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Molt Models Hellcat by SteveM. Viewed 1079 times. Build Thread Next Prev Click image to return. Image Comments SteveM 06-Mar-08 05:00 Center section of the wing almost done. jgood 06-Mar-08 06:39 What are you thinking of covering with, Steve? SteveM 06-Mar-08 12:12 I'd like to try heavy silkspan, but haven't had the time to do the proper research. My concern is that silkspan may be easier to puncture and/or may not add the proper strength to the structure (as compared to Solite). I don't want to use Solite for 3 reasons. Limited color selection, it's plastic, and I don't have the proper tools for it (though I did read about some guy that used a clothes iron to apply it to his MM P-38 ;-). poppy 06-Mar-08 12:51 Steve, I use a small travel iron that has a teflon base. I think my wife got it at Target. Has adjustable heat settings and breaks down for easy storage. Works great on Monocote. SteveM 06-Mar-08 12:55 Thanks for the tip poppy, I'll have to look into it if I decide to use the Solite. jgood 06-Mar-08 14:15 Solite is strong and light, but the shinyness and the lack of colours is a problem. Doculam is meant to be very good, and you can paint on it. How does silkspan compare to solite in weight? SteveM 06-Mar-08 14:36 SIG heavy silkspan is 21 gsm (29 gsm when doped), doculam is around 22-28 gsm depending on thickness, and Solite is 21 gsm. Ref 1 Ref 2 mikemolt 07-Mar-08 11:15 Hiya Steve, I'm having fun watching your progress! Looks like you're enjoying yourself, which puts a smile on my face. I used to be a huge Solite fan, but I honestly get tired of how easy it loosens due to temperature changes and general handling. I've pretty much converted to using Solarfilm or as sold on Steven's Aeromodels "aerofilm". It is a bit heavier than Solite, but is more temperature stable. It is shiny, but I think the sheen could be removed by rubbing the covered model down with 00 synthetic steel wool (aka scotchbrite pad). The only risk is that the Solarfilm shrinks with more strength, so it has the potential to damage or warp light structures if you're not careful while using your covering iron. I've never had much luck painting covering film, but can't say I've tried doculam either. In my opinion, I would not use silkspan. Keep up the great work. -Mike Molt SteveM 07-Mar-08 14:29 Thanks for providing your advice, I wasn't sure if you were still lurking around here or not. If I had any gripes about the kit I would have said so already, but it's been great and I just may have to do the P-38 next. I spent most of yesterday sneezing and blowing my nose so no progress building, but I did get to read over several of the Guillow's conversion threads. I looked mostly at the 1000 series as they are of similar size to the MM Hellcat. Only one guy used silkspan and said he wouldn't use it again on account of he kept putting his fingers through it while painting. Smokin' Beaver sheets all his and a few other use a variant of plastic. One very nice Stuka was done with a clear plastic (ie. doculam) and sported a very detailed paint job. Since I don't like to be limited in my color selection I may have to look into painting aerofilm or doculam. Please sign in to comment on this image.