Top Flite TOPA0120 - Manual (Page 46)

Here is a brief bibliography of some of the
many books available that have useful P-40
information.
1. Curtiss P-40 in Action, Squadron/Signal
Publication, Aircraft No. 26.
Good general P-40 information. Has many black
and white photos and color illustrations of various
P-40’s. Very helpful.
2. 49th Fighter Group, Squadron/Signal
Publications, #6171
Lots of black and white photographs and lots of
color illustrations of various P-40’s. It also has
wartime stories about flying P-40’s. Very nice.
3. The Pictorial History of the Flying Tigers,
Moss Publications, by Larry M. Pistole. A historical
look at the Flying Tigers. Many decent (but old)
black and white photos, mostly of “B” and “C”
models. Some “E” model photos and a small
number of color photos are also included. It is a
very interesting book, but is not extremely useful
for documentation purposes.
COLORS
These are the federal standard colors used by the
Flying Tigers on their P-40’s. They are available in
Model Master Paints.
TAN ............... FS30219
GREEN .......... FS34102
GREY ............ FS36622
FINISHING TECHNIQUES
There are many techniques to prepare the
structure for painting. Probably the most durable
finish is the “glassed” surface. “Glassing” the
wooden structure involves coating the wooden
surfaces with a lightweight fiberglass cloth (usually
3/4 oz.) and a coating resin (epoxy or polyester).
There are many articles on glassing aircraft and we
will not go into this technique in detail.
The technique we will describe here is how the
model pictured on the box was finished. In
general, it involves covering the model with clear
MonoKote covering, then priming and painting it.
PAINTED MONOKOTE
FINISHING TECHNIQUE
Advantages and Disadvantages of the painted
MonoKote finish compared to a glassed finish.
Advantages
1. Preparation for the MonoKote covering is
familiar to most modelers.
2. The model will usually be lighter than a glassed
model.
3. You will need to do less sanding compared to a
glassed model. This saves time.
Disadvantages
1. You will need to MonoKote or seal difficult
areas such as fillets.
2. The paint does not adhere quite as well as it
does to fiberglass.
OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS
❑ 1. Prepare and sand the structure.
❑ 2. Cover the structure with clear MonoKote.
❑ 3. Scuff up the MonoKote.
❑ 4. Prime the structure.
❑ 5. Sand the primer.
❑ 6. Paint the colors.
❑ 7. Clear coat (gloss) the aircraft.
❑ 8. Wet sand the clear coat .
❑ 9. Apply the decals and panel lines.
❑ 10. Apply the final clear coat (satin).
Description of Materials Used
Hobbico HobbyLite Filler - for filling dents and
cracks and shaping fillets.
Clear Top Flite MonoKote Covering - for
covering the structure. NOTE:
the clear
MonoKote sticks to the wood extremely well.
Top Flite LusterKote™ Primer - for filling minor
imperfections and preparing the covering for
painting.
Model Master Plastic Enamel colors - These
paints are available in the proper federal standard
colors to match the authentic Flying Tigers aircraft.
These paints are not what you would consider fuel
proof, so you must subsequently coat the aircraft
with a fuel proof clear paint.
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