Painting F-18, Thinning Acrylic Paint

RC Groups Discussion - F/A-18 Hornet Foam Parkflyer: "Regarding painting, pretty much any acrylic craft paint will work if brushed on, but some work better than others when sprayed on. I use Delta Ceramcoat for spraying (thinned 50/50 with windshield wiper fluid or water) since it seems to work best. The only surface prep I do on Depron is to final sand with extra fine 320 grit sandpaper and then wipe down the whole model with a paper towel wetted with rubbing alcohol to remove any grease.

On my Blue Angel F-18, I sprayed on two light coats of Navy Blue on the entire model and that added 0.75 oz to the airframe. The other decorations I added (yellow stripes, painted canopy, decals, missle rails) added another 0.5 oz, for a net weight gain of 1.25 oz. That's not too bad, but you'll definitely notice that extra weight when you fly it. Thus, my recommendation is to make the first few flights BEFORE painting it so the model is at it's lightest weight. The extra weight of a good paint job is well worth it IMO, but make sure you enjoy at least a few flights with the model unpainted when it's flying at it's best!"