GazzaS Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 First of all.... What is 'bis'? I know there were other planes from other countries that also got the 'bis' designation. Anyway... hello friends. Foiling a plane is one of those things that requires a particular mood. At first, it's really difficult until you get the hang of it. After that, each model gets easier and if you don't wait too long, you won't lose the muscle memory in your hands. A tiny mote of dust.... or a little tear can result in you peeling off a panel, swabbing off the glue with isopropyl alcohol. And repeating the whole process again. But the magic of real metal.... how the light moves across it as your viewing angle changes.... can't be mimicked by any shiny paint. This Tamiya model didn't come with seat belts... I made them with Tamiya tape with painted buckles. Making the foil bend across and around complex curves is a skill that takes a little time to learn. This is one wingtip. The starboard wingtip viewed from above and below. And it's covered by one piece of foil. The cowl ring is also one piece. But I must admit that the exhaust end is two separate pieces. But that's ok. There is a seam line that facilitated making it in two pieces. As you can see, I have a long way to go. The best way to foil, is to master the hardest pieces first. Wing roots, Wing tips, Canopies, and cowlings are the most difficult. After them... The rest is easy. I hope you enjoy the trip with me. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomber_County Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 Going follow this for sure, which products are you using…. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 Gaz Looking fantastic and I'm following all the way, front and center. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted July 30, 2022 Author Share Posted July 30, 2022 8 hours ago, Bomber_County said: Going follow this for sure, which products are you using…. Glad to see you, Phil. a. Cheap kitchen foil b. Bare Metal Foil Bare-Metal, Detailing Model Cars, Trains, and Aircraft, duplicate chrome on model cars c. MIcroscale Metal Foil adhesive. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted July 30, 2022 Author Share Posted July 30, 2022 8 hours ago, Peterpools said: Gaz Looking fantastic and I'm following all the way, front and center. Thank you, Peter. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark31 Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 Nice to see you work with foil And yes not easy but it gives a nice result. I have tryd a few times but i have to give it a go in the future. I have used difrend brands of alu foil to give some panels different shine. Looking forward to see more. Mark 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted July 30, 2022 Author Share Posted July 30, 2022 2 hours ago, mark31 said: Nice to see you work with foil And yes not easy but it gives a nice result. I have tryd a few times but i have to give it a go in the future. I have used difrend brands of alu foil to give some panels different shine. Looking forward to see more. Mark Thank you Marc. I hope you get to foil again, soon. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinnfb Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 Fantastic, will definitely follow with interest. 🪑 Cheers Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted July 31, 2022 Author Share Posted July 31, 2022 2 hours ago, Martinnfb said: Fantastic, will definitely follow with interest. 🪑 Cheers Martin Glad to pique your interest, Martin. The Tamiya pit has nothing on the real one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted July 31, 2022 Author Share Posted July 31, 2022 Kaiser woke me up at four. It's either let him out, or pick up dogshit in the dining room. So.... Consequently I decided to make it a big day at the bench. I had been contemplating the big fillet that holds up the rudder and elevators. It took me about 8 attempts to get the right shape. In the end I had to prepare a giant piece and surround the fillet. The slicing you see is to relieve tension as the foil stretches and shrinks. When you apply the cement to the foil, it has zero tack. Your foil sheet will look like this. You have to let it dry to a hazy state before it becomes tacky and looks like this: Now you can cut off pieces you need to burnish them to the model. If your sheet sits for a couple of hours it will dry completely and lose any sticky properties. Since I spent so much time at the bench today I was able to complete most of the wing surfaces. It's been a cloudy, Yucky day. Here are some pics taken in the cloudy afternoon light. Happy modelling! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark31 Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 Great work on the foil This is my work few years back on a F-100 I have to get it back on the bench one day Maybe strip it down and start over Mark 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 Impressive work Gary, you can't beat the real thing. Thank you for showing your progress step by step. I'd love to try it on a very simple kit someday. Cheers Rob 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinnfb Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 X2 just woke up and checking my phone in the washroom as usual, most impressive result. Uber metal 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 Gaz Foil work looks brilliant and thank you for the mini tutorial - another tool in my tool kit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 5 hours ago, mark31 said: Great work on the foil This is my work few years back on a F-100 I have to get it back on the bench one day Maybe strip it down and start over Mark Mark Nice foil work on your Super Sabre. Adding your pics together with Gaz's work, it's a skill I need to learn. I know you previously mentioned using different foils for the various panels but which foils and types of foil? