Foiling model aircraft comment/question: I recently found a webpage where the writer gave instructions for how he scales his model kit instructions to print 1:1 for the size of the kit as a foiling map. This allows him to use the prints as plans for cutting foil for his kit. It is something to the effect of taking measurements on different parts of the aircraft in the instruction drawings, such as the width of an intake, width of an aileron, etc., with the intention of getting several reference points to work with. He then takes these same measurements on the model itself, and then divides the two reference points for each to obtain the differences, such as the measurement for the intake, etc. These are added together, then divided by number of total measuring references, and a rough scale for how much of a percentage increase (or decrease) is required on the scanner/printer to come up with the proper size. Has anyone seen this page, or know who wrote about it? I know I am not crazy, but somehow my wife or Offspring closed the page, and did enough on the computer to have lost the “history” part of the page…thanks in advance! I will cross-post this to other modeling sites as well.
I’m not fancy but I copy a picture of what I want on a word document shrink it and print it from there. If it looks too big or small I try again. I’m not smart enough to do all that cipher’n
I would have to ask myself Why, all the Bother? You might be able to do that, But, there’s an inherent problem that I see. Okay, so you go through all that measuring. Print the patterns and then attempt to attach to said plane.
Guess What? The Manufacturer of said Subject, comes out different than your measurements. I just cut a piece big enough to cover a panel. I burnish the panel down starting at the center then lock down and burnish tightly the panel line area.Then add the next one.
I can gaurantee the Panel for say, the gun bay is Not going to measure up to what the real plane’s was. So this way, I trim after installing, and every bit gets covered that way.
C’mon guys do you think I do them all like this? Uh Uh! This only gets done on very large models. I did a 1/24 Mustang a while back, for a client, and it didn’t look right with a Monotone finish, so that is what I came up with. Selected panels only for the little guys.
For instance,The Gun Bay doors on some are different foil finishes than the rest of the Bird. Or, In the case of a well used F-100 the back half where the Fuselage gets discolored get this treatment!
Johnny K-The link wouldn’t let me click in. Send it to me by Message could you? I am always learning new stuff from other modelers even at this age.