Haha, yes! Thank you for your kind words 😊

@@Thercgeek 😃You are very kind, my friend. When you make SOLOTÜRK, the whole fleet will be grateful. 🇹🇷

Thank you so much for your kind feedback!

Thanks man, I’m so glad it’s been helpful! I’d love to see the end result. 😊

So glad it’s helpful!

Thanks man! So glad it’s helpful. 😊

Why 180 on canned primer? Primer is much softer than bondo (body filler). Primer calls for 400-600 grit. Sanding in between coats of primer is easily done with 400 grit. If your using 180 grit for primer because the primer is clogging your sand paper, it’s because the quality of the primer is poor. I noticed you’ve been experimenting with different canned primers., I mentioned 3 brands in my comment, are you familiar with any of them?

I’m not familiar with those primers, I’ll check them out. My favorite primer was the ever coat stuff, but it’s not made anymore. Anyhow, I’m using 180 to knock down the primer quicker. The primer is being used to fill in the micro voids that come from the foam texture to fill that all in. The final primer coat is sanded with 600 grit in preparation for paint. In terms of the weight gain, it varies on the size of the airplane and the amount of material used. This tomcat is the first refinish I’ve done where I did notice the weight gain in flight. Mostly it was in the approach speed being notably faster than prior to the refinish. Unfortunately though, I didn’t weigh the airplane before the refinish, so I don’t know exactly what it was here. Generally speaking, I’ve found that foam airframes tend to fly better after a process like this. The smoother surface and stiffer airframe really help with that.

@@Thercgeek ….. thanks so much for the reply. All this information is valuable especially for myself who’s totally new to flying. Here are autobody grade high build primers.. They “seem” pricy BUT, they are much bigger cans, have more surface build, dry faster & harder, won’t clog your sand paper and most importantly, these primers are “less harsh” on substrates and other repair materials. The solvents in these primers are “less volatile”. You’ll experience less to no reactions like lifting, flaking, sand scratch swelling or any defects that may present in the final paint finish when it comes to multiple layers with different types materials. HERE’S SOME GOOD ONES IVE USED 👇👇 👉 U-Pol Products 0791V Grey HIGH#5 Primer -12 oz a.co/d/c7wIHzv 👉 SEM 42013 Grey High Build Primer - 16 oz. a.co/d/1LUtH2G 👉Transtar 4603 Gray 2-in-1 Primer - 15oz a.co/d/4Yjn72l Stay away from commercialized products! The reason autobody grade materials is sooooo much better than publicly commercialized products is bcs the demand for high quality paint finishes and the performance of the products that accomplish that are in such high demand and there’s tons of competition with dozens of competing body shops and product manufacturers. Excuse my long comments lol but we all know what it’s like talking about what you love, you could talk about your pain all day too I would imagine 😁. Happy to of found your channel! I Do love watching you repair these air planes, it’s so gratifying….. please let me know or do a video trying out any one of these primers. I promises it will change the way you look at primers.

Haha, thanks! My kids and I are big Star Wars fans. 😁

I’m here to help if you have questions! Also, for what it’s worth I have a free scale painting guide available that should help: www.thercgeek.com/trcgscaleguide

Awesome, thank you!

@@Thercgeek any time! I have an important question about it though. The panel lines seem that they might not be filled completely, as in they recess enough for you to feel a texture in it, like less than a millimeter. This is before paint and primer and polycrilic. Once I do all of the refinishing, will they fill in and be smooth? Let me know soon! I am putting on the minwax in a few days.

Thank you!

Thank you so much! I’m so glad it will be helpful. 😊

That’s how I do! 🤣

@@Thercgeek 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣!! "SPEEDY GEEKOLEZ"!!! 😂😂😂

Indeed, haha! But the work is always worth it in the end. 😊

Thanks!

Haha, thanks man! No doubt, it’s HOT right now. Good thing I maidened it already a while back. 🤣 kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hJ51hdCQl7bTnoE.html

Thank you!

Very cool! He’s legit my hero, haha

Thanks! Cockpit is the next installment which is just about ready.

Haha, thanks so much for the kind words!

Haha, thanks! 🤣😁

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thanks! The A-6 is a nice one too, though I wish it was a little bigger. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/epuIgKyix7vagps.html

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks for watching! 😊

I may have missed it in the video but what kind of sandpaper do you use on the foam before priming? Thx

I’m using 180grit to sand the filler down and also for sanding the primer. You want to be careful not to bust through the foam top layer as it will start to whisker if it does.

Thank you!

I’ve seen a few folks mod that. I personally just didn’t want to spend the time to re-engineer that whole area. I have a 3d printed wing glove pylon that I plan to install to help hide the tires ultimately.

Good to know! I’m using a 2.75” diameter robart tire which looks and fits about perfectly.

