FGMM XF-85 on Red River paper

**Knife** · #1 03-17-2010, 04:37 PM

I just got my first ever shipment of Red River silver metallic paper, and thought a couple of Fiddler's Green models would be a good way to learn how to handle this strange medium.

Since there are two B-36 Peacemakers in this contest, I thought a XF-85 might be required to provide protection for them.

The Red River paper is shiny silver on one side, white on the other. It is thicker than printer paper, but thinner than normal cardstock. It looks thick enough to build any of the regular size Fiddler's Green models without having to laminate it to cardstock. It was designed specifically for dot matrix printers. The XF-85 is the first thing I printed with this paper, and the ink is holding up well during construction. I haven't sprayed any fixative on it, and the ink hasn't smeared during handling. I used the regular colored version of the model, wanting to see how the aluminium coloring on the model would look like on the silver paper.

The paper soaks up glue on the white surface, but the silver side seems slightly waterproof. This means that it distorts slightly when gluing tabs and such. For joining the fuselage sections together it's better to use an internal brace instead of the tabs. ANY glue will leave a blemish on the silver side, so use as little glue as possible to assemble the pieces.

The XF-85 model (100% WSAM) is a small model, the complete kit and instructions print out on one sheet. It has 17 pieces to complete the model. The shading on the pdf file shows up well on the silver Red River paper, as does all the insignia and markings.

The nose section was too large, and had to be trimmed to match the forward fuselage section. The Goblin has a lot of control surfaces sticking out of the fuselage, it's probably best to cut the slots out for the control surface tabs prior to shaping the fuselage segments and gluing them together.

**Knife** · #2 03-17-2010, 04:47 PM

The biggest complaint I have with the FG Goblin is that it has nothing in the fuselage to block the view from one end to the other. It needs a representation of an engine in the intake. Another strange feature of this model is that the fuselage seam is on the top of the model. Not really a problem since the canopy will cover most of the seam, but still a little strange.

The wing is composed of three pieces. I added a wooden craft stick inside the wing to give it some depth and to reinforce the wing since I don't fully trust the silver side tabs keeping the whole thing together. When I mated the wing to the fuselage, I had a gap on one side. So far I have two hours dedicated to this build.

**willygoat** · #3 03-17-2010, 08:19 PM

Knife-
I agree on your comment on being able to see through the model. When I built mine, I put in some bulkheads and an exhaust tube to close up the ends.

I also built up the hook to make it more real. It helps to have pictures of the real thing. The second prototype is here in town at the air and space mueum

**Paperwarrior** · #4 03-18-2010, 05:45 AM

Knife,

That is looking great! I'm building the XF-85 right now, too. Sadly, I didn't find out about Red River paper till after I'd started. The next one....

**Knife** · #5 03-18-2010, 06:11 AM

That's a nice looking model, willygoat. I like the way you did the hook. I would have added an internal bulkhead, but wanted to make this 100% stock. I'm sure the vast majority of builders would add something because it's so obvious. I just think that FG should have included it in the basic kit.

**Knife** · #6 03-18-2010, 04:01 PM

Here you can see the see-through fuselage and the gap I ended up between the left wing and the fuselage. I think the Red River paper has more spring to it, and that's why the gap formed. When you bend it to shape, it tends to flatten back out more than regular cardstock. I cut a small sliver of material out of the rudder/stab to allow it to fold more precisely.

**Knife** · #7 03-18-2010, 04:06 PM

Here's the final product. Overall I'm pleased with the kit and Red River metalic paper. By the way, the paper cost me $35 with postage for a 50 sheet pack. It was delivered by UPS two days after I placed the order. They are based out of Dallas, TX and their website is: Welcome to Red River Paper

**Paperwarrior** · #8 03-18-2010, 06:46 PM

Wow! That is looking great. I'll have to get some of that Red River.
Your Goblin came out well. Too bad about the "see through" of it. I've thought about making a couple of bulkheads for mine.

**willygoat** · #9 03-18-2010, 06:46 PM

That turned out great Knife! I agree with you on the cost of the paper. I just sprung for the 25 sheets and it cost me almost $30 with shipping. But, from what I've seen from guys like Billy, it's totally worth it :D I just printed off one of the FG P-51s to give it a try.

**Knife** · #10 03-18-2010, 07:33 PM

Yea, the P-51 should be a natural for this paper. I'm going to build the Pogo and Lockheed Salmon next. For the Pogo I'm going to treat the paper with clear floor polish before I assemble it to dull down the metal and hopefully protect it from glue blemishes. For the Salmon I'll try a flat clear spray paint. I'm trying all these experiments before tackling the Forest Shining Designs Mi-6.