Solved Newbie with Tape

Figure9

Elite member
I bought a Champ RTF & managed to fly & land it. Now I’ve stepped up to a Bloody Baron. Flew & crashed it numerous times. It had silver paint & stickers to begin with, now it’s dead. I’m building another Bloody Mess with my own DTFB design for wings & tail feathers. I don’t want to paint again. I’m thinking cellophane tape for color. With the wings & tail feathers built I’ll just add red & yellow trim over MinWax seal so I get a bit of help with orientation in flight. The fuselage is going to be FT Foam Board from a Bloody Baron. For my Bloody Mess, can strip the brown paper off the exterior so the wings & tail match with the translucent tape? Will the foam warp if I strip the brown paper, coat the foam with MinWax & then apply the cellophane tape while FT Foam Board is still flat, prior to glueing it up? Help me please.... :geek::unsure::confused:
 

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FDS

Elite member
If you take the paper off the top surface and bottom surface of the board you will lose a lot of strength and the hinge points for the control surfaces.
Leave the paper on, tape over the top or use sign writers vinyl. You can also use one if @Rasterize ’s ‘“skins” to colour the design. There’s how to‘s on that around.
 

Figure9

Elite member
If you take the paper off the top surface and bottom surface of the board you will lose a lot of strength and the hinge points for the control surfaces.
Leave the paper on, tape over the top or use sign writers vinyl. You can also use one if @Rasterize ’s ‘“skins” to colour the design. There’s how to‘s on that around.

FDS ~ Big thanks for the Sign Vinyl tip. I think it’ll provide a constant color over both the white DTFB & the FT brown foam paper. I bet it’ll stiffen the structure for the impending head-on collision with Earth as well. Figure9
 

sprzout

Knower of useless information
Mentor
I dunno about stiffening the structure, but it might keep parts together a bit upon impact.

And this reminds me - I need my wife to pull out her Cricut vinyl cutter and make the bulls eyes to put on my Versa Wing for this weekend's combat event!
 

Figure9

Elite member
I dunno about stiffening the structure, but it might keep parts together a bit upon impact.

And this reminds me - I need my wife to pull out her Cricut vinyl cutter and make the bulls eyes to put on my Versa Wing for this weekend's combat event!

Sprzout, Suppose you’re right about stiffening, I fabbed some landing gear for the Bloody Baron out of a piano wire & wheels from the FT 2026 landing gear kit. Maybe I ought to try using them instead of the prop to land on. Figure9
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
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Figure9

Elite member
I only use colored packaging tape, no paint, no minwax, just tape. I cover the entire plane with tape and leave the paper on. It’s quick, water resistant, easy to repair and light weight. The tape adds considerable strength. I’ve seen video of planes made with depron and covered with tape.

Here is where I get my tape, both places carry a variety of colors

https://www.tapeplanet.com/Colored-Carton-Tape-s/149.htm
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/wing-tape-45mic-x-45mm-x-100m-wide-orange.html


Thanks Merv, I have some tape on order from Tape Planet. I’ll see if the white DTFB wings & tail & the FT brown foam board that the fuselage is will match up. Not that it really matters all that much considering predicted lifespan of this version. Each flight‘s a little bit longer now that I got the hang of ‘bank & yank’. Having lots of fun repairing & rebuilding after murdering earthworms shortly after take-off. All the knife work has me thinking ’scratch build’. Figure9
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
....I’ll see if the white DTFB wings & tail & the FT brown foam board that the fuselage is will match up....
It will depend on the color. The light colors, red yellow, orange, etc will not matchup on the brown & white FB. A dark color will be fine. I generally make my tail feathers a different color than the fuse.
 
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Figure9

Elite member
I wanna thank you guys for enlightening me on the best tape-on color options. The simple solution for matching those translucent tape colors for my Bloody Mess is not to use the Bloody Baron kit for the fuselage, instead, I‘ll fabricate my exterior fuselage with DTFB using the Bloody Baron plan & save the Bloody Baron kit for later use with the exception of the power pod that I already completed. I’ll post a pic of the end result. Figure 9
E8B99CB2-6E5B-44D5-9197-951D0E9C07C2.jpeg
here before I move on to ‘Anybody ’scratch building tonight?’ Figure9
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
I wanna thank you guys for enlightening me on the best tape-on color options. The simple solution for matching those translucent tape colors for my Bloody Mess is not to use the Bloody Baron kit for the fuselage, instead, I‘ll fabricate my exterior fuselage with DTFB using the Bloody Baron plan & save the Bloody Baron kit for later use with the exception of the power pod that I already completed. I’ll post a pic of the end result. Figure 9 View attachment 156243 here before I move on to ‘Anybody ’scratch building tonight?’ Figure9
I like the wing profile you have done, how you tapered the wing from root to tip should give you an insane roll rate compared to the Baron. The less surface area at the tips will give less resistance in the roll, and because there is more added to the root you now have compensated for what you took off on the tips so you will maintain the same lift. Looks like you used a similar Vstab to the Sidewinder too, crazy rudder authority.

You have actually given me some ideas for my next one. Looks good and I am waiting impatiently for the maiden vid :LOL:
 

Figure9

Elite member
I bought a Champ RTF & managed to fly & land it. Now I’ve stepped up to a Bloody Baron. Flew & crashed it numerous times. It had silver paint & stickers to begin with, now it’s dead. I’m building another Bloody Mess with my own DTFB design for wings & tail feathers. I don’t want to paint again. I’m thinking cellophane tape for color. With the wings & tail feathers built I’ll just add red & yellow trim over MinWax seal so I get a bit of help with orientation in flight. The fuselage is going to be FT Foam Board from a Bloody Baron. For my Bloody Mess, can strip the brown paper off the exterior so the wings & tail match with the translucent tape? Will the foam warp if I strip the brown paper, coat the foam with MinWax & then apply the cellophane tape while FT Foam Board is still flat, prior to glueing it up? Help me please.... :geek::unsure::confused:

And here it is! First effort at a semi-scratch build by a total newbie.
I wanna thank you guys for enlightening me on the best tape-on color options. The simple solution for matching those translucent tape colors for my Bloody Mess is not to use the Bloody Baron kit for the fuselage, instead, I‘ll fabricate my exterior fuselage with DTFB using the Bloody Baron plan & save the Bloody Baron kit for later use with the exception of the power pod that I already completed. I’ll post a pic of the end result. Figure 9 View attachment 156243 here before I move on to ‘Anybody ’scratch building tonight?’ Figure9

Here it is, 1st effort at semi-scratch build. Thanks for all the tips.
038F7064-4E27-4A25-A4F9-0C78A5835627.jpeg
D5CDDC4B-B313-4180-BEDF-92E77CA9943C.jpeg
 

Figure9

Elite member
And here it is! First effort at a semi-scratch build by a total newbie.


Here it is, 1st effort at semi-scratch build. Thanks for all the tips. View attachment 156495 View attachment 156497
The Bloody Mess - Power Pack ‘B’, Flaperons, 9X4.5 prop, landing gear from a FT wire kit with a non-steerable tail wheel, 2200 AHr battery using left over components from my demolished Bloody Baron. To keep this one intact a bit longer I called a local AMA guy that will buddy box for me.