How to paint the taped up foamie

This section will cover how to prepare the tape for paint and some scale decorating techniques. This is also covered in the FW190 instructions but we pulled this section out of because a lot of you want to know how we make our planes look the way they do in the photos. Taped plane can have striped look and the paint will tend to smooth it out. You should know however, that just plain tape is much easier to deal with when it comes to cleaning and patching damage. The thing I like about the paint though, is that after a few flights it will take on a natural weathered look that actually looks very realistic. Paint can be touched up in seconds and if you have to do a repair, standard paint thinner works well to clean the area.
	Use 220 grit wet/dry automotive sandpaper (dry sand don't use water) to prepare the tape for paint. There are, no doubt, other types of paper out there that will do a similar job. As you sand the tape you will notice the finish will get dull and little marbles of junk will kind of roll off the finish, this is the shine coming off the tape and to get the paint to stick well, most of the surface will need to be dull. Since this is tape over foam, there will be many little dips and imperfections that will stay shiny but don't sweat it just do the best you can. Sanding it will also tend to smooth out the tape wrinkles a little bit.
We have found that Krylon sticks pretty well to sanded tape. I use a variety of greens, grays, and blues with Hunter Green satin my favorite for most British, Japanese and some German cammo colors with gray and Sage Green highlights. Krylon makes a Dull Aluminum color that works well for silver planes and canopies such as this FW 190 canopy. The only problem with the silver is that it is very easy to wipe off with fuel and solvents. We will deal with that problem in a minute. Note: we just tried Monokote paint and Coverite paint and they both work about the same except that they are more resistant to fuel.
	Most FW 190s I've seen were light gray or gray/green with dark green or gray mottling so this one was sprayed over lightly with Sage Green to cover the dark green tape. I should say that this plane could very well be left the green tape color and decorated for combat with the same decals as shown here. however, the plane should have been covered in white for the scheme at the left - would have been a lot easier to paint. Any way, after the light green is applied, quickly spray spots and stripes with Hunter Green and primer gray leaving some of the light green showing through. This may not look the way you want it the first time but the paint is not sprayed on heavy and dries very fast and if I don't like the way a spot looks, I hit with another color or the base color until it looks just right. Don't worry if it's not completely dry, just spray over it with the next color. All the painting you see on this plane only took about a half hour and the rest of the decoration only took an additional hour of labor before these pictures were shot.
I usually start painting the bottom first so the top can be painted without having to flip it over, possibly scratching the top side before it dries hard. I never really care much if the bottom gets scratched - because it will anyway. The bottom of this plane got a coat of light gray with sky blue mottling.
If you have a graphics program on your computer, it is a fairly simple matter to make up country markings and squadron designations. Scale them to a size that looks about right and print them out on standard paper and spray glue them on. Alternatively, print them on full sheet sticky - back label paper from the office supply store. The blue and white stripes are colored electricians tape found at the hardware store. Draw some panel lines on with a permanent marker - a Sharpie works good. The black lines on the canopy are automotive pin stripe tape. This is the same plane after a few skirmishes. Is it beautiful?, nah. Does it perform? Yep - stay outa' the way!!	After all the stripes, lettering and insignias are on, use clear packing tape to cover and protect them from the fuel and abrasion. They will last pretty well, especially if you can seal the edges of the tape well and cover the paper completely. I've had oil seep under a wrinkle and mess up the markings a little but I don't sweat it too much. If it starts looking too bad, just remove them and spray over it or add a new one. Clean the oily surface thoroughly with mineral spirits (paint thinner) before trying to re-tape or re-paint. One last thing, Krylon paint resists the spent oil fairly well. However, it will soften and/or wear off over time. I actually like the look as it resembles a combat plane after a few battles. But, if you find the right clear poly-urethane, like Minwax brand or similar, you can spray a couple coats over the whole thing and it seems to resist the fuel better. None of these spray finishes will hold up indefinitely against nitro fuel, especially the raw fuel but it's cheap and quick and sticks fairly well. If somebody out there has a good idea for a better finish, we are open to suggestions. We haven't tried the sprays that match Mono-kote so that could be a possibility. Krylon is simply easy to find and one can will do a dozen planes. That's about it for the painting. The key is: do it fast! Due to the rough treatment these planes receive, there is really no reason to belabor the decorating process. The problem with WWII birds is that most of the color schemes are hard to see in the air and this one is no exception but combat rules dictate that it should look fairly authentic and the decals and lettering help visibility.