Jeremy:   I've got a Powershot that has it's own ideas about what I want to focus on.  The way I get around this is to get as far back as I can, and use the zoom.  If the subject still fails to fill the frame,  I trim off the excess in Photoshop.  There should be more than enough pixels left for a decent web photo.

Richard

Jeremy, that's what I'm talin' bout!!! Make it look busy and fill empty spaces!! Well done!!

simpilot34

Jeremy, that's what I'm talin' bout!!! Make it look busy and fill empty spaces!! Well done!!

As for my first attempts using foil...... well... look for yourselves:

Still finding my way with this technique but i can say it is indeed great fun to do! Vetteman, i am glad you finally talked me into it. Slow going though...

Richard

Steven: I'm sorry to hear about your loss. You and your family are in my prayers.

As to seams I've been using Gunze Sangyo Mr. Surfacer as a seam filler and then spraying the finished model with a coat of 1000 or 1200. With a little sanding with super fine sandpaper it creates a nice slick surface for the paint. The more I work with it I'm tempted to skip the gloss black and apply the Alclad directly to the Mr. Surfacer.

Jeremy: The cockpit is perfect, I wouldn't change a thing!

really sorry to hear that aggie.

Hey guys, i picked up some foil adhesive over the weekend. Any tips or pitfalls i should be aware of working with it?

Thanks for everyone's well-wishes on our loss.  It's tough to deal with but I suppose I can look at it as God's way of saying that this is His way of saying this baby was better off with Him than with my wife and I.

I've been working pretty consistently the last few days on the B-36.  I'm really liking this kit despite its age and the vaguaries consistent with Monogram kits of the period.  Until tonight I had yet to encounter any terrible fit between parts - more on that shortly.

I sanded the seams some more, along with more filler of all the types I've already described, and I think I have it to an acceptable point now.  Perhaps there is a "sticky" area right atop the wing root, but I will have to do some more work along the wing roots anyway.

Now for the ill fit - one the wings did not align flush with the wing root!  There was a noticable lip right at the front of the port wing as it curves downward toward the wing's leading edge.  I had to pull the wing off and re-do it, and reset all the tape I have in place to effect the dyhedral.  I think I got it a bit closer with the Craftsman clamps I have latched on but there will definitely be some seam work all along the wing root area on both wings.

Finally the outboard jet engines.  These are like many Monogram kits - no interior detail, leaving a mile-wide gap easily visible to anyone looking inside the parts.  In this case someone peering in to the engine exhaust pipes would have seem a bunch of empty space.  It was never my intent to scratch the jet engines to fit inside the nacelles but I couldn't leave all that empty space.  So a trip to my spares box revealed some plastic tubing that was the perfect diameter to fit into the engine exhaust pipes.  Now if one is to look into those engines, they'll see the exhaust pipe receding into the nacelle parts, not empty space.

Steve you are coming along well on the big stick!!!!! Looking forward to more progress!!!

Jmabx man I cant believe I almost missed your WIP pictures The pit is outstanding ! The True Details resin kits just reek of fine detail and you made it pop wonderfully.  I like that you added the wires and such behind the IP so it doesnt look so empty there

Kermit yup I would say you have the idea there buddy, the foiling so far looks quite nicely done. Not to worry you will get faster the more you work with the foil and figure out how you can stretch and bend it a bit. I do have to admit I enjoy working with foil also, it takes more time but I find it relaxing somehow. So call me crazy LOL I think you will find the effort spent well worth it in the end. Cant wait to see the MiG Richard all shiny an stuff.

Aggieman that thing is a monster ! I am sure you will force it to submit to your will in the end, she is looking really good so far. The tubes in the engine nauticals is a great touch too as I dont like looking at a model I can see right through or into aqn empty cavity that shouldnt be empty.

Scorpiomikey

Hey guys, i picked up some foil adhesive over the weekend. Any tips or pitfalls i should be aware of working with it?

Scorpiomikey There arent all that many pitfalls, of course surface prep is a must because any imperfections will show up in a big way with foil. As I said earlier I like to apply the adhesive with a 1/4 inch wide soft brush thats been dipped in water then blotted on a paper towel. The glue will spread easier, try for a very thin coating with no puddling, as that will show up big time. Oh and do not burnish it with a q-tip the fibers find their way under the foil and look like spider webs under it. I like to use a dulled toothpick and eye makeup applicators the women use, the ones with the sponge on the end. There is a nice tutorial in the how to section of the forum here, you might want to check out. Other than that just take your time and have fun with it.

