This was the first clone I did when I got back into the hobby.While the balsa grain was filled pretty well, I didn't fill the body tube seams.
The finish is rough and pebbled.
Another kit could be built, but I really wanted to restore this one properly.
Fill the seams, use epoxy for smoother fillets and paint it RED this time!
I hadn't had much luck with Future, or Pledge with Future shine, or whatever they have renamed it this month.
I applied two coats to one decaled fin to see if it really protects the decal.
You could simply sand off decals, but there would be decal dust and pieces everywhere.It's much easier to use some tape. Press down the tape and remove. The decal will lift and be stuck to the sticky side of the tape.
This is the same fin that got two coats of Future.
The coated decals came off as easily as the other decals that didn't get clear coats.
This isn't a great test for clear coats and decal adhesion. I thought the decals coated with Future would be harder to remove. It was just an experiment.
I look forward to seeing how this project turns out, as I have an identical project awaiting me.
ReplyDeleteBear in mind that, like any other painting project, Future is only going to be as strong and adhesive as the layer underneath it. How old is the rocket? How smooth was the paint underneath? Did you originally prep the surface with alcohol or mineral spirits? Did you use Decal Set on the decal? Did you use two coats of Future? These things make a difference.
However, I have found that the real advantage of Future is that it protects the surface of the surface of paint from scratches and chipping on exposed edges, but on flat surfaces like this, yes, it is likely you can lift it with tape.
I'm envious of your situation though. I printed my Red Max's decals on paper and glued them on with Elmer's—and some of them still look really good after 16 years—but I've got to take my Max down to paint too. I'm pretty sure I can safely get the fin decals wet and scrape them off, but I don't know about ones on the body tube. Probably just have to sand...and sand...and sand.
Thanks Lonnie,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your points. I mentioned in the post that it wasn't a great test for the Future clear finish. The finish was okay (for where I was back then) there probably wan't much prep to the surface. Most builder's don't use any prep or setting solution on the decals. So in a way it was an "average builder" test.
So many post on the forums how the Future is the best gloss coat out there. I've yet to figure out how to get a good result with it.
I am expirimenting with another acrylic coat right now, more on that later.
Future is definitely not perfect, especially when it comes to drips and accumulating soot. It is extremely SHINY, which looks great on some custom rockets but not very good for scale models. You have to mix it with other finishes to tone down the shine, and I'm no chemist.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried spray clear polyurethane? It's available in gloss, semi-gloss and flat. It's what I have on my BT-55 based "Mid Max" and so far has worked really well.