[paulj]

Thought I would do a build thread to show everyone
how I go about rebuilding an old airframe.
This is my old Parkzone P51 which has seen better days and
after some very rough treatment I fibreglassed and repainted.
Again she was showing signs of neglect most due
to dreaded torque roll on my hand launches.
This time I'm going to install a set of mechanical retracts that I've
had lying about for over a year.
Also, I'm going to try a couple of new building tecniques that I've been
reading about on various forums.

Ok first up Off with the old paint and fibreglass.
   

Lots of stuff to come off
       

Mustn't forget the cockpit.
   

As you can see I've got a bit of work to do with the sanding and filling
so stay tuned for the next installment.

[smuzz]

How did you get the paint and glass off?

[kizza42]

Yeah, Would love to know how you strip paint off z-foam without it going furry

[paulj]

Carefully peeled the glass off in sections.
The original paint from Parkzone was sanded off before it's first glassing.
The new paint(first repaint) has mostly come off with the glass but there are
still areas that need to be removed.
The removal process is quite intrusive and I am going to have to fill some of the small holes with
a mixture of light weight spackle and a little water. The bigger holes will need a mixture of
epoxy and microballoons to fill.
Then lots of sanding

Yes the foam goes all furry but thats where all the spackle and sanding comes in.
By the time thats done it should be quite smooth again.
Nobody said it was going to be easy

I guess what I'm trying to do is end up with a surface that looks nothing like foam.
By the time it's glassed and finished it has the weight of foam plus a little more but the look
of fibreglass.

[samste]

Have you Decided on a color Scheme Yet or going to stick to the original theme.

Steve

[paulj]

Not original scheme but haven't decided on what yet.
Want to see how the airframe come up after the work.
If it comes up good then maybe I'll go for this.
   

This will only be if I'm really happy with finish after speckle and sanding,
as it will show up any imperfections easily.
Remember this is an old airframe that has a few repairs on it.
Plenty of other darker schemes to choose from if I need to hide the flaws.