FT Mini Corsair Paper Replacement Kit

[Rasterize]

I have been thinking about creating a kit with which one can replace the paper on the foam a FT speedbuild kit as well as cardstock pieces with high quality, digitally printed, pre-cut pieces. You would then follow the FT build plan and have a finished, highly detailed nice looking when done.
With the size of the new FT mini Corsair and Mustang, I think this is a possibility. So I downloaded the plans and ordered the twin speedbuild kit of the Corsair and Mustang which I will need to make sure things match up as close as possible.
I have decided to start with the Corsair. The first color scheme I am going to tackle is Maj. Gregory Boyington's "Lulubell." To many hours watching "Black Sheep Squadron/Baa Baa Black Sheep" as a kid sealed that deal! lol
After that will come a P51 scheme (Started thread here)and then many variants of both once the base art is finished. I'm even checking out a printer that uses silver toner for the mustang.
So I have started with the Corsair tail which is nearing completion

I really want as much detail as possible so it's a real looker on the ground. Side Fuselage insignia will be separate paper decals so there will be no worries on how the top and bottom sheeting line up. I don't really know how it will go until the speedbuild kit gets here to see how things really line up. Lots of art to create if I want this to look as good as I think it can. Things will really kick into gear when I have the week of Christmas off.

 

[kacknor]

Replace the paper as in 'Peel off the exterior bits and glue on the new ones?' What is it made of? Or would somebody print their own and use spray glue? Interesting idea!

 

[GRIMESPACE]

Looks incredible! Can't wait to see how this works out!

 

[AkimboGlueGuns]

Damn that looks good. Will you be doing a Felix the cat decal for it?

 

[RCMasterx]

Awesome! How do you plan to apply it specifically?

 

[localfiend]

Awesome man, that's looking really good. I've been doing similar things with some of my builds, but I'm no artist and don't have the level of detail you do. Been waiting for you to start drawing some stuff up.

For those of you asking about how to attach them, here's how I've been applying the decals:

http://forum.flitetest.com/showthread.php?21550-Decal-Plans-Everybody-Join-In

Spray glue works very well for smaller planes. For some of the larger ones with more complex curves and tighter bends I'm experimenting with some other adhesives that will stand up better to being left in a car on a hot afternoon.

 

[Rasterize]

...Been waiting for you to start drawing some stuff up..

Yeah, I know. Work, family, sleep yadda yadda yadda. Enough excuses. I need to get something done!

These minis seem like just the thing.

 

[Rasterize]

Damn that looks good. Will you be doing a Felix the cat decal for it?

Short answer: Sure, why not. Once the base art is done on the Pappy Boyington version (rivets, panel lines etc) I can then easily turn it into many other versions. Here are some I think on for the Corsair:

If there is a specific Corsair you might want, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

 

[Rasterize]

Replace the paper as in 'Peel off the exterior bits and glue on the new ones?' What is it made of? Or would somebody print their own and use spray glue? Interesting idea!

Awesome! How do you plan to apply it specifically?

Either starting with a speedbuild kit or cutting your own and before cutting bevels etc. you would peel the paper off of one side. Then glue (I'm thinking 3M77 spray glue) the new pre-printed paper on. I would put something heavy and flat on it so when it dried, it drys flat. Then do the same to the other side. I guess you could even take a sheet of foam, peel the paper off one side, attach the replacement paper to it and use it to cut your parts. Then peel and stich on thae paper to the other side.

I'm lazy. I want a kit, pre-printed and cut that I could easily apply. I want it printed on a printer that uses toner as an ink. Toner is a polymer so the ink would be literally waterproof. Plus high end digital printers will be able to reproduce the details I plan on putting into the art. Home inkjet machines, by their very nature, would blur the image to much losing much of the detail. Also most are dyed ink which run when any moisture hits it. Sorry, it's the picky printer/graphic designer coming out in me.

 

[bhursey]

I have been thinking about creating a kit with which one can replace the paper on the foam a FT speedbuild kit as well as cardstock pieces with high quality, digitally printed, pre-cut pieces. You would then follow the FT build plan and have a finished, highly detailed nice looking when done.
With the size of the new FT mini Corsair and Mustang, I think this is a possibility. So I downloaded the plans and ordered the twin speedbuild kit of the Corsair and Mustang which I will need to make sure things match up as close as possible.
I have decided to start with the Corsair. The first color scheme I am going to tackle is Maj. Gregory Boyington's "Lulubell." To many hours watching "Black Sheep Squadron/Baa Baa Black Sheep" as a kid sealed that deal! lol
After that will come a P51 scheme and then many variants of both once the base art is finished. I'm even checking out a printer that uses silver toner for the mustang.
So I have started with the Corsair tail which is nearing completion
View attachment 59517
I really want as much detail as possible so it's a real looker on the ground. Side Fuselage insignia will be separate paper decals so there will be no worries on how the top and bottom sheeting line up. I don't really know how it will go until the speedbuild kit gets here to see how things really line up. Lots of art to create if I want this to look as good as I think it can. Things will really kick into gear when I have the week of Christmas off.

Thats so cool I wish I had that talent..

 

[The-One-Who-Never-Crashes]

Wow! Thanks for doing this! Looks lovely.

