How to: Add Square Checkerboards

How to: Add Square Checkerboards

This simple design can have a big impact on your aircraft’s color scheme!

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | How to: Add Square Checkerboards

We start the same way by spraying the glass with window cleaner, then removing the backing from the Ultracote and then pressing it down on the glass. This will keep the covering in place while cutting out the checkerboard.

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | How to: Add Square Checkerboards

Lay down a ruler and start cutting out the strips going one way. Fortunately for me, the width of my ruler was perfect for the size of the checkerboard I wanted to make. After making one cut I would place the opposite edge of the ruler on the cut as a guide to keep the ruler parallel to the previous cut. Then make another cut and move on down across the covering until all of my cuts going in that direction were finished.

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | How to: Add Square Checkerboards

Now, line up your ruler ninety degrees to the other cuts, you can use anything that is square for this, I used a CD case. Then start making all your other cuts going ninety degrees from the previous cut across the covering. (There is no photo showing this step.)

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | How to: Add Square Checkerboards

After you are done making all the cuts in both directions across the covering, start pulling off every other square until all you have left is a checkerboard design on the glass.

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | How to: Add Square Checkerboards

Now, laid down the Press-N-Seal over the checkerboard and press on all the squares so that they stick to the Press -N-Seal. Remove them from the glass and place them in position on the wing. Follow the same procedures outlined in the article about sealing them down onto the wing with a heat iron.

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | How to: Add Square Checkerboards

Here is the finished wing with the square checkerboard on it. As you can see this really does add to the color scheme of the aircraft.

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | How to: Add Square Checkerboards

Here are the two planes side-by-side and you can easily tell your plane from all the rest that are in the air. The checkerboard design is a good color scheme for just about any aircraft (except maybe scale), to make it more visible in the sky. Be sure to try out this easy add-on to your next plane.

 

 

Updated: July 23, 2015 — 8:46 AM

5 Comments

  1. I find the instructions on a lot of these helpful “How To” article’s leave out a lot of “define” information, especially for someone who has no idea or every tried to do them. For example: “We start the same way by spraying the glass with window cleaner” (start the same way as what ? then is the window cleaner wiped off or left on?) I know once you try it you will know right away, I’m just saying these “How to’s” should be for the beginning novice, not just for the experienced.

  2. Where can I find the article about “sealing them down to the wing with a heat iron”?? You referenced the article but I can’t remember seeing it.

  3. Thanks for the quick, easy and simple way to make the checkerboard. Can’t tell you how many days I have looked at a checkerboard I wanted to duplicate and decided to do something ease because of the checkerboard difficulty by my method. I will use this method with other designs and patterns, especially the underside that helps me find up from down. Red Robinson

  4. Thank you John, I found the info very helpful. Maybe the critics will read the article more carefully and leave the window cleaner on the glass “to hold the covering in place”.

  5. what is Press-N-Seal ?

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