😢 He was (and still is) an aviation legend!

Thanks!

All of these foam airframes these days are made of epo foam which is extremely resilient to solvents, so melting isn’t an issue with it like it’s with eps (beer cooler) foam. I’ve sprayed any number of paints and primers on epo including lacquers without any problems. The only thing you might run into is some swelling of the foam beads if the paint or primer is applied to wet.

You could do fiberglass, but the polycrylic is just quicker and less hassle.

Well, I’m not sure they’d be a good match for the stock 12blade fans. However, that’s the standard motor for the 9blade fans now, so I’d recommend grabbing a couple of those fans and using them.

@@Thercgeek Hey RC, thank you for the reply and info. Much appreciated🤘🏽

On this one, I just left them on there and applied the refinish over them. I’ve tried lifting them up with tape with mixed success. I have heard soaking them in vinegar would do it, but I haven’t tried it.

@@Thercgeek thanks Chris.

I’ve found the paint jobs now adhere quite well, so I’ve just been doing the prep work over that. In terms of hours, I’m not really sure. It takes a bit of time to get a smooth finish.

Thanks! I’ve heard of mod-podge but I’ve not tried it.

I mentioned it in the vid. It’s the shrink free spackle from Sherwinn Williams. 😊

The models tend to fly slicker I’ve found and generally better. It’s partly due to the smoothness of the airframe and also the added rigidity you get from the polycrylic.

Thanks Jayson! When I do a scale project, I spend a lot of time researching online and in books for paint scheme ideas. once I find a paint scheme that I like, I drill down further trying to find whatever information I can on that particular airplane including plastic models and plastic model decals. For panel lines, I search for drawings in a similar way. For the tomcat though, Davao Products has a fantastic book with drawings in it that I used as a panel line reference.

Thank you! The decals were all water slides, so it was easier to just leave them on the surface.

The air is drawn into the inlets by the fans. There’s a slot in the foam behind the ESCs just forward of the fan face.

That’s not uncommon. The issue is the softness of the foam and it lightly compressing while sanding. A lot of that gets smoothed out in the primer/sand process. However, you can always do another pass on the filler. Larger imperfections you definitely want to fill before poly and primer.

@@Thercgeek thanks man! I appreciate it!

Yep, it’ll fill that assuming we’re not talking about a large 1/2” deep surface area needing filling. Just allow some extra time to dry fully before sanding.

I think it’s possible, yes. You’d need rotating main gear and then would have to fabricate the doors like the full scale.

You should be able to just paint right over that. If you’re concerned about the weight, then acetone should do the trick in stripping the paint off the airframe.

Duplicolor filler primer is my preference these days which is what I used on this model: amzn.to/3Vv9ST2

I use the sherwinn Williams spackle for that. I’m not familiar with the foam Tac filler, so can’t compare. I’d imagine it would be similar.

I usually use satin.

I understand. this F-14 is kind of the last big foam refinish as I want to get back to some of those build projects I’ve had waiting for so long. The challenge I’ve had has been finding a balance between my own projects and the reviews, etc. doesn’t help that my main field with the big paved runway was closed permanently. 😢 now flying larger models requires a much long drive to accomplish.

Which 50mm edf is it? You’ll need to determine if it’s made of epo or eps foam. Epo will allow you to spray it with pretty much any type of primer and paint, however if it’s eps foam, you’ll need to be much more careful. Epo foam is extremely resilient to solvents but eps foam is not.

Thanks! I’m using sherwinn williams shrink free spackle for filler and minwax polycrylic (minwax is the brand).

@@Thercgeek Thank you so much. Gonna go refinish a plane now!

@@Thercgeek Hey Chris, I've started the refinish process on my f15. I was just wondering if the filler primer that you used will cover up any small imperfections that were not covered by the filler (Tiny dents and scratches) or if I should take the time and fill those in too? Also I couldn't find the minwax polycrylic so i'm gonna try and use Varathane polyurethane water based. Just wondering if this is a good brand, or if I should stick with the minwax one. Thanks!

I don’t usually.

I used sherwinn Williams shrink free spackle.

Improvements could be made, but I’m not concerned. I’ve found that a refinish like this results in a generally better flying airplane. It’s a combination of the smooth surface, the stiffer airframe as well as a little higher wing loading. Though, the fw f14 doesn’t need additional weight, it is what it is to get a nice finish. The model has actually already flown in full paint and it flies great! 😁 kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hJ51hdCQl7bTnoE.html

Id recommend a satin or flat. Gloss won’t look right on a military aircraft.

If you’re looking to just seal the stock finish then you may want to consider just using the spray polycrylic instead. That said, if all you want is a matte finish, there’s always the rustoleum 2x matte clear. It’s pretty good and non-yellowing too. Just a dusting will give you a nice matte sheen.