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark31 Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 2 minutes ago, Peterpools said: Mark Nice foil work on your Super Sabre. Adding your pics together with Gaz's work, it's a skill I need to learn. I know you previously mentioned using different foils for the various panels but which foils and types of foil? Just difrent brands of foil ftom difrent companys. The are difrent iff you take a close look and also the are difrent thicknes. You can also sand the foil in difrent directions. You can use the shine side ore the Matt side.. Hope this helps. Will put here back on the bench but first i need to finish a model. Mark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 1 hour ago, mark31 said: Just difrent brands of foil ftom difrent companys. The are difrent iff you take a close look and also the are difrent thicknes. You can also sand the foil in difrent directions. You can use the shine side ore the Matt side.. Hope this helps. Will put here back on the bench but first i need to finish a model. Mark Mark Thanks for the information and yes, it helps a ton. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted August 1, 2022 Author Share Posted August 1, 2022 19 hours ago, mark31 said: Great work on the foil This is my work few years back on a F-100 I have to get it back on the bench one day Maybe strip it down and start over Mark Thank you! I really like the look of that tail. You really should pick it up again. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted August 1, 2022 Author Share Posted August 1, 2022 18 hours ago, DocRob said: Impressive work Gary, you can't beat the real thing. Thank you for showing your progress step by step. I'd love to try it on a very simple kit someday. Cheers Rob Thank you, Rob. My first foiled model was the Hasegawa P-47 Razorback in 1/48. My second was Tamiya;s N1K1 in 1/48. My third was the 1/49 scale Otaki Ki-44. The fourth was Monogram's 1/48 scale B-29. The fifth was the 1/32 scale Italeri F-104 Starfighter. Sadly, the panel lines are trenches ruining the look. The N1K1 was probably the easiest. I no longer have any pictures to share... but I actually foiled the propeller hubs on all four Hamilton Standard props for the B-29. Sadly, I rescribed much of the B-29 and my scribing was shit... so I pitched it. I still have the other three. They're all slowly oxidizing under their protective coatings. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted August 1, 2022 Author Share Posted August 1, 2022 17 hours ago, Martinnfb said: X2 just woke up and checking my phone in the washroom as usual, most impressive result. Uber metal 14 hours ago, Peterpools said: Gaz Foil work looks brilliant and thank you for the mini tutorial - another tool in my tool kit. Thank you, fellas... glad you are enjoying. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belugawhaleman Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 Always thought foiling a model would be cool and was an interesting process. Glad to see you're taking this project on and your progress has been great so far. Will be following! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark31 Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 On 8/1/2022 at 7:09 AM, GazzaS said: Thank you! I really like the look of that tail. You really should pick it up again. Will do. Mark 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted August 2, 2022 Author Share Posted August 2, 2022 Well friends... Lemme tell ya... I was confounded for at least two hours by one piece of foil. Well... it wasn't one piece. It was the 10 pieces that failed prior to the one that I could deem successful. And that is what foiling is. Many pieces are easy. But the difficult pieces have to be worked out. You have to get the shape right. You have to make the right cuts to relieve stresses. And you have to figure out the perfect way to burnish the metal down around obstacles. And the windshield... it was hell to work around. It took me eight attempts to realize that burnishing from front to back would not work, and that I should try it top to bottom. And after all of that, you may still find a mote of dust under the foil, necessitating a new piece. You will also need some special materials. 70% Iso... for wiping off old glue and cleaning your brush. Lightweight oil.... for lubricating your blade prior to slicing foil. 1/2 inch flat brush.... you could use smaller... but trust me....it's the optimum size. Special brush care.... while working, keep your brush in a cup of water. When finished, clean your brush with Iso.... and when it dries, clean it again with Lacquer thinner. Otherwise, your foiling on the next day will be contaminated with dry bits of glue still trapped in the bristles. So anyways... after three or more hours of foiling I added a whole 8 panels. That leaves only easy panels.... Hopefully. Here is today's bling. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark31 Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 Wonderfull foil work And yes i know the feeling of your atempts for the hard places to foil. But when it is going down right you can look at it and say thats a job wel done. Looking forward to the next update Mark 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 Hey Gary come on, at least you spared masking the canopy . Earnestly, I really like your results, foiling looks so very different from painting and thank you for explaining your method so thoroughly. It may help in the future, only if.... Cheers Rob 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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