LetLetLet ~ Warplanes

Let Let Let - Warplanes => Aircraft Modeling => Topic started by: Second Air Force on March 05, 2010, 04:22:34 PM

Title: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on March 05, 2010, 04:22:34 PM
Since several of us have discussed NMF airplanes on Letipapa's Mystere IV A thread, we thought it would be nice to have a thread dedicated to ideas on how to make bare metal airplanes as realistic as we can. Everyone is invited to contribute all ideas as to preparation, materials, and methods that they use to get a proper finish for such airframes. Hopefully we can all learn from one another and increase the realism we all strive for.

I'll post this photo of a Falcon Vacuform F-89 that I built in the later 1980s as a starting point.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_0625.jpg)
I used Alclad and a product that I can no longer remember  :-/ for the finish on this model. The 1/1 airplane I replicated was a rather tired machine and the skin was no longer the bright, polished finish of a new bird, hence the finish I was trying to achieve. I'll post some techniques and a few other photos later, but other duties call!

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Letipapa on March 06, 2010, 01:27:08 AM
Wow! This is so good! :-eek :-eek :-eek :-obey :-clap :-clap :-clap :-clap :-clap :-clap
It really has the gloomy shine:-wave
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on March 06, 2010, 09:13:41 AM
Surface inspection

First at all I would like to congratulate to our friend Second Air Force for starting this great subject and I have set it sticky for a some time as well it definitely worth it :-flo

In this installment I would like to give some different approach to the use of the metal paints and this is based on the experience of the local fellow modelers. It is well known that in great value to the quality final finish depend on the same surface preparation. But it happen that even if we give our best to fill all the gaps, seal all joints and smoothed surface as much as perfect, that when we start to paint it, that some of the omissions and errors become visible in that moment. There is colors which less show thats in-corrections and there is paint who show them better. Definitely the top one color to show surface imperfections is the silver! Any silver paint will show you on surface if you miss anything. So this mean that in other hand this could be also help in finding errors.

On suggestions of our forum friends Samuraj77 and tenk I have buy one non modeling products, this is Cosmos Lac High Heat silver spray. Its principal use is to cover up heating surfaces and pipes and it is very fast drying, surface excellent adhere properties and it could resist temperature up to 700C!. It come in can of 450 ml volume and as well it cost some under 5€ and it excellent coverage make it best buy.

It is used as thin coat spray over the surface and due to the high shine it shows excellent whole surface details and you can spot any trouble details, including of bad surface shaping (this could happen when try to correct surface shape with filler). I recommend that, if you spot any trouble, to fine sand it, recommended sand paper is 1500 of 1500 grit, and sand down area and correct it with the way need for it.

Sample build for that method is Lightning:

http://www.letletlet-warplanes.com/2009/12/28/eduard-lightning-f-mk-1a/

Cheers :-wave
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on March 08, 2010, 05:31:36 PM
See, I've already learned about a new product!  :-ok Keep the ideas coming, folks.

I apologize for not yet doing anything with this thread. I've been trying to figure out how not to bore everyone or tell y'all stuff that you already know all too well. :-blah :-blah :-blah

When I start a NMF project the first thing I have to do is plan. There are some kits out there that have so many flaws that the project would take years just to make the parts fit, much less to get a smooth enough finish for bare aluminum. The second consideration I make is the markings I want to replicate. My NMF methods require that I paint any anti-glare panels, radomes, deicer boots, etc. before the aluminum.

Once the planning and collecting of kit and other materials is done, the building process goes on as with any other kit with the exception of fixing ALL defects in the seams, panel lines, fit of turrets, canopies, etc. Quite often I've just sanded all the panel lines off (especially the raised kind) during the filling process and rescribed them lightly later.

For studying the quality of all my surfaces, and especially the seams, I use a grey lacquer auto body primer, dusted on with the airbrush in very light coats so as not to attack the plastic. I then use the red oxide auto primer and dust on another light coat, just enough to make the surface red. I use this as a "guide coat" to wet sand with 600 grit or so. All the flaws will show through as either high (grey) or low (red) primer. Sometimes I can go back with more spray coats of primer and wet sanding to fill the flaws, sometimes it takes some spot filler to correct the problem. Once I'm fully satisfied with the entire surface of the model I can move on to the final stage, applying the paint and aluminum.

More later,
Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on March 08, 2010, 05:52:01 PM
Quote
I apologize for not yet doing anything with this thread

Oh no! House is built from many bricks! You have give fine enough for this thread and during the time this will build up in great source of info. Just wait to see what other members do (for example Profa used some cosmetic tool to make outstanding metal surface!!!)...

 :-clap
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on March 16, 2010, 06:13:35 PM
Ok,

Here's how I apply Bare Metal foil. Sorry about the photo quality, and the foil I have is probably ten years old, so this is a poor representation of the process. As the foil ages on the backing paper it seems to become more fragile and tears easily when removing it. New sheets fresh from the hobby shop should give good results. I use "Chrome", not "Ultra Bright Chrome" because it is more representative of shiny alclad and conforms better. "Matte Aluminum" is good for alternating panel shades on relatively flat surfaces. I use Alclad or Testors Metalizer for various areas depending on shading, shape, etc.

