There are many airplane enthusiasts-RC pilots carry the wings of their aircraft in the car and out to the field with the wing bags or other wing carrier. It looks like this has been a fashion just before they start flying. Wing bag is indeed a great way to protect your aircraft.



Purpose of using wing bags:
Protect your valuable wing panels!
Keep it clean and organized!
Easy to carry in the car or out to the field!



Featured of KUZA Pro Protection Wing Bags:
The wing bags here are new design!
Wing Bags with optional Shoulder straps.
Hanging the wings on a wall is OK.
Full zipper lets bag to open flat to allow easy storage and removal of wing panels.
Bags for single or double piece R/C airplane wings are available.
Wing Bags with optional size for different scale planes.
Bags made with the quality that you deserve but are still extremely affordable



Hundreds of wing bags just fill in stock in 2 colors( Blue, Yellow),price are very reasonable according to size (15CC to 150cc)of your aircaft( us$24.67~70.92).This is absolutly a great investment for its practical and low price, if you need more fashion designed wing bags for other RC model likes Biplanes, Jets, Gilders, and Sailplanes or RC car, please contact us.




Enter Our Site

Min Power Box Bec

Mini Servo Sectionboard Power Box for gas plane with 30A UBEC


Produce features:
 Double power input to improve the stability of power supply, which can effectively avoids the accident cause by poor contact of a single block of power batteries.
 Compared with the traditional mechanical switch integrated electronic switch has a higher security and stability.
 Input / output voltage display switch
 Nine channels for input, and sixteen channels for output.(every one channel input with two channels output ), one channel CDI remote flameout switch.
 Integrated CDI remote flameout switch, making flying safer
 Independent CDI power supply socket. Receiver power completely separates with the CDI power, so you should not worry about that CDI arouses high frequency signal will interfere the receiver.
 Integrated 30ABEC ( MXA: 40A ) using linear regulator makes the power pure, which can provide sufficient current to the actuator.
 4.8-9.7V output voltage, to adapt to a variety of high and low voltage actuator.
 Independent 5V linear regulator which provide a separate pure working power supply to the receiver.
 Five leds display the distribution board’s working states.
 Special place is designed for receiver to avoid the accidental from bombing damage in receiver.
 Optional voltage meter of the distribution board can display real-time input/output voltage

How to Use the Mini Servo Sectionboard Power Box for gas plane with 30A UBEC

watch video here:
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDAwMDM2OTQw.html


Technology parameters:
 Working voltage: 7-13V
 Steering current, voltage :0-30A ,4.8-9 .7 V (factory voltage is 5.2V)
 Weight: 80g
 Volume:116mm(long)*88mm(wide)*13mm(height)
 Working temperature:-20℃ to 85℃.

Function description:




CDI signal states of the power supply:

The green light on:Voltage above 4.8V
The green light flash: 4.5V-4.8V
The red light on:4.2V-4.5V
The red light flash:Voltage below 4.2V

Conversion Combo Kit for 30-35CC Gasoline Airplane Converted to Electric Airplane, yet the best Conversion component now Exclusive Sale on sdshobby.net




Application Fields:
Special made for 30-35CC gasoline airplane converted to electric airplane.
3inch spinner are designed for the general 30-35CC airplanes.

Basic Equipment for the Conversion Combo Kit:
* Motor: 6350 370KV Brushless motor
* ESC: Brushless 100A (without UBEC output)
* Spinner: Carbon Fiber Spinner 3inch, 1pcs
* Electric Prop: Wood propeller 20*8 inch
*Servo: Digital Servo 60g/9Kg Torque* 3pcs,
Digital Servo 25g/4Kg Torque * 2pcs, (for elevator)
* Servo Arm: metal arm*5pcs
* One Set Mounting Post for Motor
*One Set Banana Bullet Connector: ￠3.5mm*3 pairs, ￠6mm*2 pairs

Why Converted model with gas engines to electric motors?
*There are a lot more kits designed for gas power than for electric power. Face it！
*Nearly any gas plane can be converted to electric power effectively. That’s Fine！
*There are many pilot have been flying and building radio controlled airplanes, helicopters, boats and cars for near half life. I have been specifically building and flying electric airplanes for over 10 years. Latest interest, follow it！
*This has been more realistic to do lately because of the huge leap in battery technology and it has been a very fun way to still make balsa kit planes from scratch, but not worry about any gas problems. Trust it！

Here's an idea of what to look for:
Type of plane: Any plane with 'plenty of wing' makes an excellent choice for conversion since the wing loading will still be reasonable even if the plane turns out a little heavy. If the plane will fly at high speeds (i.e. a sport-aerobatic design or pylon racer), a low drag design is desirable. Simply put, an effective electric plane is one that flies nicely at 1/3 to 1/2 throttles.
Type of construction: Most gas planes are hideously overbuilt. Many popular 'easy to build' kits make use of heavy plywood fuselage sides etc where it is not needed or wanted in an electric. Some kit designs are better than others.
If you have a basic understanding of how model planes work, this process is straightforward. It is important that you understand the basics of power-to-weight ratios and balance points




It's obviously can sure that there are some Gasoline Airplane excellent choice for conversion, one of them is the classical sbach 30-35CC Gasoline airplanes, and sdshobby make a another deal for rc model enthusiast-- Conversion Combo Kit for 30-35CC Gasoline Airplane Sbach Series Converted to Electric Airplane

RC Eagle Kite is pretty much what it sounds like. That is, a kite shaped like a big eagle fitted with RC (radio control) receiver and pulled through the air with a propeller. In structure, it has a lot in common with kites and yet it is flown around like an RC plane.



