Carbon, Bamboo replacing tape?

[kywonderer]

Greetings from Kentucky.



I’m a 74 year old brand new, raw recruit to RC.



I’ve zeroed in on the HZ super cubs.

And, have found this excellent site tremendously beneficial.



I’m interested in building a flying fleet of super cubs with the WWII

paint jobs; representing various branches of our military, as well as

those used in wartime by other nations.



I have spent many hours reading the Super Cub Club posts and recommendations.

But, on this specific question I have failed to find an answer.



Being a new flyer I realize that there are certain areas that need to be addressed

and modified prior to the first flight. However my question targets specifically those areas

where tape is recommended.

1. Rear Fuselage from the control rods rearward.

2. Fuselage bottom under the windshield.

3. Underside of the wings.

Painting over tape creates problems. Taping these areas after painting distracts

from the esthetics I’m trying to maintain.



I could replace the surface tape with carbon or bamboo rods, embedded

in the foam, and smoothed over with epoxy prior to painting. Thus eliminating the

need to tape.



Has anyone tried this? Results? Specific Products used?



Thank you in advance for your Time and Assistance. 

[hghost]

I think many make the mistake of modifying before flying. I know a few times i did as well

I suggest take the Super cub out and fly it "AS IS" First then go from there to make changes

paint-tape-carbon rods etc add weight, changes handling and especially the CG.

Doing to much "tightening up" can cause issues. A flexible landing gear beats a stiff one etc....

You need to learn the plane and the area you fly in and then you can make adjustments to the plane and know more about what is best.

I can tell you the SC is a very tough aircraft and can take a beating and come out with little to no damage 9 times out of 10.

Read and re-read the many mods and changes people have done.....some in time need to be done for example, but does not need done before flight
unless of course you have the older Cub with ACT ( that needs unplugged immediately ) and perhaps the battery box mod, so you do not have to
fight getting the battery in that small bay. Other than that the first few flights can be made without any changes

IF you have the Newer Super Cub S ( SAFE).....there are a different set of issues you may run into, like oscillating while in flight....

You still need to fly the plane or planes to see where you want to go afterwards.

[flydiver]

New to RC, eh? The recommendations aren't necessarily bad, but the reality is you are going to bash up this plane learning. A BIG part of what you will learn is repair. You 'think' you'll be learning to fly a plane. What you WILL be learning is how to repair them.

Get flying.....then start modifying. Can't tell you the number of stories of enthusiastic new flyers doing extensive improvements to a plane to have them destroyed in seconds, literally.