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October 4
It starts... Today I can finally say that I've started the refinishing process. I started with the starboard nacelle, removed the cover and stripped it with a combination of masking tape, 220 grit paper and acetone. I don't think the acetone really did much and will probably not use that in the future, unless it's to get into some of the panel lines. I was easily able to remove the fan from the starboard nacelle as well. Maybe too easily. One thing that I'm going to do is make another bulkhead for the nacelles. It will be placed near where the front mounting bolt is located. The reason is, the weight of the fan/motor starts to distort the nacelle where it meets the wing. Basically, the nacelle starts to "sag" at the leading edge of the wing. The nacelle is so light (thin) and the motor so heavy that the fiberglass distorts. Just a light weight bulkhead will help things keep in shape. I'll take a picture when I get one made. "Off we go... into the wild blue yonder..."

October 7
I thought I'd make a list of things that I'm thinking of "changing" or modifying...

Change/Modify	Reason
New main gear retracts. Robart 551RS.	The old gear was 90 degree and just doesn't look right. It needs to have retracts that only swing 85 degrees.
Add cockpit and pilot.	Every plane needs a pilot !
Add addtional bulkhead to engine nacelle.	The weight of the fan/motor causes the nacelle to pull away from the wing near the leading edge. An additional bulkhead will help prevent this.
Add another retract valve.	I'll have to go into details on this later...
New main gear wheels... maybe the Rafale B-O1 Mains from BVM.	My existing main wheels are just too skinny.
Paint.	Because.

October 9
Some good new this weekend. As I've been stripping the paint off the 262 I've been wondering... "how will I know for sure that the problem is my bad surface preparation"? I thought that the best course of action would be to take one nacelle and get that completely finished as a final test. Well, now I don't think I have to worry. While trying to strip off the old paint, I've also done some filling and repair on any bad spots that I missed the first time around (I should be more patience). as I filled and sanded, I found that using a razor blade held perpendicular to the surface and scraped across it takes the paint off much easier than sanding. I use this same technique to remove seems from fiberglass parts (cowls, fuselages, etc.). On the 262, there were some parts that held the paint quite well. In fact, I couldn't get it off, unless I sanded it off. Looking closer, these areas that held the paint very well were the places that I had sanded off mold seems and joint seems. Long story short... the entire problem that I had with the finish was simply lack of preparation (sanding). I think I stated in part one that even as I was first painting the model, I was suspicious that I had not prep'ed the surface properly. I really should have listened to that little voice in my head (no, not that one... the other one <G>). This is really good new because I like to color accuracy of the paint.
In other news... I mention in my list above about adding another bulkhead to the nacelles to help them keep their shape. They "sag" under the weight of the fan/motor. Well I played a little with some rough bulkheads with poor results. An additional bulkhead was not going to be the answer. As I looked at the nacelle from the bottom, looking through the access hatch, the answer became clear. I needed to pin the front of the nacelle just like you "pin" the leading edge of a wing. You know... dowels in the wing and "receptacles" (holes in the bulkhead) in the fuselage. What I have with these nacelles is a miniature fuselage that attaches to the wing. It needs a pin at the leading edge to help hold it in place. I'll grab a shot and let you see what I'm talking about.

In the pictures above, you can see how the nacelle will sag under the weight of the motor (I exaggerated it a little here). In the third shot I've placed a pencil that shows where I'll pin the nacelle.

October 19
Q. - Kevin... what have you been up to lately on the 262?
A. - Wet sanding!
Q. - Kevin... what do you plan to do in the short term?
A. - Wet sand!
No other questions...? It really isn't that bad. Wet sanding is taking off the paint pretty quickly. Both nacelles are about complete and ready for new paint. I think they are harder to work with than the flying surfaces and fuselage, but time will tell. I'd like to be ready for paint by Thanksgiving. In the "other news" department, I ordered a set of Robart 551RS gear today. The 85 degree angle will look much better. I'll also be ordering a pair of BVM Rafale wheels (main) as well. Just to keep me interested in moving forward. I think I mentioned this earlier but while I'm sanding things down I'm also filling in some... imperfections. This will be nice when I'm all done.

November 1
Very little to update on right now. I've ordered the new 85 degree retracts from robart (mentioned above) and just received word that they are shipping now (is that slow???). On the same day I placed the order to robart, I also placed an order to BVM for a set of Rafale wheels. I received the wheels in less than a week. If you remember, I already had a BVM T33 nose wheel on the 262, so I was expecting something nice from them and they didn't disappoint. The main wheels are a bit heavy, but I can deal with a little more weight, based on how nice it flew. I'll have to get a bushing to get them to fit the axle, but they look much better already!