Flying objects created from eagle in the past is constructed of carbon fiber has an angle of the wings right to exploit the wind. That is still enjoy an enthusiastic following today, particularly in the U.S. .But today the New Style RC Eagle Kite we recommend is sure the Most Realistic RC Eagle


New Style RC Eagle Kite is just the best expose on Hobby Expo China 2012, and well, my first reaction to this flying object is “That really looks like fun”



So what exactly can an RC kite do? It can...
*Float around like a glider, with the motor idling
*Perform all the basic aerobatic maneuvers like a light aircraft
*Hang on the prop' in hovering or very slow flight, nose high in the air
*Zip around pylons like the Red Bull racers
*I should add, only a well-trained pilot can do all the above!


Here is a few basic specs &Features of this New Style RC Eagle Kite:
*Wingspan: 2060mm
*Length: 740mm
* Wing area: 93d㎡
*Flying weight: Approximately 645g
* Control distance: 500m-800m
* Fuselage & wings: Bamboo wood & Textile

*Nice appearance. High scale appearance and beautiful painting, Most Realistic RC eagle!
*Environment friendly material and Durable, lighter structure.
* Wings and Motor mount is removable and foldable, Very convenient to carry.
* Easy to control and fly, Easy to learn and control
*Excellent gliding performance
Particularly suitable for flying at the hill, grassland, field and park etc…



The New Style RC Eagle Kite is NOW available and on sale at SDSHOBBY for the most low price. (ARF for us$ 125.83; RTR for us$ 166.67, hand throttle are optional), it is sure this Most Realistic RC eagle kite will spread a lot of pleasure to both the fliers and those looking on.

Looking for radio control (RC or R/C) airplanes, boats, cars, helicopters, or Quadcopter? How about endless amounts of radios, engines, servos, parts, accessories, and upgrades? Want a new and improved scale buggy, faster car, power engine for airplane or controller? More interested in real RC hobby rather than general hobbies? If so, you've come to the right place!

Giant RC Models Super Store

SDSHobby.net is the one top shop for all your ideal Radio Control,RC Model Airplane, RC Model Boat, RC Model Helicopter. We carry all the top name-brands in the industry with the Best Products...Great Prices...Reliable Worldwide shipping... Why shop anywhere else?

Radio Control Airplanes

Our product line consists of both Electric Powered and Gas/Nitro Powered Airplanes. With both, we stock a wide variety of different Beginner Level Planes, Plug entry level Airplanes, Airplane Kits, ARF - Almost Ready-to-Fly Airplanes, and RTF - Ready-to-Fly Airplanes. We not only offer all the different Planes and Kits, but we have the parts you'll need to star flying. Click RC Airplanes to see all the different items we have available. If you already know the Brand or Manufacturer of the parts you're interested in, just enter their name into our Store Search at the top-left of this page and click Go. Some of our popular RC Airplanes and Parts Manufacturer's include Skylark, Esky Nemo EPP, Mirage 2000, Combo Sbach, Combo Mxs-R, Combo Edge, Combo Yak, Pitts S12, EDGE-540, PHOENIX-2000, and Carbon Fiber Version

Radio Control Boats

RC Boat product lines consist of both Electric Powered Boats and Gas/Nitro Powered Boats. With both, we stock a wide variety of different Boat Kits, ARF - Almost Ready-to-Float Boats, RTR - Ready To Run Boats. To assure you keep having fun with this exciting water-sport, we have your replacement parts and tools like various starting systems, tuned exhaust pipes, water pumps, fuel line, propellers, manifolds, rudder assembly pieces, and much, much more. Click RC Boats to see all the different RC Boats we have available. If you already know the Brand or Manufacturer of the parts you're interested in, just enter their name into our Store Search at the top-left of this page and click Go. Some of our popular RC Boat and Part Manufacturer's include Rocket, Nighthawk, Piranha, Sea Predator, Yamaha, New Challenger, Osprey, Navigator, Spider, Shark, Blade, Raider, Hurricane, lightning, Fiberglass, Trailblazer, Princess, Queen .

