Exterior detailing and markings

There are several different ways to add some detail to the outside of your heli to separate it's looks from others of the same design. Panel lines are a great way to improve the looks of any fuse. Look at your subject to see what may be on the real one which is not duplicated on your fuse.

On a lot of inexpensive fuselages, they really don't put that many panel lines on the fuse as a way to save some money. You can do it a couple of ways. During the refinish phase of the construction, after all the imperfections have been filled and its time to reprime for the final sanding, choose where you want the panel lines.

There are a couple of different items I use to do this. At the office supply stores, they carry a product know as Chart Tape. It is used by draftsman to put lines on blueprints. It comes in different widths. I use the 1/16 as this looks pretty good. It looks just like a roll of pinstriping tape except that after you are done, it removes fairly easily without leaving a residue on the surface. Lay down the tape in the areas you want the panel lines, and spray at least two coats of light primer over the tape areas. Then spray the entire fuse with you finish coat of primer. After the primer has "flashed off", in other words, become dull to the look, remove the chart tape. Pull it slowly back against itself so as not to tear anywhere along the edges. Let the primer dry a day and then sand lightly around the panel lines so as not to take them down to the lower level. Now you have panel lines in the area of the fuse which had none before. I have also used 3M blue fine line tape for this job and it works just as well. In a pinch, you can use pinstripping tape, but you must remove it relatively soon after the priming as it may leave a residue on the surface. There are also certain areas on the fuse of a real heli if you look closely, and the panel seems to be raised above the surrounding skin area. In the hardware store you can find a tape which is silver in color, and the backside has an adhesive applied to it. It almost resembles aluminum. I have found this also in the heating and cooling section of hardware stores as insulated duct tape. I will cut this tape into the shape that I want, and smooth it out on the surface of the heli. I install this prior to the finish coat of primer also. A great place to put this tape is the area where the horizontal fin meets the fuse, around the part which comes out. This gives it a look of a panel reinforcement. On a 500E, under the top cap is a raised portion of the fuselage, and it looks great there also.

After all you raised panels are put in place, do the final prime and sand those areas carefully so as not to raise the edge of the tape. I will sometimes cut out a couple of small circles, and install them on the heli, then after the primer has been sanded, put a row of rivets on the panel looking like it was riveted in place. You can do these panels in a variety of spots as access hatches or inspection hatches. Look at the real one to see where the panels are raised.

As far as antenna or pitot tubes on my helis, I used to make them using a blob of body filler on wax paper and just before it set up, I would put a piece of precut wire into the bondo. After it dries, just sand the base to the final shape. Quite frankly, with the antenna sets which Vario have, I no longer make any, as the kit supplies just about any antenna you would need, along with windshield wipers, door handles, and an assortment of the "U" shaped antenna for the top and back of the heli. Just cut it off the sprew, and glue it on.

I have also made searchlights out of film containers. On the front portion of the film container is usually raised from the rest of the body. I will take and rap several layers of masking tape around the body of the light behind the area which is supposed to be raised. I put enough tape on so that I am at the height I want the raised portion to be. I them put body filler on the area in front of the tape, let it dry and sand it so it is flush with the tape. Then pull the tape off, and it will leave a nice clean ridge around the entire diameter. I now make a lot of items with my lathe, since it is easier to put a piece of Teflon in the lathe and turn down the areas to make it resemble the body of the lamp. On the inside area of the lamp where the bulb is, I also use the same tape inside there to simulate the chrome on the real one. Decals are another area which really make or break your heli. In the stationary stores I have found quite a collection of dry transfers to use on my helis. The only problem is that they usually are always in black. If you have a color printer, check out the decal paper which Micro Mark sells. It is to make your own water slide decals. I have used quite a bit of this, and it works well depending on what you are doing. They make the paper for inkjet and laser printers, so if you can get the design into your computer, you can print it out. You have to be careful with some of the light blue colors, because the decal paper is transparent, and depending on the color of your fuse, it will change the color of the decal. Most of your wording decals can be created on Microsoft word, which is on almost every computer. You can make the font any color you like. After printing out your decals, put them on after the final coat of basecoat is done. Lay them in place and with an absorbent cloth, pat them dry. Usually by the time I have installed all the decals, they are dry enough to clear over. I have used automotive clears over these decals with no problem. The edge line virtually despairs with the clear coat. I have tried the clears in a can, and they DO NOT WORK, usually lifting the ink on the decal. Try a sample decal on a scrap piece of fiberglass or plastic if you are not sure about the clear you are using. There are also a couple of companies out there who will make dry transfers for any subject, but you must give them the exact size you want and the color. Then, send the photos of what you want and wait. This is not cheap, but the decals are excellent. Dry transfers must be cleared over also. None of the clears I have tried in the past hurt this type of decal. The last type of decal I use is the vinyl cut decals. I purchased one of the smaller vinyl decal cutters at a recent hobby show, and would not be without it. For lettering or simple designs, the cutter does a real nice job. It is a Stika Vinyl cutter, and they even tell you where to get the vinyl in bulk. I bought several different colors, and it is 160feet long, by 3 1/4 inches wide, and each roll cost $10.00. It is the same fuel proof vinyl that the hobby store sells in the sheet. It comes with a program to download on your computer, so just go to the program, and choose what you are going to do, insert the piece of vinyl and press "ok" on the screen, and the machine cuts it out automatically. You pull off the surrounding vinyl, and with the transfer tape, pull off your decal, and stick it on the heli. I like this method the best as I do not have to mess with the surface of the heli until after it is cleared and dry. These decals are fuel proof, and look really nice. I have cleared over these decals before and they do not look right with the clear on top. They also create a raised edge so that it is easy to run the clear. I have created shadowed images by cutting out the word in black, then cutting it again in another color. Put the black decal on first, then slightly offset the lighter color going to the right to give it the shadowed look. The vinyl cut decals in the stationary store are not fuel proof and will melt with time.