I just want to be absolutley sure before I go ahead and do it: I can use Model Master, Humbrol or Gunzi colored spray paint over doped tissue? I'm planning on building another 30" wing-span F4U Corsair from Herr Engineering. The real thing or some of them as there were several color schemes, is blue on top and light blue on bottom. I'm planning on covering with blue Esaki Japanese and then spray painting the bottom light blue or light grey. I found one Corsair with a yellow nose.

Something else I'd like to know is about the landing gear - leave it off? The landing gear fuselage base seems strong enough but the wheels are based under the wing and not under the fuselage so the wing would have to support the airplane's weight plus some during landing.

Kev

Flight performance will be much better if you leave the gear off. That's legal in the FAC, BTW.

I've had success with artist's acrylic spray paint (to be used in an airbrush) over doped tissue. Can't really say about the particular paints you mentioned.

You may find that the translucency of the tissue vs. the more solid paint will look a bit odd.

You can apply the paints you mentioned over dope. The rule is you can apply oil-based or acrylic-base paint over lacquer-base paints but you CANNOT apply lacquer-base paint over oil-base or acrylic-base paints.

Planeman

Thanks Lincoln and Planeman. I'll leave the landing gear off. I guess I'll paint the whole plane then, I don't want it to look weird. I'm wondering if there is any tape I could use to mask the airplane while I spray it that won't tear the tissue when I take it off, maybe white graphic paper tape which has been applyed to some paper a few times to lessen the stickability. It doesn't tear paper. I'd hate to tear the tissue. I have a plane I could make a test with. By masking I can make the Corsair look really cool, and scale. One of the pictures I looked at actually showed three colors and with a yellow cowl; a fourth color, I think it would look sharp.

Kev

If I did spray paint the Corsair how would I do tissue repair if needed - what glue?

Kev

Ron Williams, in his book on indoor model airplanes, recommended masking using tissue applied with rubber cement. Use a very light hand with the spray.

You can take the acrylic stuff off with isopropyl.

Maybe you should put some tissue on a frame to mess with, rather than jeopordizing an existing model.

Humbrol spayed over nitrate and Balsarite is how my buddy used to do his FF scale models. It works great. BUT... there's always a "but" isn't there.... do leave the dope and Balsarite, if you use it, to dry for a week to 10 days until you can't smell the thinner anymore. The Humbrol will stick better if you do it that way.

Coloured paint is heavy. Use an airbrush and only the minimun paint you need to achieve an acceptable finish. With the light from overhead and behind you the tissue should look opaque. But with the light directed through the tissue you should still clearly see the structure's shadow.

That's helpfull Bruce, thanks. I'm going to wait on painting untill I know a way to repair the tissue if it gets torn by grass, for example during landing. That's why I wanted to build with landing gear. But at this point it looks like I'll use just blue tissue and leave it that way.

Kev

I'm going to have to paint the Hellcat, there are white glue spots caused by dopeing. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't. I thought it might be humidity but it's not, I doped with the windows closed. Does anybody know what causes this?

Kev

There can still be enough humidity in the house to cause blushing at times, even with windows closed.

Just go fly it Kevin - you won't see the blemishes once it's ten feet away and moving ....

Applehoney, I've been thinking about doing that very thing, I went to a lot of trouble to build it as light as possible and I hate the thought of adding spray paint weight.

I just want to add: you're right, I remember you saying that making an airplane pretty won't make it fly better. I'm going to try to find a felt tip marker to cover the spots, though, their all over the plane. That shouldn't add hardly any weight.
Kev

I CAN'T STAND IT! I'm going to spray paint it.

Kev

If the marks are from blushing then try painting the spots with pure unthinned thinner. The thinner re-melts (dissolves actually) the skin and lets the moisture hazing reform as clear dope instead of milky dope.

Oh, and don't do this when it's humid. If you have a humidifier in the house turn it off for a few hours before you do the thinner trick and then turn it back on. If you're doping outside in the cold then good luck since it's just as likely to re-blush. Or wait for a sunny day with an obvious low humidity level. IE; sunny with no big general wetness or puddles on the ground and no dew in the grass. Later afternoon on a sunny day but well before the cooling that comes with a low on the horizon sun.

Southern Illinois is called "Little Egypt". It gets very humid here.

Kev