For this issue I wanted to return to our process of repairing and refinishing a crashed E-flite P-39 Airacobra. Last time we used a combination of lightweight spackle and polycrylic finish to repair the crashed airplane. From there, we applied multiple coats of primer (sanding in between coats) to smooth out the airplane and then painted the airframe. This time, we’re going to show the final finishing steps of panel lines and weathering that I applied to the model. These small things provide big results in adding realism to a nice looking scale model. Oh and remember, when it comes to weathering, less is more!
PANEL LINES
The nice thing about using polycrylic on a foam aircraft is that it hardens the entire surface providing a hard coat to apply paint. Because of this, we can use a 0.5mm lead mechanical pencil to lightly draw panel lines over the entire model. The 0.5mm pencil provides a very convincing panel line. Once applied (using rulers, etc.), adding a light coat of 2x Rustoleum matte clear over the entire model protects the lines from smudging during the weathering process.
CONTROL SURFACE FADING
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IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS
2020 TOP GUN SCALE INVITATIONAL
TOP GUN SCALE INVITATIONAL
THE 32ND YEAR OF EXCELLENCE!
THE COMPETITION CONTINUES
Every spring, Frank Tiano’s Top Gun Scale Invitational has heralded the beginning of the flying season, offering builders an opportunity to show off their projects in Lakeland, Florida after a winter spent finishing them in their workshops.
BUILDING BENCH & WORKSHOP TIPS
I have built countless RC models, from kits, plans and even my own scratch designs.
TOP GUN FAVORITE MARK CHAPMAN'S 1/3-SCALE ALBATROS D.VA
When I told Model Airplane News executive editor Debra Cleghorn that I was attending the Top Gun Scale Invitational for the first time, she asked me if I would interview the pilot of one of my favorite planes at the event. As a WW I fan (and a Balsa USA builder), I chose Mark Chapman’s beautifully detailed 1/3-scale Balsa USA Albatros D.Va, flown by Marvin Alvarez in Team Scale.
HEAVY-DUTY SCALE FLAPS
FUNCTIONAL CONTROL SURFACES WITH ADDED DETAIL
SEAGULL MODELS/LEGEND HOBBY SAVAGE SHOCK CUB
A short takeoff and landing wonder!
GETTING STARTED IN FPV
BetaFPV makes getting a bird’s-eye-view easier than ever!
AILERON/RUDDER MIXING EXPLAINED
Build good habits now and fly better tomorrow
BRITTEN-NORMAN - DEFENDER 2000
An electric-powered Islander on steroids
SAVING LITTLE ITALY
THE ICONIC ETHNIC NEIGHBORHOOD HAS OUTLASTED ALL OF BALTIMORE’S OLD-WORLD ENCLAVES. NOW IT FACES ITS GREATEST CHALLENGE IN MORE THAN A CENTURY.
Classic Upland Guns
Baker Gun and Forging Company: Batavia Leader
California Coastal Road Trip
Like many people around the country, we have had little occasion to travel this year. With car shows and events like the Power Tour and Drag Week postponed and rescheduled due to the coronavirus, we’ve mostly been stuck at home. I recently had occasion to travel to Santa Rosa, California, for a photo shoot with Scott Birdsall, owner/builder of Old Smokey, the Cummins-powered Ford F1 that beat the diesel-engine record at the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb. Motor Trend’s William Walker was the shooter, with me serving as assistant and camera car driver. It seemed like as good excuse as any to make a trip out of it.
LITTLE ITALY
The lesser-known northeastern region of Friuli Venezia Giulia boasts unspoiled vistas and sail-friendly waters
Mill Brass & Aluminum with a CNC Router
Add a new dimension to your woodworking skills.
Corsair K100
Reimagining a champion
During a pandemic, flexibility is key
The wheelhouse was scattered with guidebooks extolling the virtues and sites to behold in and around the Baltic — fjords in Sweden and Norway, Danish in Denmark, history-laden Poland, and enough lager to sink a barge in Germany.
Holiday Angels
It’s their busiest time of year
Oculus to kill off PC-only VR in 2021
Dead VR walking: Oculus says it will kill off the Oculus Rift S in 2021.
POETIC LANDSCAPES:DITA JACOBOVITZ
Most of my landscape paintings are from my Residential area and from north Italy. I use various techniques, but mostly Oil on canvas. I decided several years ago that I will not try to reach the reality; I am trying to put the colors and shapes as I view them; sometimes, the place is the exactly the same spot, but the artworks are so different." - Dita Jacobovitz