Radio Control Cars

RC Car & Truck Product Lines consist of both Electric Powered and Gas/Nitro Powered Cars & Trucks. We carry many different types of Electric Cars & Electric Trucks and Gas Cars & Gas Trucks, such as, On-Road and Off-Road Cars & Trucks, Monster Trucks, Buggy, and Truggy，climbing jeep，climbing hammer，climbing wecker，difting car，rally car，racing car, all of which are available in sizes ranging from 1/16 scale, 1/10 Scale, 1/8 Scale, 1/6 Scale, and even as big as 1/5 Scale. They are mostly 2WD-Two Wheel Drive and 4WD-Four Wheel Drive, but we do have a few odd-balls. To accompany such a wide supply of the different model vehicles, we have thousands and thousands of all the RC Car Replacement Parts, Accessories, Upgrades, Hop-Ups, Add-Ons, Tweaks, Batteries, Chargers, Speed Controls, Tires & Wheels, and Modifications you could possibly want. Click RC Cars to see all the different items we have available. If you already know the Brand or Manufacturer of the parts you're interested in, just enter their name into our Store Search at the top-left of this page and click Go. Our popular RC Car Manufacturer's include HSP

Radio Control Engines

RC Engine Product Lines consist of RC Airplane Engines, RC Boat Engines, RC Car & Truck Engines, RC Helicopter Engines, and RC Engine Parts, as well as a huge selection of RC Electric Motors. We have every size, stroke, turn, power, and dimension of Engines, Engine Parts, Starters, Mufflers & Tuned Pipes, Crankshafts, Pistons, Heads, Headers, Bearings, Glow Plugs, and well, just about everything you could want or need. Click RC Engines to see all the different items we have available. If you already know the Brand or Manufacturer you're interested in, just enter their name into our Store Search at the top-left of this page and click Go. Our popular Manufacturer's include Melody, Dynam, EME, 3MM, CRRCCpro, DJ,ASP.

Radio Control Helicopters & Quadcopter

RC Heli Product Lines consist of both Electric Powered Helicopters and Gas/Nitro Powered Helicopters and Quadcopter. With both, we stock a wide variety of different Helicopter Kits, ARF - Almost Ready-to-Fly Helicopters, and RTF - Ready-to-Fly Helicopters. With all the different varieties and sizes available, we don't stop with the Heli's and Kits; we've got the Helicopter Engines, Replacement Parts, Accessories, and Hop-Ups you'll need to stay flying all the time. Click RC Helicopters & RC Quadcopter to see all the different items we have available. If you already know the Brand or Manufacturer of the parts you're interested in, just enter their name into our Store Search at the top-left of this page and click Go. Some of our popular Manufacturer's include INNOVA, BELT-CP,Fire Dragon,KDS,Honeybeking

R/C Radios

RC Radio Product Lines consist of Airplane Radios, Boat Radios, Car & Truck Radios, and RC Helicopter Radios, as well as RC Servo's for every application. Our huge selection of varying AM and FM Frequency Radios include the following channels: 2 Channel, 3 Channel, 4 Channel, 6 Channel, 7 Channel, and 9 Channel. Not only do we just have the Radio's for every RC Hobby Application imaginable, but we carry thousands of different Radio Parts, Crystals, Batteries & Chargers, Receivers, Modules, Switches, Telemetry, and various Servo Accessories. Click RC Radios to see all the different items we have available. If you already know the Brand or Manufacturer of the parts you're interested in, just enter their name into our Store Search at the top-left of this page and click Go. Some of our popular Part Manufacturer's include Dynam,JR,KDS,WFLY,Spektrum,Spring RC.

All above is what will more close to big RC model that I mention，but on such a super store, you will found more funny things at the RC model field, all in all everything you need for your RC models are all found on sdshobby.net. If not, it will arrival soon.

I got to run my first tank through the x 50 tonight. Did a couple of small test hops. And then i just listened to the rotors chop not the most exicting thing ever but in my eyes it was a great evenning.

Finishing up the tail rotor today since bad weather is keeping me on the ground ISA was not bad but i had to make a tough call on the wind and threat of severe storms.

Windy, wet, and snowing.... perfect weather for the mCPX!

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday (for those that celebrate it!). I plan to eat lots of turkey, hang out with family and friends, and squeeze a little mcpx flying in when no one is looking!

Have a great weekend!

-CSpaced

I seem to be on a flybarless conversion kick, and amongst other things I just converted my Chaos 600 to flybarless using a spare TRex 550/600 head with a shorter main shaft and the BeastX Microbeast. Can't wait to fly it!

What do you do when it's raining outside? Fly in your garage and do stupid stuff like this By the way, the go-pro makes my garage look way much bigger than it actually is!!

Yes I know we needed it, and I'm sure the ground is grateful, but man does it cut into my flying time!

Time to break out the mcpx for some indoor fun, maybe I'll set up an obstacle course....

This was a scratch build, started with a frame and a v2 motor. Used a Ballistic Technology v2 head that was originally purposed for a Corona 120.

Custom lathed 5mm shaft (lathed bottom of the shaft to 4mm to fit the motor)

Align 450 90° swash

Here's the flight video

Custom Funcopter (4 min 24 sec)

This will be my little informal build thread for the Titan X50 I'll be reviewing. I always take a ton of photos, and can't always squeeze them all into the one review, so this will be where I'll post them!

