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Foiled HKM B-25J Strafer - 345th BG Air Apaches - Lady LiL


Out2gtcha

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This is absolutely spectacular.

 

Part of me wants to build an NMF model just to try it out. The other part of me realizes it is probably more difficult than it looks and I would have to learn something new..... :hmmm:

 

At any rate, amazing work.

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Sweet work! Thanks for the tut. I'll have to give foiling a go. I have wanted to try it for a while but have been to scared.

How do you clean your airbrush out after shooting glue from it? I only have one brush and don't why to ruin it.

Edited by nimrod77
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Thanks guys! I really appreciate all the warm and positive comments. Its nice to feel like im doing some good.................even when I think occasionally im not getting ANYthing accomplished.

 

 

How do you clean your airbrush out after shooting glue from it?

 

 

Hey Nimrod, its not really as scary as you might think. Since its a water based glue (the MS metal foil glue I am using is anyway), 90% alcohol (NOT the 70% stuff as it just doesnt cut it) seems to do the trick. After you shoot the stuff through the brush, I take the end of the airbrush apart, including the needle, and clean all thoroughly then soaking in 90% alcohol. Seems to do the trick and doesnt leave any harsh glue residue behind. The water based glue really helps in that aspect.

 

As to the airbrush itself, hell, the thinned MS foil glue seems to shoot easier and clog LESS than most any paints Ive shot through it..................go figure.

 

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More (slight) progress!!!

 

With the exception of painting some of the hinges, and touch up areas that were missed, accidentally exposed, or unintentionally cut short, Im pretty much calling the empennage done.............at least as far as the foiling part of things goes. I also knocked down some of the shiny panels if you compare from the previous pics of the empennage.........the burnishing marks are MUCH less visible and the foil now has a more realistic duller appearance. (I still need to knock some panels down even further, and re-grain others)

 

I even managed to get the tail end foiled, and the tail gunners canvas cover glued on as well. At this point I still have to glue on the trim tab actuators and the rudders and elevators are all just press fit here for the cameras sake:

 

DSC01425.jpg

 

DSC01423.jpg

 

DSC01426.jpg

 

DSC01422.jpg

 

DSC01424.jpg

 

DSC01421.jpg

 

Ill likely start up again tomorrow after I get up, and try to knock out some of the wing nacelles, as they seem to be one of the few remaining potentially problematic foiling areas left.

 

Cheers,

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Hi Brian, this thread has been so informative I'm really tempted to try to foil my next plane. although I'm not so sure about airbrushing the glue since my airbrush skills are beginner level at best.

I do have a question. What is your procedure for laying foil next to another area that's foiled? do you make it bigger and just cut along the panel line? Or do you make a straight cut, line it up and hope for the best? That's the one thing that makes me worry.

So are you going to foil the B-17 when it comes out? A polished version of that beauty would be absolutely stunning!

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Brian,

 

I see there are still a lot of questions pertaining to the foiling process, especially on compound contours. Some time ago I posted an article in the "Tips & Tricks" section on foiling an F-86 wingtip that might help answer some of the questions being asked. The images in the post had been displaced on the Photobucket sight, so I have resurrected the post with full images. I don't want to dilute your build in any way, so I have not included the link. If it is OK with you, I will post the link.

 

Ken

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Looking good Brian :D

 

Any tips on how to get the foil to lay well in joint areas like where the horizontal stabiliser joins the fuselage. Do you try and bend the foil and start at the bend( in the middle) and work towards the edges or work from one edge towards the joint then on to the other side. I always get a wrinkle in the wrong spot as the foil wants to kink rather than flow around the change of direction.

 

Good luck on the nacelles!

 

Dan

 

 

Hey Dan………….I aways determine the “lie of the shot” as in golf first. Taking whichever compound curve that is ahead of me, and laying the foil down on the highest point in the middle first, working to the edges, NEVER from the edges. The foil can be kept from kinking by a variety of things:

- Try thicker stronger foil. It stretches better in those tight curves.

- The use of soft balsa type burnishers that contour to the shape you need, and remain soft

- Vaseline. It really keeps whatever your using to burnish the foil from tearing…..and the higher strength foil helps keep the rips down too.

 

 

Brian...

 

:bow: :bow:

Splendiferous work...

 

Thanks Maru! :D

 

 

Holy smokes .. just fantastic ...

Keep 'em coming

:popcorn: :popcorn:

 

 

All always much obliged buddy. 

 

 

 

That tail looks like someone got a shrink ray and miniaturized a real B-25. Just an unbelievable job so far! :thumbsup:

Thanks! Its not that perfect up close, but it will do, especially after I fix some things here and there.

 

 

 

Hi Brian, this thread has been so informative I'm really tempted to try to foil my next plane. although I'm not so sure about airbrushing the glue since my airbrush skills are beginner level at best.

I do have a question. What is your procedure for laying foil next to another area that's foiled? do you make it bigger and just cut along the panel line? Or do you make a straight cut, line it up and hope for the best? That's the one thing that makes me worry.

So are you going to foil the B-17 when it comes out? A polished version of that beauty would be absolutely stunning!

 

 

Always cut the panel your working on larger than you think you need by at least ½ inch or so around the entire edge. Better to over estimate than under. Once you have the large foil section stuck on, you can start to burnish from the middle out to the edges.

 

 

 

Brian,

 

I see there are still a lot of questions pertaining to the foiling process, especially on compound contours. Some time ago I posted an article in the "Tips & Tricks" section on foiling an F-86 wingtip that might help answer some of the questions being asked. The images in the post had been displaced on the Photobucket sight, so I have resurrected the post with full images. I don't want to dilute your build in any way, so I have not included the link. If it is OK with you, I will post the link.

 

Ken

 

By all means Ken, go for it!!!

'

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Big time progress………………

 

After having a night off from work, I put it to good use, and after a marathon foiling session, Ive actually completed ALL of the the raw foiling……………….WHEW! I even managed to stick a few new things in to try…………………filling foil!

 

Well, I misaligned my rivet lines, on a very prominent part, the upper nose, so I wanted to get it fixed, but didn’t want to re-foil it. The only reason I can do this, (as well as the same reason I didn’t foil the bottom of the solid nose) is because from the glass/solid demark forward, the Lady is all paint………….hence no need to foil the bottom of the nose. Since the top of the nose was also going to be under paint, I just filled the crappy rivet lines with Mr Surfacer:

 

DSC01427.jpg

 

Then sanded same with fine grit stick:

 

DSC01428.jpg

 

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It doesn’t look like it, but its at least fairly smooth, and also even this time around. Well it was a lot of work, but worth it in the end……………even at this raw stage, I like the way the foil turned out. 1.5 rolls of Renalds Wrap, and two whole bottles of MS metal foil glue later!

 

Almost all of the panels were grained with toothpaste, which gave them the dirty gray/platinum appearance. The cool thing is however, because I grained them at different times during application, and because I grained in different directions, even though they were basically grained with the same thing, the light catches each panel differently, fooling your eye into thinking the panel looks darker or lighter. Some panels had to be done larger, because of the lack of panel line/demarks to cut them on.

 

Ill let the pics speak for themselves –

 

DSC01430.jpg

 

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DSC01434.jpg

 

MORE………………………………………………………………….

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