November 8
My order from Robart arrived (85degree main gear). I've also stripped all the gear (LG, servos, wiring harness, ESC, ... everything) from the wing and started wet sanding that. That will go much faster than the nacelles. I'm also tossing all the existing airlines from the gear. In the past I'd probably reuse it, but I've got plenty and it's just not worth the risk of having the gear fail. Anything questionable gets replaced!
I've watched a part of the video that my daughter took of the 262, particularly on the 6th flight. When taxing back in after the flight you can clearly see the nacelles flex. So my thoughts on "pinning" the front of the nacelle to the wing are well founded, I think. I'm hoping that the pace will pick up on this project now. I'm still hoping that it will be ready for paint my Thanksgiving.

November 14
Wet sanding continues. I've got the top of the wing sanded, and I also filled in a couple of dents. I'll have the bottom of the wing done this week, and start on the fuselage as well. Only one possible delay... There is a "step" where the bottom of the wing meets the bottom of the fuselage, at the leading edge. I talked about filling that in when I first found it last year. Well, if I'm going to do it now is the time. If I do, I'll be heading to the paint booth a week late (which is no big deal). I'll let you know...

Top wing paint removal (so far)

November 23
The wing is done and I've pulled all the gear out of the fuselage and started wet sanding that. Taking this time to wet sand has given me more reason to be amazed at the detail on this airplane. The panel lines are not just scribed into the surface, like you would imitate by placing a 1/16" piece of chartpac tape on the surface, building up the primer, then removing the tape (like a butt joint). On the wing you can see that one panel is slightly raised compared to the next panel as you move from the wing root to the tip. It looks very realistic (but is a ***** to get the paint out of).

January 3, 2006
Well, I did get the 262 in the paint shop before the end of 2005, though only by a few hours <G>. I've got the black panel lines highlighted and the white on the tail for the checker pattern. I'll get some pictures up here soon. The good news is the paint seems to be going on much better this time around. The acid test is yet to come but I feel better already!

January 4, 2006
A little good news. When I highlighted the panel lines (with WarbirdColors black) I also sprayed the general area for the check pattern on the tail white. I used Polly... something. Polly Scale??? Polly... want a cracker... some water based acrylic. I used that because I didn't need a lot of paint for that area and it was easy to pick up a bottle. Using the same paint for the blue part of the check pattern, I taped off the tail and shot some blue. Good news is it looks pretty darn good. Better news is I didn't have any paint adhesion problems (and the tape I used was stickier than I'd like). Armed with new found courage from this experience, I'll be taping off (protecting) the checker pattern later this week and shooting the main colors (WarbirdColors), hopefully all in one day. I don't want the tape on the model for more than a few hours. I'm excited about getting this phase done!

January 9, 2006
Pictures.

Panel lines highlighted. Checker pattern added.	Main painting process completed.

January 10
Let's talk about how the painting process went. As you can see, after I stripped the old paint off, I highlighted the panel lines with a quick pass of black paint. Now... I really only got 99% of the old paint off. So I ran the risk of still having some paint lift off when taping (a risk that was realized). After painting the panel lines (warbirdcolors paint) I sprayed the white for the checker pattern (using Polly scale paint). Once that was dry, I taped off the area for the blue checkers and painted that. The tape I used was more "sticky" than I'd prefer, but I had very little, if any, paint lift off. Once the checker pattern was completed (picture above) I let everything dry for a couple of days and then set aside one day to complete the rest of the painting. I wanted to keep the amount of time I had the tail taped off to a minimum. So in the morning I taped off the tail, then painted the blue on the bottom (RLM76). I used only two light coats, so I could still see some of the black highlights. I let that dry for about 90 minutes, then sprayed the RLM 82 (warbirdcolors) on top. Again, two light coats so I could still see the black highlights. I let that dry for 90 minutes, then taped off the vertical fin so I could spray some RLM 70 (warbirdcolors) in the tail, behind the checker pattern. I painted that area, and free handed the stripe below the cockpit and two areas behind the cockpit (one on each side). Then came the acid test... I had to remove the tape. I was careful to pull the tape back over itself and worked slowly. I also used as much low tac frisket film as possible. Well, I had very little paint lift off (some of the warbirdcolors paint, and some of the polly scale paint). I'm quite certain that anyplace where paint lifted was in an area where I just didn't get the surface sanded well enough. So, the bottom line is that Warbirdcolors paint is as good as any for adhesion (assuming you prep the surface properly) AND... when you have one of these "ready for paint" airplanes, you still have to prep the surface.
What's next... well I need to complete the tadpole pattern on the vertical stab/rudder. I'll mask that with frisket film or use card stock for a mask. I also want to clean up the camo pattern a little with my detail airbrush. Then it's time to add markings (still have my markings from Pro-Mark), finish up the gear doors, add some cockpit detail and reinstall the radio.

January 17
I sprayed the tadpole pattern on the tail last night... it looks pretty good.

