Gold Bare Metal Foil

I've used gold gift paper wrapping to go on my lunar module of the 1/96 Saturn V.  You can crumple it down and gluing it on the model, looks pretty good.

I'm pretty sure you'll have good results on your solar arrays.  You may also spray a thinned metallic blue over it or just a clear blue, I don't know, making suggestions here.

Bare Metal Foil suggests the Gold for model rockets, so sure, it would be a good thing to use!

The only thing I would question - most of the gold foil I've seen in spacecraft photos has a distinctly wrinkled look because it was intended as a thermal/reflective blanket, and that gave the craft (I'm mainly thinking of the LEM here) a distinctly "rumpled" appearance. I'm not sure how you would get that look with BMF since it tends to stick tenaciously to whatever it touches. Now for gold-toned panels or whatever that required a smooth look, yes, it would be perfect.

Since BMF also follows contours and details well, perhaps you can use a surfacing primer (Mr. Surfacer 500?) to detail the wrinkly bits before putting the foil on?

The large solar arrays are smooth with small straight lines. I have decided to do another coat of Tamiya Gold ( thinned more), as BMF is just to expensive. It would cost me $35 to do them in BMF.

I know what you are talking about with the wrinkly look. I would like to try to do this on other parts with aluminum foil. Its too hard for me as I've tried this to no success on the modules requiring this.

Its not coming out too bad though, all things aside.

It has been my longterm experience that when a metal paint is sprayed over with either future or MM gloss........that the paint will lose some of its metal looking qualities that we are trying for in the first place. So I will have to think about whether to overspray the gold to get more gloss effect. The Tamiya clear blue also looks like candy so I'm not too thrilled with it on large surfaces.

Comments welcome please.

For the solar arrays, I used image of real solar arrays printed on photo paper.  The result is quite convincing.  I still have to repair the array's frame but it will look awesome once on the model.  I'll take some pictures when its done, it could take a while tough.

I recently used copper BMF on the hull of a Heller 1/100 HMS Victory, and found it rather thick, inflexible and difficult to work with.

I think I'd prefer the thin gold foil that some chocolate bars are wrapped in, glued in place with Pritt.

Cheers,

Chris.

You know Yann that may be the answer I hadnt thought of that ..Phot paper and real printed photographs. I will have to think on that.

Chris yes I see the thickness of the stuff on that hull, thanks for posting that. The BMF gold in the hobby shop was unconvincing to me. Especially at 5.95 a sheet.

I am brush painting the detail on the modules very painstaking work and varying shades as well.

Its almost as if the solar arrays are a seperate model at this point. They will be a lot of work.
I'm quite pleased with this model so far and have added detail with evergreen strip and rod going by the NASA website for things that Revell left off.

Thanks Men