Sorry for rambling on. Thanks in advance!

P.S. If anyone wants pics of my planes, I will be happy to post!

My best,
Blacksheep214

[cliffm]

Post away on the pics,we all like to see other peoples work, as far as the monokote goes for FF rubber power lighter the better and monokote is not light compared to one light coat of dope on tissue. My best flyers are ugly compared to static models, but they each have their purpose, I have a birddog L-19 that is proof of this , the static model is a plastic film similar to monokote and can't fly worth crap and the other has tissue with butyrate and flew beautifully and is probably still up there somewhere as it went up and out of sight one fine summer day and the grand kids would still be looking if we would have let them. Let's see some pics!!!!!

[Blacksheep214]

These are my nicer birds. The old Warhawk is a little weathered, but flies the best. Seen lots of flying over the past couple years. The others are my occasional fliers. Amazingly, I have been accident free with them all. I hope my luck continues! And for those of you wondering what a styrofoam Corsair is doing there, that was an experiment a few months ago to take a Ultra Micro Parkzone plane and convert it to rubber power. It worked great and flies even better!


https://photos.app.goo.gl/RmwQVevr7A8uri6l2

https://photos.app.goo.gl/kvhf1yujOQqkdb0L2

https://photos.app.goo.gl/15ZPi1GkV0ul2uak1

https://photos.app.goo.gl/xU7CDi7U5toTmAf72

https://photos.app.goo.gl/j4BqTVbvIRrH60mj1

https://photos.app.goo.gl/OxvsQwirhOOHROa63

[cliffm]

Nice looking bunch, do you use a tube in the Styrofoam corsair?

[Blacksheep214]

Nice looking bunch, do you use a tube in the Styrofoam corsair?

Tube as in for the motor mount?? Nope, I used a cheap copper plated nail and cut it to length.

[Blacksheep214]

Now another question. Could I cover the airframe alone with monokote and then cover the tail and wings in tissue and not have any ill effects weight wise?