Here is the paint scheme that I am planning on doing for the Cutlass XL. With the pilot already done I don't have much of a choice.

Derek

Derek,

I like the layout and the colors. Did you search on line for that aircraft?

Do you have your own cutter.

Charles

Derek,

I like the layout and the colors. Did you search on line for that aircraft?

Do you have your own cutter.

Charles

The owner of that aircraft lives near me and a guy I know took those pictures.

Yes, I have a Vinyl Express Q130.

Derek

Derek,
With that paint scheme you are a glutton for punishment!

It is amazing what we can now do by cutting vinyl masks.  Since I have been doing masks with my cutter, I guess my new ELECTRIC Pampa ship will have to have a more complicated paint scheme too. But I have to convince myself that the scheme will fit the design, and not just look like a bill board.

This one will be easy compared to the last one. No ink, no shading, no thousands of bits of code. It  will be fun.

Derek

Here is the paint scheme that I am planning on doing for the Cutlass XL. With the pilot already done I don't have much of a choice.

Derek

I would seriously think about adding some white in between the green and blue, That paint scheme looks good ,unless you are talking about flying it in Fl Ga etc where the background is pine trees and blue sky. terrible contrast, It would not take much to add a splash of white to the inbetween area of the green and blue, something like a Coca Cola wave...except white , wouldn't take much, and it would make the 2 colors  pop more , with more contrast

Randy

Hey Randy! Are those actual panel lines and rivets on a real airplane I see? I can't believe it. 

Can I get a green prop?

Derek

Nope, those aren't rivets, they are the dzus fasteners to hold the cowling down.  Speaking of those, its a shame they don't make them small enough to use on C/L models.

The green prop would be cool.  Doesn't Eather make one?

Either colored his props to identify them. They do look very cool though. I use to have some fiberglass props that could be dyed with Rit Dye.

Derek

Hey Randy! Are those actual panel lines and rivets on a real airplane I see? I can't believe it. 

Can I get a green prop?

Derek

YEP !  those certainly are  panels, and can be simulated with lines, the dzus fasteners can also be drawn one to make the plane much more realistic.
And yep you can paint the props green.....slime green huh?  didn't Windy have some green props like that color for his  "Toxic Avenger"   


Randy

The entire airplane ready for primer. 28.7 oz.

I smell dope !!!!     

I sprayed primer on the elevators and tail of the plane this weekend. Sanded it off yesterday and it didn't add enough weight to even register on the digital scale. The wings are sealed now so the primer can go on the rest of the wood parts.

Derek

I have been working on the plane some. I got all the primer sprayed and sanded. I have started spraying Brodak platinum grey as a base. I spray a coat then wet sand it. I then spray another coat to make everything even. After that I will move on to the real base color which is white.

Derek

Looks nice Derek

Beautiful work Derek!!! I've been following this since day 1 and cannot wait to see the finished product!!

Wow, Little Buddy!  Things are looking real slick!  Under 60 oz. should be no problem at all as long as you don't get to heavy with the clear!   Your finishing skills are really coming on strong.

BIG Bear
RNMM/AMM

More pics?? 

Marcus

I wet sanded the cowl with 400 grit sandpaper. I think one more coat of grey will make it ready for the white base coat.

Derek

Are you applying this with Airbrush or full size gun?

I think you said somewhere but I cant seem to place it, is this primer or gray dope?

I am noting you are not covering the open bays.  They dont need to be uniform in base surface before the first color?

I see you said you are going with a white basecoat.  Is that needed under the green to keep it uniform?

It looks AWESOME! I cut some ribs the other day.  I should be caught up to you in a couple of days...  hahahahahaaha  

Can't wait to see that Green!


Oh and by the way, I looked up your vinyl cutter online and I am super jealous you have access to such an awesome peice of equipment.  Can you draw the outline of your model into the cutter and work your shapes and letters within it?

I did all the primer with an airbrush but I am using a mid sized gun for the color. The light grey is real paint, the dark grey is auto primer.

I have covered the open bays with primer before but it is hard to sand off without going through on the edge of a cap strip when sanding. I will spray them with the light grey, wet sand them, then spray them again. After that they should be at the same level of finish as the rest of the plane. No wood grain to fill on open bays...

I will have the entire plane in white for two reasons. One reason is to have an even base color to apply all the other colors over and the other reason is that there are areas where the white shows through, like the stars and the stripe down the side of the fuse.

I cant wait to spray some of that green either, it is going to look awesome. It will be one of the last colors though. Planning the sequence out in my head I think I will start with the blue, stencils for the stars will be layed down prior to painting. I plan on taking step by step pictures of the process.

I have my planes drawn in CAD so I can make all my paint schemes to scale. This is very helpful when plotting out a paint job. I could in theory make a stencil for the whole wing if I wanted to. Just ask Eric.


Derek

Derek, where are you getting the bright green?
I have been looking for some bright colors...

Brodak has a Lime Green that looks like Kawasaki green. That is what I am using on this one.

Derek

I sprayed base white over the weekend......

I dont know how you get from 28 oz ready for primer to low 60's finished.

I make it mid 50's .

Hi

If Derek keeps on track it will be 57.5 ounces finished.

Randy

Here is the CAD drawing as of this morning. I just have to figure out where to put my AMA numbers.

Derek

You could put the AMA number on the flap align it with the TE, and the name of the plane on the other flap aligned with the TE.

Or you could run it down the fuse just above the white line.

It's gonna be cool for sure.

Are you able to cut a stencil for the scallops on the fuse? 

Having recently done those free handed it was a real PIA going up over the top and getting both sides to match, but it's worth it.   

Flaps and elevators.

Thanks Bill!

Derek

Hey Derek:  the Nason FulFil you use is similar to an automotive lacquer primer/surfacer right ?   Was wondering if it is available in a white color.  If so, would it make sense to use the white instead of grey.  I'm thinking maybe you could get to a white color base lighter/faster than using the grey primer and base color.   

It is an automotive primer but I am not sure if it comes in white. I do the grey or sometimes silver base coats because they show off the mistakes better than white. If you really want to hurt you own feelings spray silver on a plane. I do this grey or silver a few times, painting then wet sanding then painting. To me it is the best way to get that front row shine, and it makes buffing a hell of a lot easier in the end.

By the way, what you are seeing in the most recent pictures is Brodak platinum grey.

Derek

Reason I asked is because the automotive primer/surfacer I use is available in grey, red, or white;  and I usually start with a full white base color for most of my paint schemes.   I been reading for years that a grey/silver coat will show defects that other colors won't.  But I still have to wonder, if you have a surface with a white base color and you cant see any defects, especially with the candling technique, can there still be defects there that will show later when other trim colors are sprayed on top.