Unsatisfied with the weight of my first model (a FT Tiny Trainer), I decided to build something lighter. Since overweight foamboard was the downfall of my first model, I decided to try reducing amount of foam by building a rib-and-stringer balsa design at with foamboard. I scaled down these plans to half scale and have assembled the fuselage and tailplane. When complete, the plane will have about 85cm wingspan and will be 65cm long.
Initially, I was planning to cover the plane with thick, semi-waterproof paper of about 300gsm thickness, and created a test section of the fuselage using the paper. Unfortunately, after putting together the ribs I found that the thick paper was too heavy and would bring no significant weight loss. I've been thinking for some weeks, but I haven't been able to come up with anything good to cover my plane in.
These are some of the things I've considered using:
- Conventional covering film (specifically this brand. This would be light enough, but I'm not sure if it would adhere to foamboard. I also don't wish to buy a heat gun (apparently a hairdryer isn't enough), considering that I probably won't make more covered models in the near future.
- Office paper (about 90gsm). It would be very light, but the paper would rip easily and fail on contact with any moisture. In addition, it would add almost no strength to the body.
- Plastic tablecloth material (similar to this). It's light and waterproof. However, it would probably be a bit baggy and wouldn't add any strength to the body.
I'd also like the material to come in opaque white color, as the plane I'm modelling is normally white.
So, the question is: What material would work best to cover my plane?