How and what would I use to finish the Fokker Triplane and still keep the weight down to a minimum?

What did you use on the display model shown on the website?

From : Don Stackhouse

The Triplane was done entirely with permanent felt markers. These are lighter than paint, but the wiped-on paint is more uniform. It's easiest to color the wings and fuselage BEFORE you glue them together.

The one big problem with markers is that they don't stick very well to wood that has been saturated with glue, so the color along all the glue joints tends to be lighter than over the bare wood areas. I've successfully fixed that by touching up the light areas with model paint and a brush. My favorite for that is the acrylic water-based paints that Tamiya sells for Lexan R/C car bodies, but others will also work.

The alternative to markers is to fog on a very light coat of spray paint, just enough to tint the wood. This is heavier than permanent markers, but covers more uniformly over the glue joints.

In the "Downloads" section of our website you can find a .BMP file with the insignias for the Triplane. Just download the file, bring it up in Microsoft "Paint" and print it out on bond paper. Fog the back of the paper with a light coat of spray adhesive such as 3-M 77, let it dry till it's just slightly tacky, then cover the glue with a sheet of waxed paper. Cut out the insignias, peel off the waxed paper and then rub them onto the model. Once they are in position, go over them with a covering iron on low to medium heat. This will help the paper form to the shape of the model, and it will also re-liquify the adhesive briefly, allowing it to flow into the model's surface and develop a really good grip.

I used to use 8.5" x 11" label stock, but this method is cheaper and works better. I've never had one of these peel off.

Don Stackhouse
DJ Aerotech