The Titan X50 was announced at IRCHA last year (2010) and the first version released was the belt driven variant. This is the torque tube version, that was released later, and has a number of upgrades over the original aside from the TT tail. This version has an all metal head, as well as a single piece machined aluminum tail gear box.

You know for years the Thunder Tiger Raptor dominated flying fields and fly ins, until Align released their T-Rex line of helis. With this new design from Thunder Tiger, and with Hobbico now distributing the kit, you can bet that the Titan will give the T-Rex a run for its money!

I'll be running a Redline .56 with O.S. powerboost muffler, GY701 gyro/governor, and Futaba BLS-251 tail servo and 253 cyclic servos. Like Steve (who is doing the Raptor G4 build thread), I also got to drool a little over the X50 at IRCHA and the Thunder Tiger team put on a heck of a show with it. Now that my workebench has been cleared I can begin!

Enough talk, on to the pics!

Cool artwork on the box:


Subdivided Compartments:


Instruction manual (with additional decals in the back):


Goodies to make it go!


All of the major bagged components:




Purty, pre-painted fiberglass caonpy:


Clear, illustrated exploded views showing assembly:




And of course, the X50 promotional video:

I've been wanting to build the new Raptor G4 ever since they were first announced. After spending a week at the Helicopter Jamboree and watching other team members flying them I was even more stoked to get one and build it.

Well I just got my E720 and I'll start building it this weekend. The electronics will be as follows: Futaba 14MZ, CGY750, BLS servos, R6203SB receiver, Castle ESC, Hacker A50 14L motor.

I'll post some pictures tonight of the contents of the box; and the main build blog will start tomorrow afternoon.

Disclaimer: I do work for Hobbico the North/South American distributor for Thunder Tiger. I feel I write very honestly, but if you don't agree, you've been warned in advance!

Stay tuned,

Steve

Man, it is HOT outside at the moment. High humidity and temperatures hovering around 100, I don't know how anyone can get anything done outside in this kind of heat. My days have become strategically planned so that anything outside gets done in the wee hours of the morning, or during magic hour in the evening.

Forget about noon to 4pm, I just can't do it...

How's everyone else handling the heat?

So the last few days have been pretty miserable. My Wife started to feel under the weather about a week ago, and we thought it was allergies and continued as normal. Wrong! Turned out she was getting a cold, and it wasn't until days after she got it that we realised this. Needless to say, it was only a few days later that I came down with it. I'm three days in and feeling crappy, but on the plus side my Wife is feeling better!

You'd think with all this down time I'd get something constructive done, but no! All I want to do is sleep, which is a problem because I can't stop coughing long enough to get any!

Being ill really sucks.

About Me

Hi Guys! I was asked by Jim Graham to share this article that I originally made for our local hobby group in Manila, Philippines. I am always happy to share whatever I can to fellow flyers so I hope this article will be of help and/or inspiration to you.

There will be some local references to stores and prices, but I'm sure you can find all the materials necessary wherever you are located. Enjoy!

--Rhoel Alcantara

Introduction

What is this about?
This is a beginners guide to canopy painting using spray-paints and the application of custom made decals to produce a themed canopy. This guide would hopefully be helpful to people who are looking for ways to personalize their canopies. In this article I will use a standard 450 size canopy for a CopterX/Trex 450. I welcome any suggestions about possible better techniques and/or substitutes for brands that I normally use in painting, so feedback is always welcome.

Basic Introduction to Decals
Decals are mainly used in decorating Fine Scale Models (static models). They are NOT stickers. A decal paper is composed of a very thin plastic sheet (where the design is printed), and a paper backing. What's interesting is that the design can have transparent or semi-transparent areas which allows for many design possibilities. Once submerged in water, the paper backing separates from the plastic sheet, and the design can then be applied on any glossy or smooth surface. Once all moisture is removed from under the decal, it will adhere permanently to the surface.

Benefits of doing your own canopy
First, you've got full creative control. You can spend as much, or as less time as you want in making simple or really complicated designs. Secondly, if your canopy gets damaged in a crash or whatever, you'll know exactly how to repair it.

Why use canned Spray-paint?
Personally, I like the fact that I can be painting one minute and then be eating breakfast the next. Also, I don't do this often, so it's really more of a convenience factor for me than anything else. If you have an airbrush and you know how to use it, then by all means use it. It is a much better painting tool than a canned spray paint. However, I would not recommend for anyone to use manual paint brushing as it will be difficult to lay down a consistent layer of paint. For the purposes of this article, I will discuss the use of spray-paint as that gives a very good result and is pretty convenient to use.

What kind of results can you expect?
Below are two examples of canopies I have painted using the methods I will outline in this article. I would very much like to see pictures of canopies you have completed using decals, so please don't be shy!

Metal Gear Solid 4 Theme


Macross 'Minmay Guard' Theme


I will refer to the Macross themed canopy in this article as a sample, and we'll go through all the process needed to build it. And while I do not have complete pictures of the build process for this theme, I have filled in the gaps with new pictures that I have specifically made for this article.



