Nice and light Kevin!

How's that grey going to become white?

Speaking of white, I got my white parts only 35mm hawk in the mail today. What a difference from the scrubbed out red one I used to make a T-45. Looking forward to making a 30mm version out of it.

Originally Posted by Freddie B

Well, I had almost said something earlier, but it was going to be "Wow, now I really know you have Big....... Hands". But after the last time, with all the self esteem issues, I have had problems showing my....... Face, outside the house. My wife wonders why I am acting like a Ninja, ducking low, slithering close to walls and trees, crawling through bushes, and hiding behind cars.

So I was almost cured, now this.....


Good news is we got to see a closeup of the bird, with battery, primer, wires, and filler. Well 1/3 of the bird anyway. No binoculars, no Detroit spy camers, and you let us see a sneak peak! Thanks. Guess the battery is going to work out well, but I don't think you should use a 4 cell even though we know you to be a bit crazy when it comes to high voltage!

Fred

I didn't like showing a sneak peak as I need to wet sand those areas smooth...Digital cameras pic up every flaw---I know that it looks rough but trust me---It will be very smooth before paint...

Kevin

Originally Posted by NitroCharged

Nice and light Kevin!

How's that grey going to become white?

After wet sanding almost all of the primer off so that you can see the Depron through it I'm going to shoot a couple of light coats of flat white...Flat colors go on VERY smooth and dry extremely fast---In 10 minutes you have a plane you can handle...Flat paint also sands much easier than gloss..Even when going with a glossy scheme I shoot a base coat of flat paint and then for gloss I use a clear top coat...

Kevin

The smoothest primer I found in a can was the Tamiya super fine primer. It's what my Hawk has on it to make it white. I didn't even both to sand it, which would have really slicked it up.

Originally Posted by NitroCharged

The smoothest primer I found in a can was the Tamiya super fine primer. It's what my Hawk has on it to make it white. I didn't even both to sand it, which would have really slicked it up.

Well---This has been a learning process to say the least...Gotta remember it's my first foam model from plans!!!...

I tried to find white primer and couldn't...The local hobby shop owner is a crook so I won't do business with him...I have to travel 160 miles round trip to a decent hobby shop...

I weighed my plane today and it's going to be a little over weight...Luis is going to have me beat on the weight...I wet sanded the plane and managed to loose 7 grams doing so...(Primer is heavy)...With me not being happy with the way Depron shows grain I primed/sanded until the grain was filled...Huge mistake!!!...My plane weighs 62 grams with the white yet to be applied...So, I'm 3 grams over Nitros weight and haven't put the white on yet...I'm going back through the plane and lightening up the nose a little and trimming the canopy a little more...I think that I can get my plane close to Nitro's bare weight with those mods and ready for the white...

Kevin

Hi Kevin!

For me - that never flew a jet before - it had to be as much lighter as possible to try to keep the flight slower. Mine is a few heavy, for this reason, I´m waiting for the 2s batteries TP 7.4V 325MAH G6 PRO 65C that I bought a week ago arrives from RCLipos, to save 4gr. But if the batteries don´t arrive until this weekend, I´ll handlauch it anyway!

The painting process you are doing Kevin adds weight, once you will have to add a lot of layers to arrive where you want. It will be perfect to the eyes, but it will cost to you a few extra grams. We cannot forget this jet is so little, and we have to think all the time about the weight

This weekend, I used for the first time, my brand new Spektrum DX6I with my wing! I liked and enjoyed the radio so much! I didn´t have any intereference and problem, worked perfectly! The best thing, is that you can save memories of the plane with each one trimmed. Believe if you can, I´ve never had and tested it before! I bought this radio because of this Bae Hawk, thank you again Dave, I´m allways learning in this thread.

At the moment my Bae Hawk is RTF and is resting in his new hangar (my son´s bedroom) with his new friends Its so little... Can you find it??

I got fed up with the extra weight and rubbed the entire plane down with denatured alcohol...This took off a majority of the primer but now I'm back to wet sanding with fine grit paper and then lightly priming...What a pita!!!...I wonder if I should have started with going back to the old school days and seal the plane with WBPU and tissue paper or ultra light silkspan....Dents would have been super easy to fill and tissue/silkspan is easy to paint...

Live and learn!!!

Kevin

Kevin,

That's tough. Sorry for that exercise. I am sure you have read and seen the mix I use cositing of Lightweight filler, talc Powder, Polycrylic, a drop or two of acrylic paint and water. It fills, primes, easy to sand, and remains light weight. It is covered in my MiG 3 build.

I did the Silkspan on the wing and tail of my F-86, and even I am going back to review my weight gains on that one because of decisions I need to make on the Yak, and possibly the fuse of the F-86. It is not without weight gain, but somewhat minor.

