I’ve recently gotten back into this after really enjoying building planes as a kid. Naturally I’ve been intimidated by you lot with your frequently amazing work. I certainly haven’t posted my first few attempts!! [:$] . Hey, isn’t this kit just a dream though? Are the other 1/48 Tamiya WWII plane kits this good?
Still, it’s about having fun isn’t it. I can see now my modeling has a way to go! I probably have “too much fun” with the weathering… anyway, this Thunderbolt was completed with tin-foil (I’ve found I really enjoy using it, even though it gives a flawed finish). Sorry about the wrist watch - put it in there for scale so my friends can get a sense of its size.
I welcome criticisms (though I can’t promise I’ll do much better next time!!)
Thanks Yeah it’s all tin foil except for a couple of the impossible compound curves.
I am really having fun with the tin foil, though the truth is it ends up with imperfections which are sometimes too small to bother fixing, but you’d not get them if you used paint.
I accidentally came up with a couple of useful techniques making this plane, which I haven’t seen anyone else do:
When I clear coated it, I found it was too matte, but for some reason I just left it. Later, I was mucking around with some dark pastels… I found that brushing the dark pastel with a cotton tip and water into the matte surface was a really easy way to adjust the depth of colour and smudging, and it could be corrected just by rubbing away. The matte surface easily soaks up the pastel, but rubbing with water lightens it.
Later, I was becoming annoyed with the fact that the finish was too matte, and yet I had completed my weathering, so it was too late to re-do it. Instead, I got some petroleum jelly, and gently rubbed that into places where I wanted more shininess. This retrieved the metallic shininess with no trouble, as it cut through the matte look. What’s more, I found it could be blended, so that the shine could be restricted to this or that part, and I could keep some parts dull.
Anyways, they were my discoveries during this build.
I had no problem painting over the foil, though I only use oil based enamels (no idea how other paint would go). The enamel sticks to it great. Transfers are a breeze to apply, and softener does what it always does.
The chipping is a bit hit and miss. Best results from chipping the enamel paint - you can get extremely fine chipping, almost scale-accurate I guess, and it shines like, well, real metal under the paint. In my photo that is evident in the anti-glare olive strip (though I didn’t get the colour very good in the end).
The insignia and stripes were just the transfers. These can be problematic as I quickly realised that transfers tend to come away in chunks, and you can’t get the same fine scrapes like with the paint (again this is evident in my photos). I got best results from using the tip of a needle and just being careful to only make small effects (though i think I overdid it in the end).
Dang, I don’t think I would have guessed this was done with foil. That is one fine finish that you have achieved with it. I don’t think you should be intimidated by any means for posting your work here!! Looking forward to seeing more!
Oh, the only thing you need to watch with foil is that masking tape can pull it up if you’re not careful. Dulling the tape by “taping” it several times to a table-top before applying it is best, I’ve found.
Wow! What a way to come back to the hobby! Outstanding job! I think your foil technique is a hit too! Keep those awesome builds coming! Again, great job on the foil!
Thank you To be clear I should say… the foiling takes AGES… and because it’s often not perfect, it’s probably not for everyone. I enjoy it because I have used the model as stress relief, only doing a bit at a time (you have to do a lot of separate panels).
Looks great. In my opinion, Tamiya’s Jugs are the finest kits in 1/48 scale period. I still don’t have the nerve to try foil, so kudos to you…and welcome.
Get the film just right, as any streaks in the glue will be visible in the foil.
On the other hand, using insufficient glue (or dilute glue) will mean the foil will tend to come up.
Glue is accidentally diluted with residue methylated spirits, used to clean the foil prior to applying glue
Nonetheless, foil must be cleaned immediately before applying glue, as any fleck or spec will show through, even if originally microscopic!
Use non-linting fabric to clean with metho.
allow metho to dry entirely, but use asap after that.
Use latex gloves (or at least on one hand) the whole time - handling foil while on or off model means acid from skin etches faint fingerprints into foil. These can of course be cleaned off later, but they accumulate, and the foil is easily damaged around wing tips (etc), eliminating any unnecessary cleaning/buffing is best.
Yeah it’s all tin foil except for a couple of the impossible compound curves.
Some of the work done on this site is mind-blowing!!