My weekend Buppy.

Old is new again and learning has taken place.

I think I have figured out how to use the newer clear lacquer that attacked the other Wild Thing's paint. I had used the new clear as a test on two other planes to see if it was fuel proof. The lacquer didn't attack the paint on the other planes one of which was the Wild Thing I'm re-finishing.I had sprayed that plane with the first clear lacquer I had found and it wasn't fuel proof and the paint softened. When I got done with the trim color on the re-finished plane I sprayed just the trim color with the first clear. As I had already sprayed the entire plane with the first clear I didn't need to do it again. When That dried/cured I sprayed the whole plane with the second brand of clear. The paint has set for several hours now and it looks very good. I know it's fuel proof because of the test panels I did on the other planes. It's all back together and ready to fly. The weather report is for breezy conditions for a few days so test flights may take a while. The weight has increased a couple ounces but the other Wild Thing is less than an ounce difference so things should be good.

Second copy of the "Wild Thing".

The new clear lacquer I found attacked the trim colors making quite a mess. I re sprayed the colors and it looks better but not as good as it was before the clear. I am hoping that the clear will prove to be fuel proof. The clear didn't attack the black on the nose. Final weight is 33.4 ounces and the balance is on the money without any extra weight. I flew it for the first time today and it flys quite well with an O.S. .20 FP engine. I didn't try any of my engine fixes on this one and things went well. I have a "wings level" problem to sort out but that shouldn't be too hard. Our son and his wife bought a transfer printer and a vinyl cutter for graphics. They did the graphics on the new plane.

The muffler was the cure.

I put the mostly stock muffler on the engine and an APC 10 x 4 propeller. I broke the prefeered APC 9 x 4. Then I installed a normal O. S. brand needle valve assembly into my homemade venturi and the engine ran very well. i have a bunch of flights and it's running as good as it ever has. I have the new copy of the plane ready for paint. I may spray the base white later today. I found another brand of clear lacquer spray paint at Home Depot. I've been testing it on other planes to see how it reacts to engine exhaust. So far it's going well and I'm planning on using it as the top coat. I don't think the new plane will be ready for the El Dorado contest.