I just received a Logo 10 carbon. I wanted to paint the canopy. I don't know for sure what the canopy is madeof. I wondered if any one could recomend paint and a clear coat for the canopy?

Walt

It's plastic, but try asking Bill from Arizona Heli. His RR ID is Bill Ludwig. He had a very nice painted stock canopy for sale with a couple of Logo 10's he was selling. It was painted so nice I thought it was a fiberglass canopy. He would know what their made out of and how to paint them.

Here is a picture of his Logo 10 canopy.

Take Care,
Cheers, Patrick

Check the hotties in my Gallery
http://rc.runryder.com/helicopter/gallery/9019/?all=photo

I was told by a friend who's a professional sign designer and painter, as well as a helicopter pilot, that what you need to do to paint the Logo 10 canopy is, first, sand the canopy with ultra fine steel wool, then rub with de-natured alcohol to prepare for painting.

He used Kryton spray paint for plastic to spray paint the Logo canopy. Kryton is easily available in stores like Home Depot, or Wall Mart. He said there was no need to paint a primer first. Paint does add weight to the helicopter.

The selection of color is important. You want something that you can easily see when the heli is at tree level (green probably won't do here), and when the heli is up in the air with bright sky behind. This is probably why yellow and orange are very popular.

You may want to paint contrasting colors for the top and the bottom, again, for the purpose of easier orientation when the heli is up and away.

I hate painting -- too messy and I am no good at it -- so I just leave my canopy un-painted.

SBK

Thank you very much. The info. I think that I will try the krylon paint initailly, then perhaps invest in a pro canopy.

Walt

You heard right, SBK. Just scuff it a little, wash in soap and water or wipe down with alcohol, shoot on any hardware store rattle can paint, then, if you want that nice high gloss, use a lite coat of automotive clear coat. Since it's an electric, it's not important to clear coat it, but it just looks so much better that way. Done properly, this whole process adds VERY little weight.

- Bill

Krylon has a special brand just for plastic and seems to hold up a little better than their standard brand.

The Krylon stuff for plastics (called Fusion) has a little bit of the same chemical that is used in plastic model glue - (You know the testors orange tube stuff that basically melts the plastic together) So it actually adheres much better to plastics as it melts into the plastic a little bit.

I've used it on a Shogun (same material as logo, almost) and have had excellent results concerning durability. My only wish is that they had fluorescent colors or at least a better color selection!

This hobby is like Kryptonite to chicks!

Hi Walt, I was told by the heli guy at my LHS just to use 600 grit sandpaper, wet sand it enough to get the shine off, then just spray it--no primer-- with Tamiya (paint for plastics). I have done this to two different Canopy's for my Corona heli and it has done fine--no cracks, it shines, etc.---did use the same brand of clear coat just for shine and to coat the added pinstriping. But, the Logo Canopy is thinner to the point that it's flimsy, whereas, the Corona Canopy is thicker--don't know if that would make a difference. Personally, I just ordered the vinyl "Torn" two-tone designed decale's from Callie Graphics--about $18.00-- and asked for extra sheets to cut more designs--looks great and I didn't have to mess with painting. Good Luck, Steve.

Logo10 w/ EP10 FG canopy

<= click for bigger

FG canopy fits perfectly with only very minor mod needed.
Better picture and info here:
http://www.logoheli.com/LOGObb/viewtopic.php?t=2061

It adds 75gms overall but holds up better to repeated off and on to get at the battery packs.

I got some 99 cents acrylic spray paint at LHS that was intended for those plastic static models. I think they were Testors or something. Washed the Logo canopy with soapy water and just spray it without any other prep work. Did both a Logo 10 and 20 canopy back in 1999. After hundreds of flights (and gone thru 3 motors) the paint is still good as new, although the canopy has developed crack at the usual places from use.

These canopies are the easiest to paint since they come very smooth already. And the fact they're plastic makes most of the paint stick very well. Just make sure to test the paint on a scrap before spraying.

Also did the same for my T-rex canopy (similar material).

Thanks for sharing the link to that E10 canopy. I've been looking for an alternative for a long time. Like the look of Logo 10 canopy, but it is a bit expensive for some flimsy plastic. I wonder if any other fiberglass canopy from HHI will fit?