letters going on LA Heat

[frank carlisle]

I bit the bullet and started painting detail and letters on the wing of the twin. I'd have gotten it done sooner but I procrastinated because I was afraid of screwing it up.
Lo and behold.....I got it right!!

One thing I've discovered painting the last couple planes is that timing is very important as to how long you wait to get the masking off. Wait too long and the paint chips and tears because it is too brittle. Take it off too soon and it peels up with the masking as you pull it off because it hasn't had time to stick.  IMHO a 30 minute wait is about right.

Wayne---I didn't get exactly the font you recommended but this one is pretty cool man.

AND THIS IS THE BIGGEST STAR I'VE PAINTED TO DATE.....should make up in size for the lack of many.

Here are pix.
#1 it is masked and ready for paint.
#2 it is painted.
#3 the mask is removed and letters revealed.
#4 the letters

I'll tell you guys something............it's really tuff to get a great finish on a model so that it gets put in the front row or looks as cool as the stunt gods planes, but it can be done and it's well worth the effort.

[Richard Oliver]

Frank, What font is the USAF?
RO

[frank carlisle]

I don't know the font name. Kim at the sign shop punched it up on her computer and once I o.k.ed it she cut the stencils. It never crossed my mind to ask. Sorry.

[Richard Grogan]

Looking great Frank! Glad you decided to keep the USAF theme onto the wing, instead of AMA#. I like the font!
RG

[frank carlisle]

I'm glad I kept the USAF also. I'm thinking about putting my licence number on the rudder. For such a simple paint scheme this thing is a bugger to get done right. Yeah the font is pretty cool. Kim at the sign shop has an eye for this. Apparently she cuts stencils for lots of boat and car guys too. I may be the only model airplane guy thoughj.

[Clay Schmidt]

Hey Frank,

That is a sharp looking plane you have there.  Can't wait to see it when it is done.

That font the sign lady used on the USAF is nice.  Maybe she'd  tell you what it is.

Clay

[frank carlisle]

Thanks Clay. I can't wait to see it when it's done either plus I get to fly it. At 53 inches long it's going to use a lot of circle. I do wonder what that's going to feel like.

I'll e-mail the sign shop lady and ask her what font that is.

[Richard Grogan]

Thanks Clay. I can't wait to see it when it's done either plus I get to fly it. At 53 inches long it's going to use a lot of circle. I do wonder what that's going to feel like.

I'll e-mail the sign shop lady and ask her what font that is.

Just eat an extra bowl of Wheaties that day!!

[frank carlisle]

USN was an option Ty. But I didn't know how to spell Navy (just kidding). I use that 1/2 hour to clean up the airbrush etc. also. Another thing I found was that the only good time to use anything other than the airbrush was for clear coats and base coat. After that you're getting too much paint in the air for such small areas. Also I've divided the plane into four parts for masking and painting--top,bottom,fuselage,wings and stab. For me it's much easier than trying to get the whole thing in one shot and I miss a lot less stuff which means I'm making less mistakes and spending less time doing touch ups.

And the best thing in the world for paint containers is 12 oz. jelly jars (strawberry preserves work best for me).

Wheaties is a given Richard. I'm thinking maybe a bowl of Wheaties and a toasted peanut butter and jelly sandwich before flying sessions, and maybe a stop at McDonald's for one of those Cinnamon Bunns with two pats of butter and a coffee-double double.

[frank carlisle]

I just put the border on the stars and bars insignia. Maybe tomorrow I'll have the stripes and nacelles painted.

[frank carlisle]

Frank, What font is the USAF?
RO

The font is called "Crille". There are two programs Kim uses and they both have this font. The programs are-Sign Lab Color Master and CoreDraw.

[wwwarbird]

Sweet!