A message to you Rudy

A brief post to thank "my man in Belgium", Rudy. He has posted the plans I'm loosely following and without his head start, the job would be taking much longer. He continues to innovate and update us on progress via his excellent web site. So if you have an urge to try something similar, you really should check this out. Rudy continues to be an inspiration and makes me strive for the next level of realism. Vous continuez à être une inspiration - merci beaucoup.

Closing my last post, I mentioned that I hoped to get the paint on the stand and forward panel, drop the screens in the MIP and fly.... Well it didn't quite progress that far but I did finish painting the dining room. We then took off of the new year long weekend and so the final coat of Boeing grey awaits my return.

One tip on painting fiberboard - you need a good primer. The one I used is a shellac based product, B-I-N by Zinsser.

The problem with fiberboard is that it soaks up the paint quickly, so what you want is a fast drying primer. This does it. I used a small foam roller and brush for the edges. After the second coat I was a bit alarmed to feel how rough the surface was. A quick, light wipe down with 220 grit abrasive and the results are silky smooth, even the bare edges of the panels.

Exciting stuff, I know. Tis the stuff of anoraks though...

Also been working on a dimmer circuit for the LEDs that will go in the panels. More on this in a future post.