Guys I have been working on the AT-6 and have a bunch of WIP pictures just gotta get the software loaded on the computer then I can post them.

iv dropped a clanger the lightning isnt nmf at all lol i think iv got a 1/72 p51 in the stash

ps how do you use foil iv never heard of it?

...do not burnish it with a q-tip...

Ummm.....oookkkkk....

I do have a pack of those applicator sticks though... I can clearly remember the look on the face that the lady at the cosmetics department counter had when i bought them LOL. Guess there are not many guys that buy em

Thanks for the (q) tip Randy

Richard

EDIT:

Eatthis, In the "how to" section of this website there is a tutorial on working with foil that i found very helpful

Thanks guys... you're too kind!

Richard B - I never thought of using the zoom. My camera rarely leaves macro mode but I'll have to try it out. Thanks!

Kermit - Looking good my friend!!! That looks like it takes lots and lots of patience... ugh!

Steven - WOW... what a monster!!! I'm enjoying this!   Nice call on the engines too!

hey everyone,

I haven't been hitting the forum much lately and lots to catch up on

Aggieman- my condolences to you and your wife- no doubt a tough time. Nice job on your "monster"- it must have a wingspan close to a metre!

Kermit: nice foil job- I'm sure you'll have it down to a science in an hour or two.

jmabx: Incredible pit with nice detail!

I'm calling my Revell P-51d finished. I decided to weather this one a little more. I used leftover decals from my Tamiya P-51d I did for the last NMF build. I think I might take a break for a few days and then hit my FW 190 for that group build.

Thanks to everyone for all of the most excellent WIP photos and commentary- it has been a great learning experience! I think that for the next NMF GB (hint hint Vetteman!), I'll try a foil job- I'll keep an eye on Kermit's progress!

Outstanding work mate!!! Nicely not overdone weathering!!!! Just an all-round used look!!! And yes, the 1/72 B-36 is almost spot on a meter!!

Maxfax -- this is superb work! The old Revell kit comes up remarkably when handled by a highly competent modeller, and your finish is sharp and gorgeous! To use the old line from Blade Runner, "you've done a man's job, sir!"

Mike/TB379

Maxfax - That is one outstanding Mustang!   I do like the Mustang a lot (though the B-17 ranks slightly higher )

Could a NMF III be in the planning stages already?

Maxfax,

Suuuure...put more pressure on me....just great

Joking! I hope you can find inspiration looking at my fooling around LOL. Right now i am still fighting the foil more than i am working with it but Randy is helping me a bit behind the curtains (thanks alot buddy!) I will post pictures as soon as i have something worthwile to show.

 The mustang is absolutely gorgeous!! I picked up the same kit during my visit to the states last month and just hope that mine will turn out half as good as yours! Great work sir

Richard

Maxfax man I like your build .......a lot !!! Love the color scheme against the NMF, and the chipping and weathering is right on the money. Did you use the toothpick method for the chipping ?The detail in the open gun bay is outstanding to say the least.

I will have your build on the front page this evening, well done Sir, very well done

UPS brought me a present today - my two Hobbyboss Wildcats!

Initial impressions on a very brief inspection - I LOVE the fuselage detail. Outside the Eduard Hellcat that seems all too happy to let other kits cut in line, these might be some of the prettiest panel lines and rivets I've ever seen.

Must finish the Dauntless first...must finish the Dauntless first...

Thanks, Vetteman!

I used a silver pen I bought at an artists store. I always had trouble with the paint drying too quickly when using a toothpick. The pen is easy, and you can place the tiniest spec or a large blob!

Thanks Vetteman for hosting this group build, I learned alot and you always had some good advice. Hope to see you again with NMF III!

Rob

Maxfax That silver pen worked very well for you it surely did. The front page has been updated with your completed build I am happy to say. Hey what,  NMF III ??  I dunno Maxfax we will see

DoogsATX your Wildcats are listed on the front page, can't wait to see more yellow wings here.

Kermit hows your MiG coming along ?

I finally got my camera working on this computer so will have some WIP pictures of the AT-6 posted tomorrow along with a special build I did a few days ago.

Catching up with this GB:

Kermit – Wildcat looks great! Congrats on the finish.  And the Mig is coming aling nicely. You finish one build and start a second one in the time it takes me to make a pair of seat belts. lol

Gamera – B29 coming along nicely, great inside detailing

Aggieman – Sorry about your loss; best to you and your wife. B36 looks good, love the interior detailing you are doing.