Disclaimer

I have learned the methods and procedures I will outline here on my own, and for sure I am not claiming to be an expert in canopy painting or decal application. Fact be known that as of current writing, the two above canopies are my first and second attempts at painting a canopy. It just happen to have turned out pretty well, so here I am creating a how-to for everyone out there wondering how those were done.

I'm doing all of this for the community. There's absolutely nothing in this for me except for some sense of gratification that I have done my part in pushing forward the skills of my fellow enthusiasts.

As time goes by, I will for sure get new knowledge that may render some of the tools, materials, and/or procedures in this article obsolete or less effective. I may edit this article from time to time and add dated ideas in an "Addendum" section, OR, maybe just post a reply to the thread.



Materials Needed

These are the materials that I used in creating the Macross themed canopy. You may opt to substitute some items for other things you may already have, that's fine. This section only aims to list the materials that are needed, but later on in other sections I will elaborate how they are used and the techniques involved in using them, where applicable.

1 new "generic" painted Fiberglass (FG) canopy from my favorite hobbyshop. A plastic canopy will also do fine.
Note: If you can buy it cheaper if it isn't painted then go get an unpainted one. I had no choice because all their FG canopies were painted.


1 roll Tamiya Masking Tape - 6mm
1 roll Tamiya Masking Tape - 18mm (Approx. P 170 per roll)
1 roll Ordinary Masking Tape
Note: I have not found any substitute for Tamiya masking tape. It produces clear straight lines without any paint seepage underneath. It is also easy to remove and reposition. Ordinary masking tapes will let some paint seep through underneath and the lines created will be jagged. We need a thin tape for masking small areas, and a thicker tape for masking larger areas.


1 Safety Mask
Note: Unless you have a dedicated paint booth with exhaust vents in your house, it's best to do your painting outdoors in open air. Either way, always use a safety mask to help protect your lungs from fumes that will stick to your lungs like glue. The fumes are VERY DANGEROUS when inhaled and there is no way to remove them from your lungs, so please heed this warning.


1 Tamiya Putty
1 Plastic Spatula (from National Bookstore, art supplies)
1 pair Small scissors
1 Xacto knife (from National Bookstore, go get some extra blades while you're at it)
1 Rubber scraper (from ACE Hardware)
Note: The Tamiya putty is for patching up unevenness in your canopy. The small spatula helps in application. The large rubber scraper will be used mainly for easy handling and application of decals.


1 can Scopa Waterslide Transfer Solution (from National Bookstore, P365.75)
1 set Scopa Waterslide Inkjet Decal Paper (from National Bookstore, P???)
Note: The canopy design will be printed on the waterslide paper. The transfer solution is a clear spray that will protect the ink on the paper when we submerge the decal in water. There is also a LaserJet version of the decal paper and it's much cheaper than the InkJet paper, so if you've got a COLORED LaserJet printer then I recommend you get the paper for that.


1 can of every color you intend to use. I use Mr. Color (made by Gunze Sangyo) ARCYLIC GLOSS spray paints (I suppose Tamiya brand will work as well, but I've never tried it)
1 can Mr. Surfacer 1200 (this is a gray colored primer)
Note: Get one can of every color you intend to use, and 3 cans of the CLEAR GLOSS spray. Each can costs around P270 and there will be some left over depending on how much you need to use on your design. Each color has a specific color number (see this Gunze Sangyo Color Chart). There are other colors (like chrome silver, and other metallic colors that are not on the chart. Tamiya will have a different color chart. Always remember what brand and color numbers you use. The number "1200" on the primer spraycan dictate how fine it sprays. The higher the number, the finer the spray. Typically, you need to have finer spraying for really small models. LATELY, I have been experimenting with spraypaints intended for cars. They are cheaper (P130) and comes in a larger can, BUT the spray droplets are is a bit too big. I MAY try this on my future project so I'll give you a report of how it fares.


5 pcs 800 grit sandpaper
5 pcs 400 grit sandpaper
Note: The higher the grit number, the finer it is. The 400 grit will be used for initial sanding of our generic painted canopy. The 800 grit will be used for "fine-tuning" the smoothness of our canopy. Basically, you can use any grit above 400, just don't use anything lower than 400 because it will be too coarse and you risk getting DEEP SCRATCHES on your canopy that will need fixing.




Optional Skills Needed

It would be extremely helpful if you have drawing skills, PLUS have possession of and knowledge in properly using computer painting programs. If not, then your designs will probably be limited to what pictures you can grab off the internet for immediate use on your theme. As mentioned earlier, we will be using decals on our canopy. So basically, all you really need at the end of the day is a print out of your design in the exact size and proportion that will go on your canopy.

The computer drawing software I use is CorelDraw12. Mainly because I like the accuracy of the drawings (meaning: If I draw a line 1 inch long on screen, it will appear 1 inch long on paper). The accuracy allows me to resize and crop pictures exactly the way I need them on my canopy. Of course, you may be more comfortable using other drawing programs. Go ahead and use what you know best.



