1/48 Revell F-106

[lawman56]

Although my spring & early summer have been crazy, I haven't been completely idle at the bench. A friend gave me a 1/48 Revell F-106 to help thin his stash. Even though I rarely build in 1/48, I use them as a test bed. In this case, I covered it in Bare Metal Foil in order to see how well it would work should I decide to cover my 1/32 B-17 with it. For those who may not know, Bare metal Foil is an extremely thin sheet of self adhesive foil. You can apply it to any surface. I burnished mine with cotton swabs and a very dull, rounded balsa stick to get sharp edges. The best trick I can suggest, is to cut out a piece slightly larger than you need, then trim it along the panel or seam lines. This allows the adjoining sheet to align with little to no seam visible. As these pictures will show, it worked fairly well, however it was extremely labor intensive and certainly not what I will use to cover such a large aircraft. Since the question was foil or Alclad, I will be using Alclad.




And so it begins....




Had to trace and cut out where the intakes will go. Cement won't adhere to it very well.




The panels and doors are starting to become more visible




Certain areas were painted first in steel, such as the refuel port.




Decals were applied as normal using Walthers solvaset. Only exception, was that there was no need to apply a gloss, or Future, undercoat since the foil is already smooth. Once I upload some of my other pictures, you'll actually be able to see the markings reflected on the wing. Pretty amazing.


On a side note, this particular aircraft took 4 sheets of Dull Aluminum BMF, which would barely be enough to cover just one wing of my B-17, not including engine nacelles! I may use it on the interior though. Also, when using it, try not to apply each sheet in the same direction. It does have a super fine grain to it, and by mixing it up, you can get the variations in shading I have here.

Until next time, thanks for looking!

[KSaarni]

That was interesting information and looks shiningly good, as shiny metal should

As the foil is so thin, did you have any "accidents", that the foil was teared apart for example?
If you need to remove part of the attached foil, does it come off easily ?

Looking at your 106, I am curious one day to test the foil also on a smaller project

- Kari

[BorgR3mc0]

I have tried to use Bare Metal Foil but I could not get it to work properly. Your application looks flawless.

[lawman56]

That was interesting information and looks shiningly good, as shiny metal should

As the foil is so thin, did you have any "accidents", that the foil was teared apart for example?
If you need to remove part of the attached foil, does it come off easily ?

Looking at your 106, I am curious one day to test the foil also on a smaller project

- Kari

The foil is quite thin and easily torn, if you're not careful, which is why I suggest cutting it into manageable shapes & sizes, and burnishing with a q-tip. I found that if you lightly set the foil onto the model, then gently press the swab into the middle, you can slowly and steadily work it to the outside edges with minimal wrinkles or creases. I had a few spots, mostly inside edges, where the foil would tear on me. I'd remove it, re-think it, then re-apply. Another reason it's too labor intensive for big birds.

As for removal, it was very easy. Just slip the blade of an Xacto knife under the edge, lift slightly and grab with tweezers. If you pull slowly, it will come off just like tape.

[lawman56]

I have tried to use Bare Metal Foil but I could not get it to work properly. Your application looks flawless.

In all honesty, there are quite a few "self-created" flaws that I know of, but then again, I'm the one who built it. Lol!

Some things to watch out for are making sure ALL putty or filler is not only sanded smooth, but polished with a super high grit. That, or use a gloss paint as primer. Not only will the foil adhere best to a smooth surface, but will show off every, (and I do mean every), dimple and divot. I'll try to take a picture of what I mean, but I missed polishing a few spots and the foil looks pitted.

Another suggestion, which worked for me, is to back drag a tooth pick along the seams and panel lines. This will help create a sharp edge.

My biggest struggle was to figure out how to cover certain edges, such as the wing root, around the exhaust, etc... without wrinkles or tears. I found that if I cut short, thin pieces about 1-2 inches long and adhered a small portion of it, I could manipulate it using tweezers and toothpicks to where I wanted it, then burnish it. After it was applied, I'd lightly trim the piece as thin as I dared, then place my larger pieces slightly over lapping them. This way I knew the seam was covered.

Now you can see why it was so labor intense!

[KSaarni]

That was interesting information and looks shiningly good, as shiny metal should

As the foil is so thin, did you have any "accidents", that the foil was teared apart for example?
If you need to remove part of the attached foil, does it come off easily ?

Looking at your 106, I am curious one day to test the foil also on a smaller project

- Kari

The foil is quite thin and easily torn, if you're not careful, which is why I suggest cutting it into manageable shapes & sizes, and burnishing with a q-tip. I found that if you lightly set the foil onto the model, then gently press the swab into the middle, you can slowly and steadily work it to the outside edges with minimal wrinkles or creases. I had a few spots, mostly inside edges, where the foil would tear on me. I'd remove it, re-think it, then re-apply. Another reason it's too labor intensive for big birds.

As for removal, it was very easy. Just slip the blade of an Xacto knife under the edge, lift slightly and grab with tweezers. If you pull slowly, it will come off just like tape.

Thanks Joe for the answers!

Yes indeed, very labour intensive, but the end result is really great!

- Kari

[Stikpusher]

Beautiful!!! I had never seen a 106 in NMF before. Only in ADC Gray.

[lawman56]

Beautiful!!! I had never seen a 106 in NMF before. Only in ADC Gray.

Truthfully, neither had I until I found one picture online. I figured why not? I'd been wanting to try it anyway, and my 2nd cousin had pics of one his dad worked on in the 50s that was NMF. One of the unintended bonuses, and I never noticed it until I looked at the picture I took, (which I'll post later today), was The reflection of the fuselage markings on the topside wing root. Looks pretty neat

[Stikpusher]

Sweet! I'm looking forward to more of this! The 106 is such a beautiful aircraft!

[Thomas_M]

Joe, a foiled kit is an eye-catcher on each show! Your F-106 is for sure!
But foiling a 1/32 B-17 might possibly ruin you...

You explanations on how to apply the foil is the way to go. Good pictures and tutorial!