Originally Posted by John Brohm

Well it's a lovely result just the same, and it looks great sitting on that pad!

Originally Posted by Earl

Those later red nose cones (compared to the early orange-red, as I call it) do have a tendency to bleed through. I recall about 10 years ago building a vintage Long Tom with the same PNC-89 as the MX-774 uses and it was one of the later red cones. It was to be painted white also and the primer was white. That red bled through the primer and two coats of primer. I sanded and re-primed. Same thing.

I finally did a couple coats of primer and let it set for a few weeks or so to hopefully cure really well, sanded lightly and then did a somewhat light finish coat in the hopes the last coat of paint would not soften up the primer underneath in any way. That seemed to do it, but it took a lot more effort to get that result than it should have. I don't recall the red nose cones acting that way back in the day, so maybe it has something to do with the age of the plastic also. Not sure.

Looks good scigs! Fly away!!

Earl

Originally Posted by frognbuff

I don't believe it has anything to do with age. I have purchased several nose cone assortments from Apogee and I get the same problem, particularly with red and yellow cones. Like you said, the solution is at least two coats of primer, then hearty paint like Rusto!

Originally Posted by Earl

Yes, it is hard to say what is the exact root cause. And it isn't a problem if one is painting the nose cone a dark color such as black or certainly red. But I think as long as that base coat (primer, however many coats but yes probably at least two) and then letting that cure for a good number of days such that the final finish coats don't re-soften, so to speak, those primer layers, your probably good. And make those final finish coats very light, at least to begin with to sorta seal in that primer coat. Then, that red does not seem to bleed through as much or any at all.

Earl

Originally Posted by scigs30

Oh heck buddy, You know I have a large stash of unbuilt rockets, there is no way I am going to do all that........The pinkish nose is just part of the vintage process.

Originally Posted by scigs30

I just wonder why they did red? Guillows and Sterling balsa model planes did the same thing with red plastic parts. Obviously later on Guillows and Sterling went to white making it much easier to paint. We may never know.

Originally Posted by scigs30

I just wonder why they did red?