Step #1: Design and Conceptualization

Apart from the material things that you need to buy, it would also be very helpful if you have some sort of vision of what your canopy will look like. The closest word I can find is "Imagination". But before you can imagine your canopy, you will need some "Inspiration" as well.

During my childhood years, I was so fascinated by a cartoon series called Macross. Nowadays, I devote an entire display cabinet for Macross memorabilia and continue to be nostalgic about everything derived from the cartoon series. That was my inspiration for one of my canopies. Think about your inspiration. Work that inspiration into a theme, and then the image of the canopy design will be clearer in your mind.

A Theme is basically a series of design elements derived from your inspiration. In my Macross themed canopy, there are five specific elements that identified it with the cartoon series:


Note: This was my first attempt at painting a canopy, and I intended to use this canopy for display only, so I wasn't too concerned about using easy to see colors during flying. But you will want to factor that in, otherwise it will limit your helis visibility while in flight.

Tip Use Google to look for images you can use in your theme. Make sure that the images you will use look really good on screen AND on printed paper. I always get images that are at least 800x600 pixels in size. If you don't know what that means, then just try printing out the image on paper and see if it is LARGER than what you will need to put on the canopy. If it is, then it's OK! Sometimes you are allowed to "preview" a page before actually printing it, this is also helpful in judging the real size of the image when printed.

If the printout is smaller than what you need to put on your canopy, then DON'T use it. You can resize pictures UP to the size that you need, but that will make the image BLURRY, and we don't wan't that. I can't stress enough that all images you will use MUST LOOK GOOD ON PAPER.

Visualization Technique
After I find the perfect images for my theme, I will go ahead and produce a drawing of the theme. This will help me visualize what the canopy will look like. I don't even buy a single can of paint before this process is complete. Often times, I will find several images that looks so good on screen, but it just doesn't look good on the canopy. This is why we need to produce drawing... so we can visualize and decide things are looking the way we want them to be.

I have a BLANK template of two types of canopy where I am able to change everything from colors to the actual shape of the blackened pilot's canopy. This is where drawing skills will come in handy. As you can see below, I have already placed some of my elements in the sidelines there. Click on this link to get a copy of my template in JPEG format. It isn't as flexible as a CorelDraw file, but that should give you a starting point and a blank canvass where you can try putting on your own design.


In about a weeks time, I have decided that I want my canopy to look something like this... so, I will print this design out on paper and keep it visible on my desk/wall as I go on to the next phase.


Tip: Always have a colored printout of your design so you can refer back to it without switching on or looking back at your PC. It's always handy to have around especially during masking and decal application.



Step #2: Sanding

Now that we have a design on paper, the next step is to begin sanding and priming.

The primer is the first coat of paint that we will need to layer on our canopy. Like any other paint, primer adheres best to rough surfaces. The new canopy that I bought is nice and glossy ---and that is BAD. So, we need to do some sanding work with a 400 grit sandpaper to get that gloss out.

Proper Sanding
On top of my to do list is to remove the glossy layer of paint om my canopy. I use some 400 grit sandpaper and start working on the entire canopy. It's important to remember that you don't need to erase the original design painted on the canopy. you only need to get the gloss out. You'll know when you're done sanding when there are no more shiny areas. Do your sanding in a crisscross pattern like an "X" or in a circular pattern like an "O". This also helps the primer to stick more firmly to the surface.



During the sanding process, you want to also fix any imperfections you will find. Imperfections come in two basic types:
(1) An unwanted buldge in the canopy, like the excess flash from plastic canopy moulds.
(2) deep dimples or scratches.

Sample of excess flash from underneath a plastic canopy. Use sandpaper to sand this flush:


Using Putty
Use the Tamiya Putty to fill any gaps or scratches you may find. This is a toothpaste like material that spreads on easily and can be sanded when fully dried. It is a good idea to suspend your sanding operation in an area where you just applied putty to for at least 24 hours to let the putty cure. It dries fast to the touch, but it will turn to a cheese like consistency if you sand it before it fully cures.

Tip: Try not to use too much than you need to fill a scratch or gap, because then you'll need to re-sand any areas that were perfectly smooth before you applied putty on it! Try to get out all the imperfections you can find so that there will be very little to fix after laying down the primer.


I made a small experiment to show you what will happen if you skip the sanding process. I painted a glossy cap black and then yellow:



Step #3: Painting

After days of sanding, applying putty, more sanding, applying more putty, and some more sanding, you will get to the point that you think you're ready to start the painting process. The first coat of paint I always apply is the primer.

Why do you need a primer?

Primer is used mainly to see imperfections on the canopy better. When the canopy is painted ONE color only and you shine light on it you will be able to see even the smallest imperfections on the canopy. The primer that I use sprays a Grey color and it comes in a bigger can than the paint. The primer is more expensive than a regular can of paint. If I am not mistaken, a regular can of paint costs P270, while the primer is P360 per can.



