firemanbill

So I picked up this Great Planes Reactor from a buddy of mine. Got two 6s 4000 Mah packs to go along with it. I'm getting it set up to go fly this weekend. Looks like is going to be a fun plane to punch some holes in the sky with.

Great Planes has always made some nice stuff and this one is no exception. One of the things I really like, looks wise, is the semi transparent covering. You can see the wood grains in the sheeting showing through.

Will give a report on it after next weekend.

Bald Paul

Wow, that is one beauty! I'm amazed at some of the color schemes. If I manage to get a stripe on relatively straight I feel pretty good!

firemanbill

I know right!?

Those Chinese guys and gals can sure cover!

P51 fan

Nice looking plane! Here is a tutorial on how to cover when you are getting paid by the numbers, of course having pre-cut and pre-trimmed covering would be nice also.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtMbYxEqgiw

Porcia83

Great cover scheme, the brighter the better for me. I had the Reactor Bipe and found it to be a total handful, but my buddy has this one and it flies great.

firemanbill

That's good to hear. Well not that the Bipe was a handful but that this one flies great! Thanks!

firemanbill

That was quite impressive. I need the iron and heat gun she was using!

P51 fan

Ironically after years of using Coverite irons meant for this hobby and having them go to pot right when I need them most, I went and bought a mini travel clothes iron which is basically exactly what she is using. I'll never buy another small iron again.

firemanbill

For big jobs I will use my wife's iron. Just have to remember to turn the steam setting off!

P51 fan

lol yep, on mine I use a soft dish towel for a "sock", just set the iron on it pull up the edges and I use a couple of #64 rubber bands to hold it. I also bought a cheap Harbor Frieght industrial heat gun, makes quick work out of shrinking.

firemanbill

That's what I really need. Gotta be careful though as they will burn through in a hurry!

P51 fan

Yes anyone new to covering really needs to practice and learn to get a feel for how different heats affect covering, it also depends a lot on the brand/quality of the covering.

Lately I have been messing around with using cellophane gift wrap for a cheaper alternative to regular covering, it is a bit of a pain because it isn't adhesive backed so I use Super 77 spray adhesive. It works surprisingly well though considering it costs $1 a roll from Dollar Tree lol, shrinks well also.

firemanbill

Cool, cheaper for sure.

There was a project down at SEFF where a bunch of guys were building a HUGE RC plane on site, start to finish the week of the event. It was more of an unmanned ultralight than it was a model plane. They were using Doculam

http://www.amazon.com/Doculam-Lamina.../dp/B001LQY38M

to cover the wings. Plane has a 24' wingspan!

P51 fan

Yes I have used Doculam, in fact I still have some. The only problem I have had is it needs to be re-shrunk quite often. It can be painted after applied which is nice also.

I get a kick out of the gift wrap from Dollar Tree, it is a nice transparent blue...but, I still haven't figured out the purpose of transparent gift wrap lol, kind of defeats the purpose of wrapping a gift.

firemanbill

Ha, good point there