How to Paint Foam Airplanes
Not all model airplanes are made from plastic or wood. Foam has become a popular material for model airplanes. Because of its soft and porous texture, techniques to paint foam differ slightly from those used to paint wood or plastic. The key in painting foam airplanes is to make sure that you put a finish on the foam to make it smooth and easy to paint.
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Things You'll Need
- Sandpaper
- Lightweight spackle
- Fiberglass cloth
- Water-based polycrylic
- Soft paintbrush
- Old credit card
- Baby powder
- Latex house paint primer
- Acrylic paints
- Spray acrylic floor wax
- Gray or black pen
Instructions
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1
Sand down the model plane with sandpaper, carefully removing all of the mold marks and bumps on the foam.
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2
Fill any holes and dents that remain in the foam after sanding with the lightweight spackle.
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3
Re-sand over the areas that you filled with the lightweight spackle to smooth it.
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4
Cover the airplane with fiberglass cloth. Spread the water-based polycrylic to the cloth with a soft brush. Re-sand the plane.
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5
Mix the water-based polycrylic with baby powder (50:50 ratio) and apply two more coats to the model plane. Let dry and scrape away the excess polycrylic and smooth down the fiber cloth with an old credit card. Re-sand after each coat.
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6
Apply latex house paint as a primer for the model plane with the soft paintbrush. If you use a spray primer, test it on a piece of foam to make sure it doesn't corrode it before applying it to the plane.
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Paint the body of the plane with acrylic paints following the color scheme in the instruction booklet. Let dry.
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Apply acrylic floor wax to give the paint job a glossy shine.
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9
Place any decals on the plane after the floor wax has dried. Smooth these decals down using the old credit card. Use the gray or black pen for details such as panel lines.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit model airplane image by Julija Sapic from Fotolia.com