NOTE: Before spraying your canopy, wash it in WARM/HOT water with dishwashing soap to remove oils (mostly from YOUR fingerprints) on the canopy. If you skip this step, some areas of the canopy might repel the paint and you will get Fish-Eyes. Avoid touching the canopy once you've washed it thoroughly.

When I paint, I like to put the canopy on a stick. I used to just place the canopy on a stationary stick and paint around it, but I found that holding the stick with my left hand and spraying with my right hand gives me more control over the spraying process.



Shake the spraycan vigorously for at least 1 minute before painting.

Spraying Technique:

• (1.) Hold the stick (with your left hand) around 2ft away from your face.
• (2.) Hold the spray (with your right hand) around 8 inches away from the canopy.
  
  
  
• (3.) The FIRST LAYER of spray should be THIN. This is to prevent "Fish-eyes" from forming. This is what a thin spray of primer looks like over a white canopy:
  
  
  Tip: Canned paint will spray stronger when its new. Spray a burst over a piece of wood to see how much pressure you want to apply to get the amount of spray you need.
  
  
• (4.) Immediately after spraying, swing the stick up and down (and rotate it a bit as well) to help dry the paint. This will also help to keep the paint from gravitating towards any one area to form drips. I do this for about a minute.
• (5.) Keep on spraying thin layers until the entire canopy is reasonably covered by primer.
• (6.) You can then lay down thicker layers of paint.
• (7.) Once you are done laying down the primer allow 2-3 days drying time, preferably under the sun
  
  Tip: If you make a mistake and drips start to form, or maybe you dropped the freshy painted canopy on the ground and it's all dirty... Just leave it alone!. Allow it to dry for a day or two, then just sand off the mistake and repaint again until everything is perfect. PATIENCE is very important! Sometimes you can use a blowdryer to hasten the drying process, but if that doesn't work just leave it alone and work on it some other day.
  
  
  

Once the primer has dried it should look like the picture below. Inspect it carefully and if you find any imperfections repeat Step#2 until you're happy with the results. Use the 800 grit sandpaper for fine sanding. It's possible not to reapply the primer if you only corrected minor imperfections.


In the picture above, you can see that I have marked with a pencil the approximate location of the boundaries of all the other colors I am going to paint on next. The next color I will paint on is WHITE. you should always remember to paint lighter colors first, darker colors last.

Since I was not able to take a picture of my canopy when I did the masking, I made up a simulated picture with masked areas below. The yellow areas are where I placed Tamiya masking tape. As you can see, have reserved a small square at the center of the canopy. That is where my "Skull and Crossbones" will go. The idea is: When the time comes to paint the canopy black, I will cut some Tamiya masking tape to exactly the shape of the "Skull and crossbones" and I will stick it in that box to leave an image of the white design.



Now that the canopy is all masked up, it's time to do some more painting...

• I spray on WHITE using the painting technique I discussed above
• I remove the mask maybe 10 minutes after painting. Carefully tear the masking tape at a 45° angle to leave a nice clean line like this sample picture:
  
• I let it DRY for no less than 3 days under the sun. 5 minutes after spraying, the canopy will indeed be dry enough to handle, BUT if you hold it too tight you will leave a permanent impression of your fingerprint on the paint. Have PATIENCE and let it dry out in the sun for 3 days or more.
  
  Tip: Every once in a while a small particle of dust will land on your canopy while you're painting. Just ignore it and when the paint dries use a WET 800 grit sandpaper to sand it flush. Wet sanding makes the sandpaper less abrasive. I even use USED sandpaper for this because often times I need only a small amount of abrasiveness and do not want to take off too much paint.
  
  Tip: DO NOT WORRY about the paint getting small scratches from light sanding. These scratches will disappear when we spray on the FINAL GLOSS COAT. The effect is similar to when you wash your canopy in water... you won't see the scratches when it has that wet look!
  
  
• I repeat masking, painting, light sanding, until I have completed all the colors I need to put on my canopy. Remember to lay down the lighter colors first, darker colors last. It will then look like this after the black paint has been sprayed on (simulated image).
  
  
  
  Skull and Crossbones
  Remember that square space that I allocated on the canopy when I sprayed on WHITE? That's where the Skull and Cross Bones will be placed. Just before I sprayed black, I meticulously sliced several pieces of Tamiya tape to mask off the Skull and Cross Bones design.
  
  I cut several long pieces of Tamiya tape and taped them on top of each other (on a cutting board) to form a square patch. For a pattern, I printed the Skull and Cross Bones design on a plain sticker label sheet. We basically need to draw out the outline of the design on the Tamiya "patch" that we made. After printing the sticker, I stuck it on the patch and began cutting the design out with an XActo knife. I can't use the sticker as a mask directly because it has too strong an adhesive backing, so we need the Tamiya tape underneath to actually do the masking on the canopy. When I removed the sticker outline of the Skull and Cross Bones the Tamiya tape underneath also came off the cutting board, and now I have a custom made mask for the Skull and Cross Bones!
  