 

[Rasterize]

Thats so cool I wish I had that talent..

Wow! Thanks for doing this! Looks lovely.

Thanks! I don't claim to be talented. Just 25 years of work and practise in digital printing and graphic design coupled with a obsessive interest in aviation especially if it has a prop.

Don't thank me yet! Soooo much more to do. More designing, less chatting here.

 

[kacknor]

Either starting with a speedbuild kit or cutting your own and before cutting bevels etc. you would peel the paper off of one side. Then glue (I'm thinking 3M77 spray glue) the new pre-printed paper on. I would put something heavy and flat on it so when it dried, it drys flat. Then do the same to the other side. I guess you could even take a sheet of foam, peel the paper off one side, attach the replacement paper to it and use it to cut your parts. Then peel and stich on thae paper to the other side.

I'm lazy. I want a kit, pre-printed and cut that I could easily apply. I want it printed on a printer that uses toner as an ink. Toner is a polymer so the ink would be literally waterproof. Plus high end digital printers will be able to reproduce the details I plan on putting into the art. Home inkjet machines, by their very nature, would blur the image to much losing much of the detail. Also most are dyed ink which run when any moisture hits it. Sorry, it's the picky printer/graphic designer coming out in me.

A lazy individual facing a complicated task is the mother of innovation!

I'm psyched with this idea. I was thrilled to play around with painting before building, but this will be a piece of cake compared to trying to get some details on. In another lifetime I built plastic model dioramas. The 'crazy' that is needed to do that is peeking out at me from wherever it's been sleeping all these years...

Would not Camp Dry or Minwax take the worry out of cheap home inkjets?

JD

 

[AkimboGlueGuns]

I'm liking the checkered out corsair in that image. Race 57 would also be a nice addition. Since you said you'd also be doing the mustang my only requests for that is old crow (the olive drab version like the durafly) and voodoo the reno racer.

 

[Rasterize]

I'm liking the checkered out corsair in that image. Race 57 would also be a nice addition. Since you said you'd also be doing the mustang my only requests for that is old crow (the olive drab version like the durafly) and voodoo the reno racer.

Race 57 looks cool!


and so does Voo Doo,


Both have their graphic challenges to overcome.

Olds Crow is a classic. You mean this one right?

Should not be to hard once I actually get to the mustang.

 

[AkimboGlueGuns]

Yup, that's the right old crow all right!

I just think it would be fun to put the fun fighter motors on the minis and pylon race them.

 

[Rasterize]

That would be cool!
Have to flatten the turtle deck on the corsair for the 57.

 

[Rasterize]

Probably the easiest piece to do. Only took a few hours. *sigh* I wanted some shading built in. The gray background made the rivets a challenge. They need to stick out some but not to much. Thought I'd hit the parts that don't interact with other parts as much. Tail and wings should be the easiest. The fuse will be the challenge. Having the speed build kit here will help immensely. It's on it's way! :applause:

 

[Rasterize]

A lazy individual facing a complicated task is the mother of innovation!

I'm psyched with this idea. I was thrilled to play around with painting before building, but this will be a piece of cake compared to trying to get some details on. In another lifetime I built plastic model dioramas. The 'crazy' that is needed to do that is peeking out at me from wherever it's been sleeping all these years...

Would not Camp Dry or Minwax take the worry out of cheap home inkjets?

JD

I go back on forth between toner and inkjet.

Toner just plain looks better. The finish, the gloss level, water proofness, detail attainable all makes me lean in that direction. Combine that with the new Silhouette (or something similar) cutter my wife is getting for Christmas and I can create really slick looking, pre cut, easy to do kits for FT mini's, I am concerned about one thing and that is most toner based machines use a release agent (fuser fluid) that may interfere with some adhesives. Guess I have some testing to do.

Inkjet I can do as well. I have an Epson that will print 13X44 and it's rigged with a continuous ink system that uses pigmented ink instead of dyed. This offers some level of water resistance. As you mention one could give the plane a hit of Minwax after the build is complete.

With toner I was also just trying to avoid another step and the addition of extra weight.

 

[localfiend]

Either starting with a speedbuild kit or cutting your own and before cutting bevels etc. you would peel the paper off of one side. Then glue (I'm thinking 3M77 spray glue) the new pre-printed paper on. I would put something heavy and flat on it so when it dried, it drys flat. Then do the same to the other side. I guess you could even take a sheet of foam, peel the paper off one side, attach the replacement paper to it and use it to cut your parts. Then peel and stich on thae paper to the other side.

I've found that you have to pull the paper off of both sides before you can attach a decal. If you only remove the paper from one side, it curls immediately and is really hard to glue something to without wrinkles.

Removing it from both sides really isn't an issue though. Once you remove the paper from both sides a lot of the Adams foam board "waves" go away and it stays very flat. That's when I like to glue the replacement paper to it, cut out the part, and then put the decal on the other side.

I've been considering some stuff like this to add additional strength and durability as well as easy waterproofing.

http://www.amazon.com/Label-Outfitters®-850110-Vinyl-20-Weather-Proof/dp/B004QNWABE

I bought speed build kits for the Corsair and Mustang after I saw you were doing this.

What program are you using for your drawings?