Tadpole pattern, port side	Tadpole pattern starboard side

I used frisket film for the stencil, and it worked OK. The paint was a little thin, and I got some bleeding under the mask. I tried to clean it up with a small brush and some RLM76 last night and it worked fine. Just need to spend 30-60 minutes with a steady hand is all...
I'm working on getting some instruments in, so I can build an instrument panel (not to mention the rest of the cockpit). I'm also working on attaching the main gear doors. Once I'm through fiddling with things that require lots of movement (flip the fuselage this way... flip the wing over to the other side...) then I'll add the markings and finish the weathering.

January 19
I found the neatest instruments from Hobby Lobby. Check these out. They look great and will add a lot to the cockpit (which I'm starting to play with now. I've done a first pass at correcting any over spray and "leaks" on the tadpole tail. It's looking good and I doubt there will be a need for much more. I've also started working on adding the main gear doors to the wing. I'll grab a picture when It's a little further along.

February 6
Progress is being made. I've been concentrating on the main gear doors lately. I've got a good solid method to attach the lower door to the strut. The only "issue" I have is cosmetic. The gear retracts so far into the wheelwell that the door has to be mounted on a standoff about 1/4" off the strut. Not sure if it will be a problem or not. maybe I can modify the retract so it doesn't go so far into the wheelwell. First I'll get the upper door (hinged to the wing) working to make sure I don't create more problems than I solve. I should know this week and then I'll take a picture. Just so you know I've been working (on hobby stuff), I'm also "electrifying" an old skylane 62 as a trainer for my daughter. I've got the front all cut up to mount the motor now (it's looking good too).

February 7
I have one of the "upper" main gear doors hinged (to the wing), and it appears to be working well. Well... all it does is sit there and swing when I hit it... I still need to attach it to the strut such that it moves with the strut and swings away from the lower door. I have a picture in my head of how to do that... I'll let you know if it works.

March 1
It's been a while since I updated this page. I think I have a solution for the gear doors, though I'm not sure it's the simplest, it will work. I'll try to grab a screenshot and place it here. I've gotten to the point that I'm starting to put the markings in place (Pro-Mark). Looking good. I've re-installed the rudder servo too. So, things are coming back together. I need to re-think my receiver and battery location, to make room for the pilot. I won't get as far on the cockpit as I'd hopped, but I want to finish my daughter's skylane this spring too. I'm also going to install two retract valves, one for the main gear and one for the nose gear. I think it will let me control them better if I have less airlines running to any one valve. We'll see.

March 16
Progress is being made, though not reported much. One thing that I did was reinforce the wing saddle with some carbon fiber tow. The article in international jets (from 2000) mentioned doing that, but I originally didn't think it was necessary. What I found was a crack starting about 2-3 inches back from the leading edge of the fillet. It looks like there was a small "non fill" there where it started. The other side was fine. So to be safe I ran some carbon in the little troth formed by the fillet. It will be plenty strong now. The other modification I've made is to add a second retract valve. Here's why... Have you ever seen a retract cycle on someone's plane where one or two of the gear gets almost all the way retracted, then the remaining gear "breaks lock" and the other gear drop back down until the system has time to "repressurize" the lines? I think this is because all the airlines running from one values act like a poor accumulator (located in the wrong place in the system). If all the gear don't break lock early on, then you run a risk of having this funny looking retract cycle. I think if I use one valve for the main gear and a separate one for the nose gear I can avoid some of this. There are also special "large orifice" valves that are sold to help with this issue, but I'm not sure that is the answer. What I'm hoping for is a nice smooth cycle from all three gear. I'll keep you posted.
Most of the marking are in place and the radio is being reinstalled. I'll be ready for spring!!

April 10
My how time flies. I promiss a new picture soon. I've got everything ready except re-installing the horizontal tail surfaces and fixing the main inner gear doors. I added a little weathering with a new airbrush this past weekend and I'm pretty pleased with the results. At least I amm with shop lighting. I need to put it all together and get it outside to know if it's good enough.

April 24
A picture for you...

Close to completed

May 12
Close to the end now. I'm testing the LG, then one more "once over" inspection. Then it's back in the air. Probably the week of may 22nd. One thing that I want to report on is the use of two air valves for the retracts. What I've done is hooked up two air valves to one servo for the retracts. One valve operates the nose gear, and the other valve operates the main gear. The testing I've done so far shows that it's money well spent. The main gear and nose wheel move up smoothly and can be adjusted independently. I have much heavier wheels on the main gear right now, but I can use less pressure. Why? Because I have more air available to the gear. I went into some detail in the March 16 entry. I don't think buying one of the newer high volume air valves would work as well as using two valves. I don't think the problem lies in more air through a single valve. I think the problem lies in all that tubing (for three gear) between the valve and the cylinders. More later...

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