I’m working on Monogram’s 1/72 B-36 for my dad. I’ve really been thinking about using kitchen foil to cover it especially after seeing a couple of B-29s here on the forum done the same way. One thing I was thinking about was, how will it stand the test of time? By that I mean in ten years will there be a problem of the foil coming off? Losing its tackiness? If I do foil it would it help a lot if I used a sealer on top of it? I know sealers have the reputation of taking the sheen off the foil but I could live with that if I knew that it would help make the model last a long time.
I think there’s a foiled B-36 in the gallery on ARC and it looks good. Keep in mind that most of the surface of a -36 was actually painted silver, so the project isn’t as massive as the kit itself.
I did a Martin flying boat in foil about 12 years ago.
To date, there are no signs of lifting or other problems. I used the Micro Scale adhesive and applied it to the foil with a brush.
Word to the wise: don’t use Reynolds Wrap or any other branded foil! Go to the dollar store and get the cheapest foil you can find. The good stuff is really too thick to conform easily to compound curves; the cheap junk works much better.
I’ve done a B-36 the same way about 2 years ago. So far, I’ve had nothing lift or come off. Just a few tips-
Cut the foil on panel lines. You CANNOT get rid of a seam between sheets.
Everything on a B-36 is NOT highly reflective. A rule of thumb- the pressurized sections are foiled, the unpressurized sections can be painted (more accurate looking, IMO) If you need help with which is which, I’ll do my best to give you a hand. Just PM me.
So slow, and keep the foil sections small (especially around curved parts, like the nose and tail)
With foil, the canopy is a breeze!
Here’s a photo of how mine turned out:
Good luck with the project, and again, if you need any help, feel free to ask.
Thanks to all for the great advice! Lucien, I’ve always liked your work/tips/advice, etc. I actually finished a B-36 about two years ago and I love the way it turned out. If memory serves, I think I used a combination of various MM metalizer shades and then applied SnJ metal powder over the whole thing. Don’t ask me why I tried that out but to my relief it actually worked. The various panel shades still came through and the SnJ powder actually made it more resilient when it came to handling and masking.
I suppose I could use the same process but I’d like to try something different this time around. I’ve got that Detail and Scale book on the B-36 and that provides great reference drawings on what metals were used where on the plane. I know some parts were a bit more reflective than others. I never figured that it was due to parts of the plane being pressurized. I would imagine those areas would need the stonger metals.
Thanks again to all for the great ideas!
Eric
PS. Lucien, did you foil the plane in segments before gluing it all together? In other words, did you, for example, foil the wings and the fuselage separately and then attach them or did you glue the whole works together and then foil?
Mostlyclassics, thank you for the tip! I wasn’t sure if the lighter weight Reynolds brand would have been better but I suppose the el cheapo brands are thinner and the way to go. I bought some 3M spray adhesive at HobbyTown last night. Will that work just as well? Should it be sprayed to both the surface and the foil?
Lucien, your B-36 is magnificent! Thanks for the pix.
Hi, Eric –
I’ve never used the 3M spray contact adhesive. Either I couldn’t find something like it 12 years ago or it didn’t exist then. Hence my brushing on the Micro Scale stuff on the foil. Did I get the goo on evenly? No, but the burnishing process evened out the goo under the foil.
All you need, sticky-wise, is one surface. It’s a whole bunch easier to apply stickum to the foil rather than the model, especially if you’re spraying.
For the benefit of folks reading this thread who have never foiled before, the basic sequence is:
Make sure the model’s surface is ready to take the foil. This means making sure all scratches are removed and seams are filled. You also want to sand the whole surface with 600-grit and then probably 1200-grit to get a glassy surface. Any scratches, etc., will show in the foil, so you want that surface smooth. Thoroughly scrub the model with detergent water, rinse well and let air-dry.
Apply the stickum to a small section of the foil that is somewhat larger than the panel you want to cover (maybe a half inch larger in each dimension).
Place the stickum-ed foil on the panel.
Burnish with a Q-tip, basically starting from the middle of the panel and working out. Exceptions will occur, especially with engine cowls and such. If it looks like you’re going to have a wrinkle, try to burnish the foil so the wrinkle occurs in an inconspicuous spot (easier said than done, I know, but you’ll see what I mean with practice). Get that foil flat to the surface all over the panel you’re covering.
Cut the foil using a brand-new#11 (triangular) Xacto blade. Don’t use a blade you’ve resharpened yourself: you just can’t get it sharp enough. Using a very light touch, cut the foil along the outside of the panel line. Lift off the excess with a pair of tweezers (the very top-grade spade-tip stamp tongs work best). The adjacent panel should have its foil cut at the outside of that panel to give you a microscopically wide foil overlap in the panel line.