@Thercgeek I didn't know polycrylic was available in a spray. I have my own spray equipment because I'm an Automotive Painter but was told that if I'm just sealing than I could brush it on in the house with good results. Then I came across these videos of your's. You are a pro with the polycrylic!

No, that's not necessary. What I did on the vertical tail areas was since I had used some spackle filler there, simply sealed up those areas with Polycrylic to receive the primer better.

@@Thercgeek okay I see what you mean. Thanks Chris, that’s great.

No, there's no finish out there that will stop that. It's just the nature of EPO foam unfortunately and how it reacts to heat.

@@Thercgeek Have you ever tried applying anything like Zpoxy finish resin to a EPO foam surface, sanding and priming it?

I’ve only used the zpoxy for fiberglassing. I haven’t tried it as a replacement for the poly. The poly is pretty quick and painless. The epoxy would be a little more involved process, but would probably work decently.

I used the same sherwinn Williams spackle I used on the rest of the airframe. The spackle was used there because the gaps being filled were wider than the 3m glaze putty would effectively fill and it was also easier to sand. The 3m stuff is only just a surface filler for small imperfections mostly and doesn’t have much body to it.

@@Thercgeek awesome, dap has a "flexible spackling" that says it can be sanded and painted? would that be something worth possibly using since the foam is in theory flexible and compressible?

If that’s the stuff from Home Depot, it’s garbage. The sherwinn williams stuff is really good and sands nicely. I’ve tried others that include the stuff with primers in it and they ball up as you sand it. Not the case with sherwinn Williams.

Thanks again one last qiestion. I have a dynam 109 i want to repaint. Do you recommend just sanding the stock paint before sealing with the clear minwax or stripping off the old paint entirely? Seems like a major production to remove it all but if its likely to debond all the new paint if i dont then maybe i should. Acetone or just clear over the existing? Thoughts ? Thanks!!!

I’d recommend skipping stripping the paint. Just prep right over the paint.

It can be purchased at a Sherwinn-Williams paint store: www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/products/shrink-free-spackling

It’s an artist palette knife. I use it for applying all sorts of fillers.

Shoot me an email and I can make that happen. Thercgeek.com/contact

Thanks! The model is made of epo foam which is very resilient to solvents.

@@Thercgeek Thanks, Chris! Once again, great tips.

I’m still working on that. The website integration I had setup for the files didn’t work and my sla printer is down at the moment. I’ll have at least the parts available by the time the next installment posts.

The larger dents and dings you’ll want to fill. The primer will only fill the smaller stuff. So, I’ve used glaze putty on that stuff but you can also just use the spackle and spot treat with poly and then primer over that. I haven’t used verathane personally, but I’ve heard good things about it if it’s the stuff I’m thinking of.

It really varies quite a bit on the airframe and the airframe size. It also relates to how many coats of primer that are used too. That said, in most cases I’ve found that the models actually fly better following a refinish like this due to the smoother surface and the stiffer airframe.

Thank you! To achieve the spoileron and full span flap mod, it requires a minimum of 9 channels. I’m not very familiar with futaba, so can’t say specifically which one, but I’d recommend 10-12 channels to have options in the future. 😊

@@Thercgeek awesome, thanks Chris. I will have a good look to see what 10/12 channel I can get hold off. Thanks for your help. Much appreciated.

If you haven’t already, you’ll need to sand the filler smooth. Once it’s filled and sanded to your liking, then apply the poly coats.

@@Thercgeek Yes I have sanded the filler but I do not know if I am supposed to sand the poly coats down? I am thinking that I shouldn't.

I usually just do a light sanding of the final poly coat before primer. Not much more than that.

For epo, this is quicker and lighter. It it was balsa, glassing all the way.

Yeah, this pretty much is the same method. Only difference is that I didn’t strip the paint before starting the refinish.

@@Thercgeek awesome, thanks! I plan on refinishing my FMS 80mm Super Hornet to a Blue Angels finish and my P-51 is yet to be decided lol.

@@Thercgeek do you sand the polycrilic before the first coat of primer?

Yeah, a light sanding with 180 grit sand paper is good.

@@Thercgeek awesome! Can’t wait to see how great that Tomcat looks when you’re finished!

Honestly, I’m not sure. With the modifications made at the same time, it added time. It’s really a function of how smooth you want to make it.

@@Thercgeek appreciate you taking time to respond

All in due time as I have a DCU kit that I’ll be building at some point. This is a more instant gratification process and is a bit quicker than a full build. Also, it is a model I can fly here locally. Unfortunately my primary field with the big 600ft runway was closed permanently, so larger models require a much longer drive now to fly. 😕

@@Thercgeek Ah solid points.