star fighter

[kentyler]

starting from the tail

got a lot to learn
i use the paper pieces to cut out matching foil pieces
then apply the foil to the model
where there are edges, i leave a little extra
and shape that over the edge.. as on the tail here
and then trim the excess

[kentyler]

more tail panels
when the foil is separated from its backing it gets little wrinkles, so it needs to be burnished after being stuck down
i use the smooth end of a brush
you can "adjust" the foil a little as you are applying it to keep the edges together
pieces that overlap a little, like the panels that extend up onto the tail, will be trimmed off before applying the tail panels
i also start scribing the panel lines, going off those on the printed parts, i line then out with a pencil and then cut them with a knife
seems to work ok
the pencil is also useful for burnishing up against tight corners

as you can see in the last picture i'm getting "creep" between the right and left sides... i'll have to adust by trimming the more advanced panel

you may be able to see, on picture three, the difference between the first 2 panels, which have already been "smoothed" by burnishing and the third panel, which has just been applied and still has minor wrinkles

ah, another note, one piece of the foil got a little tear when i removed it from its backing
i applied it anyway, and after "smoothing" the tear is basically invisible

[MacSongLi]

Ken, that looks very tedious and slow. The results look great.

Gary

[kentyler]

tedious and slow
thats why we're in this business
right

[kentyler]

small illuminations

it turns out aluminum paint helps in patching small errors or empty spots

keeping the panels square with the axis of the fuselage is an ongoing problem

using the paper panels as patterns works, most of the time, you still have to try them each one, or sometimes there's a gap

[rmks2000]

All in all it looks pretty nice. Looking forward to the next installment.

[kentyler]

next installment

i had to depart from using the paper parts as patterns, because of the intakes for the jet engines
so i made a pattern of plain paper
the pieces that go under the intakes were tricky, but the foil, although tacky, does not stick so hard that you cannot reposition it
which is very nice and allows small adjusments as you go
the last picture gives an idea of the amount of wrinkling you get on a part that changes shape... all them smoothed down
which is amazing

[kentyler]

because the foil is so thin, the wrinkles compress and are not really visible
when there is an edge i leave a little extra foil
then fold it over and rub it down
then i trim the excess with a sharp knife

on the panels on the nose the shape was sometimes to pointed for the flat panel to lay flat all around it
it was possible to slice the panel at mid point and then burnish down both sides
the slice line is almost invisible

[kentyler]

at this point i have just about used up the first sheet of foil
the wings and the tail are going to suffer from not being properly shaped
they should have had ribs instead of just a former up the middle

[YOAVHOZMI]

i have a question....
why painting the model before covering it with silver paper? what was the purpose of the painting?

from my point of view, it just another hard work, but it is only my opinion.

good luck with this project.


YOAV



by the way, there is a special paper called DUPLEX and it is silver and can be printed with Laser printer and the results are great.
this is MUSTANG of my friend that printed on DUPLEX silver paper.