Wondering how you set up to spray 1/72 aircraft. If I can tape a stick into a nose or tail I do that. But if not I’m at a loss. Been using all my awake time during the night to figure something out. For a Hellcat I stuck the butts of four long straight pins into foam and rested wings and stabilizers on the pin points. Worked great. But no go today on an F9F Panther due to the wing differentials. What do y’all do
Not sure what you mean by “wing differentials.” A stick up the tail pipe should still work. Or a coat hanger bent into a ‘V’ shape and the legs of the V inserted in the intakes.
I use an aircraft paint stand made with laser cut MDF.
https://www.ebmahobby.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=67&product_id=77
Along with an extra set of supports for various types.
https://www.ebmahobby.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=92
If the exhaust is open I’d probably shove a stick in there. Then you can pick the thing up and get at it from more ways than sitting still on a bench or what ever. Nice little plane though, kind of forgot about those !! Be nice in Blue Angel paint and they flew them in the early 50’s. I see potential for a diorama.
I have an 8" square platform on a turntable, I put a small block of wood in the middle of it & place the model on that. If it needs more support I’ll use 2 or 3 upturned mixing cups (like small plastic shot glasses) instead. Rotating the turntable usually gives all the access needed. Then cover the paint booth to limit access by nasty little bits of dust, and leave to dry, then repeat the process for - usually - the upper surfaces.
Thanks all.
You can make a custom-diameter “stick” by tightly rolling a piece of cardboard. You just customize the diameter by cutting cardboard off the side of the stick, a little bit at a time, until you get a tight fit in the tailpipe (but not so tight that you split the fuselage along the seams).
Yep, I paint prop planes with a stick through prop hole, jets through the tailpipe. Airliners are a challenge- tailpipes too small and don’t balance well. These I paint half at a session- first session fuselage, tail, and one wing, clamp on unpainted wing. Second session, unpainted wing.