MaxFax – congrats on the finish, they are gorgeous warbirds indeed. Hope my Revell P51 comes out half as nice as yours!

Jmabx – nice detail on the P59, lovely pit!

Slow build, work issues keeping me busy and away from the bench. A tad of a scratchbuild project. Masking tape which has been “brushed” with graphite powder shaved from a pencil. That will be the seatbelt material. Wire from inside an electrical cord, wrapped around a “D” shaped metal file, making the metal hooks. Implements:

I think the result is “ok to good”, a fun but long (couple hours) mini project. And yes, I have heard of PE seat belts. Lol Feedback and comments always welcome.

JMart they look good to me mate!!!

JMart

Slow build, work issues keeping me busy and away from the bench. A tad of a scratchbuild project. Masking tape which has been “brushed” with graphite powder shaved from a pencil. That will be the seatbelt material. Wire from inside an electrical cord, wrapped around a “D” shaped metal file, making the metal hooks. 

Digging those metal hooks! I've used PE seatbelts on both builds I've undertaken since starting up with modeling again, and I HATE them. Yeah, they look nice, but wrestling them into something resembling a natural position is a nightmare. I'll be going the tape route for sure next time. 

One thing I saw somewhere that came out looking really good is using a pencil to add stitching to the belts. 

EDIT - double post for some reason, no immediately apparent way to delete. My bad...

Jmart now those are what I call seat belts, very nice, in fact I will try that out on my next build. Bending the buckles drives me crazy not to mention my eyes though.

Ok guys I finally got the camera going on this computer so here come some WIP pictures of my Yellow Wing Texan.

The interior goodies I really like the detail in the Revell kit.

This is going to be a driver show plane so I just added a bit of pastel dust the the sides of the cockpit.

The fuse together and to tell the truth I was surprised I didn't have usual seam troubles I usually have with the Revell kits.

One from the top, you can see very little filler needed in the seam. I do have to clean up the seam around the cockpit walls.

Had to show a close up of the cockpit and IP. I didnt like the IP decals so I painted them, came out pretty well I think and they look used not brand new just as I wanted.

I had to use a bunch of clamps on the wing and ended up with minimal seem work to be done. It was mostly a matter of sanding flashing off around the wing tips and trailing edges.

The engine face OOB looks pretty good I just need to add a bit of wash and some plug wires. I havent had much time to work on the Texan the last week or so and hope to get it going this weekend.

Oh I did order the correct ejection seat for the Streak Eagle and should have that this week, now to find the right burner can with the turkey feathers. Although I am not really sure what the turkey feathers are

Nicefit I bet you are still in the lead on the T-6 build

Thanks for the comments about the seatbelts, glad it was of use to some. You can use a pair of tweezers to ‘pinch” a bit of the tape to simulate seat belt folds.

DoogsATX – Do you have a Michael’s Craft store near you? I use their 40-50% coupons to get supplies. They carry a line of good quality very fine pencils, drafting type, etc. You can use those to add the stitching (as you mention) as well as other details. I recently got couple of different shades of silver, will try them out to add weathering and ‘scratches” to the build.

Vetteman – Very nice job on the Texan; very good detail indeed for that old Revell kit! I think that is one kit we ALL have in the stash.

Randy, the turkey feathers are the petal-like panels that surround the exhaust nozzle. They are called that because of their shape. Although they were done away with on later models, there was still a row of titanium panels we called turkey feathers that went around the engine bays aft end that had a strap running through little stirrups that were simply there for aerodynamic reasons to make the transition from the fuse to the engine a bit more subtle. After the engine was installed the strap was tightened and they pulled down snuggly around the engine. Also the turkey feathers on early models were covers for all the linkages and actuators of the concentric nozzles. HTH

JMart

DoogsATX – Do you have a Michael’s Craft store near you? I use their 40-50% coupons to get supplies. They carry a line of good quality very fine pencils, drafting type, etc. You can use those to add the stitching (as you mention) as well as other details. I recently got couple of different shades of silver, will try them out to add weathering and ‘scratches” to the build.

I do indeed have a Michael's nearby, but I refuse to shop there. It's just a shadow of what it was when I used to buy paints and kits there growing up. Fortunately, there's a Hobby Lobby just as close, with a really great selection of Prismacolor pencils that are strangely locked behind glass.

I've got a Prismacolor silver among the tools right now...it's fantastic for weathering!