  
• The FINAL coat of paint is CLEAR GLOSS, BUT this will go on AFTER we have set the decal in place. That comes next...

Step #4: Decal Application

By this time my canopy is all painted and the only thing I need is to print out the design on the decal sheet. This is a good way to pass the time while I'm waiting for last coat of paint to dry.

Trial and error
Before we print out any design on our expensive decal paper, we first need to measure the exact dimensions of the design that we need to put on the canopy. I place the canopy in front of me, take some measurements of the actual space allocated for the design on the canopy, then I go back to my paint program and resize the design.



I then print this design out on a PLAIN PAPER. I cut it out and test fit on the canopy. I do this until the printed design is exactly the right size. When the design is exactly the right size I need it to be, that is the only time I print it out on the special decal paper and prepare it for application.

Printing and Application
Here's a small test run of the entire decal creation process. I have created a small TEST decal sheet below that I will print out and apply on a TEST canopy. I will use the circle in a square test pattern and show you exactly what it would look like when applied. Notice that the pattern that I chose has gradients (fading color effect), and it will be interesting to see exactly how that will turn out.



After printing the above design on a decal sheet, I took my Decal Transfer Solution and sprayed on an even layer of it over the design.


Spray on maybe 5 thin coats. Just enough to protect our design. I then let the sheet dry for a day before application.


After 1 day...

I am now ready to apply the TEST decal on my TESTING canopy. Here are the tools I use in decal application:

• A small container with water (just enough to fully submerge the decals)
• A pair of scissors
• An Xacto knife
• A Rubber spatula (for easily transferring the decal out of the water on to the canopy)
• Tissue paper / Paper towels (don't pick cheap tissue that easily dissolves in water)
• One or two tweezers (usually comes in handy when the very flexible thin decal decides to curl up and you need to unravel it again)

Next I cut out the design I with my scissors. I cut very close to the borders like this:


Tip: Everything that is white will become transparent on the decal. You will see this effect later, so take good note of it.

Submerge the decal in water and let it sit there until it separates from the paper backing:


While waiting for the decal to separate, I prepare the canopy to be held in a comfortable position for decal application. Both your hands will be tied up during decal application, so something like these painting clips come in handy.


This is what it looks like when the decal separates with the backing. If you leave it in the water for far too long it will be a bit more difficult to pick up wit the spatula because the design will keep swimming away, which is exactly what happened here.


Pick up the design + backing with the rubber spatula. The backing helps to slide the design in place more easily.


Wet the canopy a little in the area of application, then just slide that decal in place. Remember that for as long as there is moisture behind the decal it will be easy to move it around.



Look at what happens when I slide the decal to a darker area... almost no color shows through. That is because all colors in an InkJet printer is designed to take advantage of the fact that the paper you are printing on is already white. Without that white background, almost nothing in the design can be seen.


Note: There are some printers that can print white (on any colored paper). I used to hear a lot about the ALPS printers which were being used by some modelers, but availability and practicality may be an issue. Also, I don't know if those will work with the Scopa decal papers.

Move the decal to the exact position that you want, then get out all the air (bubbles) and water from behind the decal to set it in place permanently. Start at the center going outwards. Be aware that once you remove the water it will be very difficult to move or reposition.



After that little experiment let's now go back to putting on the real decals on my canopy...



I let the decal dry for around 2 days before applying the all important final clear gloss coat. I usually use 3 cans of clear gloss to bring the shine out. Use the same technique I described in step#3. Take note of the following when spraying on the clear coat:

• Don't rush it. Use up the first can in spraying thin. Build up the layers to a consistent thickness of coat. This won't produce a glass like shine, BUT it's the first step. It gives next gloss layers the ability to adhere better and to coat on evenly.
• After letting the first set of coat dry of 10 minutes, you can use the 2[sup]nd[/sup] and 3[sup]rd[/sup] can of clear coat to spray it on a bit heavier. Spray can a bit closer (maybe 4 inches distance) until you begin to see a nice coat of paint. It's literally like LIQUID GLASS! But DON'T OVERDO THIS! the paint will drip if you spray on too thick a layer.
  
  Tip: Again, if anything bad happens, like you drop the canopy on the ground or drips start to crawl, JUST LET IT DRY for a day or two. Sand off the mistake (800 grit sandpaper), and try again another day. PATIENCE is your #1 ally!
  
  
• SOMETIMES, when you apply too thick a coat, the colors of the canopy will become FUZZY. This is because the clear coat hasn't dried fully yet when you applied subsequent layers. That fuzziness should disappear when the coat has fully dried.
• Finally, I let the canopy dry out under the heat of the sun for 5 days before using it.

I hope the contents of this article will be useful to you, and please do post some pictures of your completed canopy if you decide to try out these techniques. To end this article, here are some more pictures of my canopy installed on my CopterX heli:

We have an extra hour of daylight and spring is right around the corner, but the wind just wont let up! What a tease having 70 degree weekends when the wind is upwards of 14 mph! :( .....