Progress Update:
I drilled some holes for the antennas tonight and superglued them in place.
There'll be no goin-back now!
Bonded, sanded, puttied, and masked for silver-coat
The Result, in faborable light
The Result, in UN-favorable light
As you can see, the antenna-to-surface bond is fairly clean and smooth,
but unfortunately I have mild roughness accross the general area.
At least now the antenna masts are a rigid part of the airframe, and
won't be easily knocked off. I couldn't possibly send my Grandpa
something that could fall apart like a cheap piece o' crap! :)
Despite my efforts to sand the paint smooth, it always has a tendency to
leave sharp edges were paint was removed, and not a smooth profile taper.
I was thinking of giving the model another coat of clear-gloss, which will
maybe soften the roughness of the area, and then I'll try light sanding and
another silver coat over the area. Any thoughts about this approach?
Lastly, how strong will the decals adhere to the model once they have been
clear coated? Is the use of masking tape on them still a no-no? Thanks.