i’m going to be opening the nose of my 1/48 tamiya p-51d and installing an aftermarket engine. i’m wanting to make the individual panels to “cover” the engine (i.e. be the correct size/shape but not have to actually fit over the engine). i’m probably going to use aluminum from a few soda cans but i’m not sure what the best ay would be to shape the pieces. any suggestions??
Well, first, buy a good pair of gloves, otherwise you’re going to be making frequent blood donations to your modeling table. I would try sheet styene first, just because it’s easier and safer to cut and shape. Use the model as a template, and tack the nose pieces together to get the complete assembly. Cut a piece of thin styrene sheet to fit one of the panels, then hold the styrene under hot water for a little bit and place it back against the model surface so it will assume that shape. You’ll have to experiment with how long to heat the styrene, but once it cools it should hold the curved shapes fairly well.
thanks for the tip, i was talking to my dad and thats just about the same as what he recommended. i have some .005" sheets so hopefully they’ll work (the only thing close to scale is paper)
I really like mfsob’s approach also.
But if you decide you want to try aluminum, I suggest you try aluminum (or even copper) roof flashing material. Now a roll of the stuff is way too pricey for your needs, but if you have a friend in the roofing or construction trades, they could get you plenty of scraps for nothing.
You can get some very thin guage steel from pepper cans. Check them out at your local supermarket (or your own kitchen). I have saved several McCormick brand pepper cans for use in duplicating A/C panels and automotive body parts. You can make an impression of the panel you want to replace by putting a piece of aluminum foil over it, then rubbing the area with your finger tip or a pencil eraser. Once the “copy” is made, trim it to size and use it to cut out a dupe in the pepper can steel.
good idea,that could be useful for several things.
I would definitely re-think the soda can method . If you,re careful you can make an impression in coffee can foil and then bend the soda can aluminum to the correct shape .You then drop it in the impression you made (for accuracy ) Now take a piece of EVERGREEN .010 to make the inside panel ,roll and bend to shape ,super glue together and viola ! you have your aircraft panel . tankerbuilder
Old thread, TB, by about 14 months, lol… But since you dug it up, I use the foil cups from tea candles… You may have seen the tip I submitted to FSM about them in the May issue… I use them for a lot: Fenders, panels, flaps, cowl flaps, hatches, whatever… Just burnish the tea candle foil over the panels you want to duplicate and cut them out…
mfsob -you can also use a hairdryer to heat the plastic . tankerbuilder