I will be doing some more tests soon with tissue. It wrinkles, but some tests with contact cement were reported to eliminate that issue. Elmer's is really light when dry, so I don't know. Wish I knew what Elmer's solvent is, does not hurt foam, but smells very strong. If I could thin it, the rest would be history.

Keep the faith! Something so small should look good no matter what [I]you[I] end up doing with it.

Fred

Originally Posted by Freddie B

Kevin,

That's tough. Sorry for that exercise. I am sure you have read and seen the mix I use cositing of Lightweight filler, talc Powder, Polycrylic, a drop or two of acrylic paint and water. It fills, primes, easy to sand, and remains light weight. It is covered in my MiG 3 build.

I did the Silkspan on the wing and tail of my F-86, and even I am going back to review my weight gains on that one because of decisions I need to make on the Yak, and possibly the fuse of the F-86. It is not without weight gain, but somewhat minor.

I will be doing some more tests soon with tissue. It wrinkles, but some tests with contact cement were reported to eliminate that issue. Elmer's is really light when dry, so I don't know. Wish I knew what Elmer's solvent is, does not hurt foam, but smells very strong. If I could thin it, the rest would be history.

Keep the faith! Something so small should look good no matter what [I]you[I] end up doing with it.

Fred

THANKS Fred!!!...I did use light weight spackling and it has its good points and bad...Good=...Light weight and sands easily..Bad=...Soaks up primer resin like a sponge, primer is somewhat porous so when wet sanding the spackling can get wet underneath the primer causing the finish to be ruined...

I weighed the plane and it now weighs almost exactly the same as the GP Sabre @63 grams...I still have a couple of areas to address in the structure to loose about another 3 grams...

I'm going to go light with the recoat/paint and hope for a 70 gram model without batts...

Kevin

Originally Posted by Freddie B

Kevin,

I will be doing some more tests soon with tissue. It wrinkles, but some tests with contact cement were reported to eliminate that issue. Elmer's is really light when dry, so I don't know. Wish I knew what Elmer's solvent is, does not hurt foam, but smells very strong. If I could thin it, the rest would be history.

Fred

Fred---I just thought of something...I'm an old dope and tissue builder...I would apply the tissue to perimeter of the structure, such as a wing, using a VERY light coat of slightly watered/thinned down Elmer's glue on the structure itself...I would just dip my finger in the glue and lightly apply the glue to the perimeter of the structure, then stretch the tissue as taut as possible over the structure as the glue dried...Next, I would mist on some water to the tissue--This would shrink the tissue even tighter, getting out the toughest wrinkles before applying the dope finish...

This is what I'm thinking---What would happen if we pre-shrunk the tissue with a light mist coat of water, letting it thoroughly dry over something like a towel bar before applying the tissue to the model???...If the tissue is pre-shrunk then there's not going to be much shrinkage left to wrinkle on the plane---Right???...

Wadduya think???......

Kevin

Originally Posted by Kevin Greene

This is what I'm thinking---What would happen if we pre-shrunk the tissue with a light mist coat of water, letting it thoroughly dry over something like a towel bar before applying the tissue to the model???...If the tissue is pre-shrunk then there's not going to be much shrinkage left to wrinkle on the plane---Right???...

Wadduya think???......

Kevin

I have tried to pre-shrink tissue, and it always looks like a wrinkled nylon stocking when finished. I even stretched it over a open box, taped it tight, sprayed, and still pretty wrinkled. I don't want to iron tissue.

I will try the perimeter glue method, but better pin the wing and feathers down to keep warps from forming. I will also try the pre-wetted (ready to dissinegrate) method, and other things I may think of on my testing.

Let us share results.

Fred

Kevin, are you over thinking things at the moment?....

Now.. I´m really floating

Originally Posted by NitroCharged

Kevin, are you over thinking things at the moment?....

Huh???......Please elaborate!!!......I'm guessing that you're displeased with the way the thread discussion has turned???...Or what???...Emphasis on the word guessing...

I'm trying to get my T-45 built with the best finish possible with lightness in mind...+ I'm new to Depron foam building techniques...I want to do not only myself proud but you as well being the designer...

Kevin

so i had this idea to get an ultra light gloss finish on the depron, you could first work the sanded depron over with a heatgun to 're-skin' it, then mix up some HK finish cure epoxy:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...idProduct=8461
(possibly even thinned a little)
and put it into a disposable mist/spray bottle, and 'mist' the epoxy over the surface...

honestly i have no experience with ultra thin/ light painting/coating... so i'm just suggesting something i may be inclinded to try if i were in your position.