Iron-on film coverings are amazingly tough, helping to protect a Radio Controlled Aeroplane. If you really want to use paint, it can just be applied after ironing on the film covering.

Preparation

Before the aircraft is covered, it must be smoothed down perfectly if the finish is to look the best. To make sure it is completely smooth, close your eyes and feel the model. Are there any rough spots or raised seams? Dents and dings must be filled and sanded smooth. For starters, go over the entire model with 150-grit sandpaper, using a tack cloth to wipe off the dust.

Use model filler to fill dents, dings, holes and so on - its available in the fillers section of our website. It is posssible to use regular drywall putty but this can add a little too much weight to the model, or even worse, unbalance it altogether.

Anyway, after filling in the dings, wait for the filler to dry and then sand it down smoothly. If you end up sanding too much or there are little air pockets in the filler which leave little holes, do the same process again and again until it is satisfactory. Once perfectly level and smooth with the rest of the aircraft, it can be painted over and blended in so it becomes unnoticeable.

Be sure to sand in a well ventilated area

Before applying any filling to dents and depressions, wet the wood slightly. Then, when the filler is dry, sand with 150-grit sandpaper and again use the tack cloth. Now, sand with 220-grit sandpaper and after that use 320-grit paper. This will assure a smooth finish and a great looking cover.

Primer prep coat

Now that your model is prepared for the specialist plastic covering, you could either start covering it now or apply one coat of a balsa prep primer, Prymol is ideal, sealing the balsa wood and reducing the likelihood of wrinkles forming after the model has been covered.

If you do decide to apply a prep coat, allow it to soak into the wood, let it dry completely, then lightly sand it with 320-grit sand paper. This primer can be found along with the films in this section of the website.

Covering your model aircraft

• film or cloth based RC airplane covering material
• hobby knife and a lot of blades
• covering iron
• covering thermometer to check the irons temperature
• Metre rule or metal straightedge

If you want to be sure that your RC aircraft covering will be wrinkle free, keep it under tension while  ironing on.

Whether you use a film or cloth RC aircraft covering, the method of applying is the same. Usually, a film looks like painted metal, and cloth (fabric) has a more antique look. No matter what you use, or what you read here, be sure to READ THE DIRECTIONS that come with it!

The covering material has a clear backing sheet that protects the heat-activated adhesive and prevents the material from sticking to itself. Don't remove this protective backing until you are ready to apply the covering.

Now that you understand how it works, you can start covering your plane, working on large surfaces first, then the smaller sections. This makes the best of the material and minimizes waste. The largest surface is usually the wing, so we will begin there.

Covering the wing

When covering the wings, use 4 separate pieces for each wing, two for the bottom and two for the top. This method helps cope with the wing's dihedral, and prevents wrinkling. The wing's centre seam can easily be covered with trim or just left as it is. So roll out enough film to cover all four wing sections, and be sure to have 25mm extra all the way around. 

Now you can apply the RC aircraft covering, preheating the iron to the correct temperature suggested by the covering manufacturer, then start applying the covering. Holding and pull on the film border when you apply the film or cloth, don't forget that. Next, after the iron is preheated and all the RC aircraft covering is placed on, you can start ironing it on. Run the iron around the wings perimeter to fully seal down the film or cloths edges. Be sure to trim the edges and iron them down firmly.

After that, take your iron and start lightly ironing in the center of the wing and tighten the RC aircraft covering while you do this to prevent wrinkles. When you are finished ironing the whole wing, repeat this whole procedure to the other wing.

The top of a wing is much more curved then the bottom, so be sure to pull extra tight when covering the top.

Covering the fuselage

The fuselage is pretty easy to cover also. Break it down into 4 different sections like the wing, but instead one big piece will go on the bottom, one on the left side, one on the right side, and the last piece will go on top. Also, if there will be seams in the film at the sides, start applying the film at the tail and work toward the nose, this ensures the seam overlaps face backward, making it less likely that exhaust residue will get under them.

After applying the covering, lightly iron all of it down and be sure to get out all wrinkles and air bubbles - then trim the edges of the film or cloth so that it covers 5mm of adjacent surfaces. This will ensure strong overlapping with other sections covered, and will minimize the chances of the edges lifting later on. Finally, the tail parts can be covered using the same procedure. Once done with that, go over whole aircraft again to make sure all surfaces are covered and properly sealed. Now we can move onto finishing.

Finishing your model

I strongly recommend you finish your model aircraft with some nice trim. This will not only make your plane look good, it will also enhance the visibility and help you stay oriented when you fly it high above. The trim can be decals, self-adhesive trim material or custom cut pieces of the same type of iron-on covering used  to cover the model.

Before applying the trim, make sure that all surfaces are completely clean and dust free. Next, start lightly marking with a pencil where the trim will be applied. If you decide to use that same iron-on covering, mark where it will be applied, and then cut away the covering you applied there before with a craft knife. This will minimize trapping of air bubbles. Also, be sure to leave about 25mm overlap all around for the trim piece to bond too. Then cut the trim to shape and apply it. For a neat appearance, make sure you cut perfectly straight edges.

If your kit doesn't have clear plastic windows and windshields, use black, silver or blue covering to simulate them. Another way to get creative is to purchase Trimline tape. If you aren't familiar with pin striping tape, you can purchase it in many different colors and apply it in any arrangement you want. It has unlimited potential on how your model can look.

Choosing a colour scheme

Use very bright colours, placed in an organized fashion on the wings and fuselage. This will assist you in seeing and tracking the model when flying it.

A very good tip is to apply light colours to the top, and dark colours to the bottom. This will help you to determine whether your model is upside down or not.