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Model Airplane Secrets eBook - Great for Beginners

RC Airplane Covering

RC airplane covering and finishing is perfect if you have built your own balsa wood airplane, or just want to change your model airplanes appearance. This skill will also come in handy if you need to repair your rc airplane after a bad crash.

There are two ways to cover your rc airplane. You can use paint or an iron-on-film-covering. If you don’t know what an iron-on-film-covering is, it is a heat shrink film or cloth that is applied to your airplane using a heat gun or iron.

Kind of like shrink wrap, but much more durable of course. Since paint is just applied with an airbrush and is relatively easy to do, I will only teach you how to put on an iron-on-film covering for your covering. Also, I don’t recommend you use just paint anyways because paint chips easily and isn’t very durable.



If you use the iron-on film covering you will see how tough it really is, and how much more it will protect your airplane. And if you really want to use paint, you can just apply it after you iron-on the film covering.

Preparation

Before you cover your plane, you need to smooth it down perfectly. For the finish to look the best, this must be done. To make sure it is completely smooth, close your eyes and feel your airplane. Are there any rough spots or raised seams? Dents and dings must be filled and sanded smooth. For starters, go over your entire rc model airplane with 150-grit sandpaper, and then use a tack cloth to wipe off the dust.

To fill dents, dings, holes and so on, you need to use model filler, which is available at your local hobby shop. Or I guess you could use regular drywall putty that you can buy at your local hardware store. Chances are though, where you buy your RC airplane covering is where you can buy the filler.

Anyways, after you fill in the dings you need to wait for the filler to dry and then sand it down smoothly. If you end up sanding to much or there were little air pockets in the filler which left little holes, then do the same process again and again until it meets to your satisfaction. After it is perfectly level and smooth with the rest of the aircraft, you can then paint over it and blend it in so it becomes unnoticeable.

Be sure to sand in a well ventilated area

Before you apply any filling to dents and depressions, make sure to wet the wood slightly. Then, when the filler is dry, sand with 150-grit sandpaper and again use the tack cloth. Now, sand with 220-grit sandpaper and after that use 320-grit paper. This will assure a smooth finish and a great looking cover.

Primer prep coat

Now that your model is prepared for RC airplane covering, you could either start covering it now or apply one coat of a balsa prep primer. This will seal the balsa wood and reduce the likelihood of wrinkles forming after the model has been covered.

If you do decide to apply a prep coat, allow it to soak into the wood, let it dry completely, then lightly sand it with 320-grit sand paper. This primer should be for purchase at your local hobby shop.

Covering your model airplane

Before you begin, make sure you have all of the tools listed below.
  • film or cloth based RC airplane covering material
  • hobby knife and a lot of blades
  • covering iron
  • covering thermometer to check the irons temperature
  • yardstick or metal straightedge

If you want to be sure that your RC airplane covering will be wrinkle free, you should pull on it while you iron it on.

Whether you use a film or cloth RC airplane covering, the method of applying is the same. Usually, a film looks like painted metal, and cloth (fabric) has a more antique look. No matter what you use, or what you read here, be sure to READ THE DIRECTIONS that come with it!

When you first see the RC airplane covering, you will notice it has a clear backing sheet that protects the heat-activated adhesive and prevents the material from sticking to it self. Do not remove this protective backing until you are ready to apply the covering.



Now that you understand how it works, you can start covering your plane. Be sure to start covering the large surfaces first, then the smaller sections. This will make the best of your material and minimize how much you waste. The largest surface is usually the wing, so we will begin there.

Wing covering

When covering the wings, you should use 4 separate pieces for each wing. Two for the bottom and two for the top (look at the picture below). This method allows us to cope with the wing’s dihedral, and it prevents wrinkling. The wings center seam can easily be covered with trim or you could just leave it as it is. So roll out enough film to cover all four wing sections, and be sure to have 1 inch extra all the way around. Wing Covering Sections

Now you can apply the RC airplane covering. Before you start though, be sure to preheat your iron to the correct temperature the covering manufacturer suggests, and then start applying the RC airplane covering. You should be holding and pulling on the film border when you apply the film or cloth, don’t forget that. Next, after your iron is preheated and all the RC airplane covering is placed on, you can start ironing it on. Run the iron around the wings perimeter to fully seal down the film or cloths edges. Be sure to trim the edges and iron them down firmly.

After that, take your iron and start lightly ironing in the center of the wing and tighten the RC airplane covering while you do this to prevent wrinkles. When you are finished ironing the whole wing, repeat this whole procedure to the other wing.

The top of a wing is much more curved then the bottom, so be sure to pull extra tight when covering the top.

Fuselage covering

The fuselage is pretty easy to cover also. You basically break it down into 4 different sections like the wing, but instead one big piece will go on the bottom, one on the left side, one on the right side, and the last piece will go on top. Also, if there will be seams in the film at the sides, start applying the film at the tail and work toward the nose. By doing this, you ensure that the seam overlaps “face” backward, and that will make it less likely that exhaust residue will get under them.

After you apply the RC airplane covering, lightly iron all of it down, and be sure to get out all wrinkles and air bubbles. Then trim the edges of the film or cloth so that it covers 1/4 inch of adjacent surfaces.



This will ensure you have strong overlapping with the other sections you covered, and overlapping will minimize the chances of the edges lifting later on. Finally, you can cover the tail parts using the same procedure. When you are done with that, go over whole plane once more to make sure all surfaces are covered and properly sealed. Now we can move onto finishing.

Finishing your model

I strongly recommend you finish your model airplane with some nice trim. This will not only make your plane look good, it will also enhance the visibility and help you stay oriented when you fly it high above. Your trim can be decals, self-adhesive trim material or custom cut pieces of the same type of iron-on RC airplane covering you used above to cover your model.

Before you start applying your trim, make sure that all surfaces are completely clean and dust free. Next, start lightly marking with a pencil where the trim will be applied. If you decide to use that same iron-on covering for your trim, then you need to mark where it will be applied, and then cut away the RC airplane covering you applied there before with a hobby knife.

This will minimize trapping air bubbles. Also, be sure to leave about 1/4 inch overlap all around for the trim piece to bond too. Then cut the trim to shape and apply it. For a neat appearance, make sure you cut perfectly straight edges.

If your kit doesn’t have clear plastic windows and windshields, use black, silver or blue covering to simulate them. Another way to get creative is to purchase pin striping tape at your local hobby shop or online hobby shop. If you aren’t familiar with pin striping tape, you can purchase it in many different colors and apply it in any arrangement you want. It has unlimited potential on how your model can look.

Color scheme help

If you can’t decide what color to make your airplane, I suggest you go with very bright colors and place them in an organized fashion on your wings and fuselage. This will assist you in seeing and tracking your model plane when flying it.



A very good tip is to apply the light colors to the top of your plane, and the dark colors to the bottom. This will help you to determine whether your model is upside down or not.

Good Reading Material

RC Airplane Covering
RC airplane covering is a how to guide for the beginner. If you want to make your rc airplane look great and fly smoother, then buy this book! Great tips and how to guide on covering and finishing your RC model airplane.
RC Airplane Finishing and Detailing RC airplane finishing and detailing is a collection of how-to articles from different authors. The articles are well organized and there are a lot of photgraphs to look at. If you are looking for how to ideas on covering, painting, and more then this is the book you want.
RC Airplane Workshop Secrets Radio control airplane workshop secrets contains photographs and a wealth of basic information for the beginner builder. The sections on jigs and assembly techniques alone is worth the price. If you ever wanted to build your own RC airplane in your workshop, then this book is for you.
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