First, and most important, is a perfect, glass smooth surface. Any seams, scratches, etc will really show up when the foil is smoothed out.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_0635.jpg)

Next, use a metal straight edge and a BRAND NEW X-acto blade to cut a panel to roughly the size you require:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_0636.jpg)

Now pick up a corner of the foil with the BRAND NEW blade and carefully peel it off the sheet:
[(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_0637.jpg)

Apply the foil to the area you want to cover, being very careful not to fold or kink the foil in the process:
[(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_0638.jpg)

Now smooth the foil carefully across the entire surface, and I use a fingernail to slowly insert the material into all panel lines:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_0639.jpg)

This step is a bit more difficult on vacuform models due to the panel lines on vacuform being less distinct than on injected kits. If you're careful, you can use a flexible ruler to wrap around the fuselage in order to maintain straight panel lines. I use the fresh blade to trim down the panel lines on the kit and remove the material not needed:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_0640.jpg)

Simply repeat this process to add panels across the airplane, being careful to smooth the foil with a soft cloth from time to time. In this example I used Chrome and Matte Aluminum to get the varying panel coloration:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_0650.jpg)

If you aren't satisfied with a particular area, you can carefully remove the foil with a fingernail or soft tool. Clean off all adhesive that may remain before putting on the next sheet:


There you have it, one guy's way to do NMF aircraft. Practice makes perfect as in any hobby, but I've had good luck with this system. Three things to remember: Absolutely smooth surface; BRAND NEW X-acto blades; and fresh Bare Metal foil.

Here is a Fokker 100 done with the BareMetal method:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_0021.jpg)

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: samuraj77 on March 16, 2010, 09:14:38 PM
Excellent  :-clap :-clap :-clap
And the Fokker-100  :-love
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on March 16, 2010, 09:17:58 PM
Very informative  :-clap And this worth to highlight:

Three things to remember: Absolutely smooth surface; BRAND NEW X-acto blades; and fresh Bare Metal foil
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on March 17, 2010, 06:55:41 AM

And the Fokker-100  :-love

I used to work on the full-sized version of that little fellow, in fact, on that actual tail number several times.

S
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Letipapa on April 06, 2010, 01:07:57 PM
Ha! Great :-clap :-clap :-clap
I do not now do we have those metal foils her in Belgrade in the modeling shops, I should ask for that.
But until than, I am interested how to get slight differences just using the paint. I know that I can add some small amount of black or maybe white to make it darker or lighter, but does it work that way? :-think

May be I should experiment with few different Al colors? :-think
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on April 06, 2010, 09:34:32 PM
Letipapa,

I once used silver paint with a tiny touch of light grey in it to darken it. It did change shades a little bit but it seemed to lose the "metal" look in the process.

I have had good success with these Testors metal finishes. I don't know if you're able to buy any of these products in Europe, but they work really, really well. All of these products (except the "Silver" on the top left) are ready to airbrush right out of the bottle. You MUST use a perfectly clean airbrush and bottle with a screen on the pickup tube, and it will take several bottles of paint to do very large models. The sealer is recommended if you're going to mask over the paint, but I don't always use it as a final clear coat.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_4698.jpg)

Here are two more products. The small bottle of Metalizer gives much the same results as the Testors products. The SNJ system is a bit different in that it consists of the spray on material and a bottle of actual aluminum powder that you apply and rub in to the surface to give the aluminum finish.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_4699.jpg)

And my favorite, the BareMetal Foil.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_4700.jpg)

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Letipapa on April 06, 2010, 10:20:41 PM
Hey, Scott, thank you :-flo :-flo :-flo
There are Testors metalizers in the shops here and I think I'll try something with them. Only there is the fact that I already sprayed with auto lacquer (to see all mistakes), so I am thinking is the surface good enough. Anyway, there is a lot of sanding waiting me on Mystere. When I finish it, do I need to put something on before I use this metalizers.

For the rest of the products I do not think its easy to find in Belgrade, allthough it could be.
 :-wave
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on April 06, 2010, 11:06:36 PM
Auto lacquer should be a good sub-surface finish for the Testors products. I use lacquer auto body primers, both grey and red oxide, as the base for the Testors Metalizer Lacquer. If you spray the Metalizer directly onto bare plastic use a very light dusting coat first to "seal" the softer plastic from the Metalizer thinner. The Testors materials are all very "hot" and will etch plastic easily if you lay it on thickly. Don't ever spray Metalizer over enamel--it will lift the enamel just like an application of paint stripper. (I know from experience....... :-red)

It's actually quite hard to spray a thick coat of this paint as it is extremely thin and covers well. The fact that the coats should go on thin makes it very important to handle finished models with cloth gloves--the Metalizer can be affected by the oils in our skin and frequent handling. One of the good things about these products is that it is relatively easy to fix little problems by overspraying worn areas with a new coat and burnishing/polishing it to match the surrounding surface.

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on April 06, 2010, 11:11:25 PM
SNJ are among the first to appear on market many years ago. I have never use it but do have used Testors products. There is also some old products, not available today like a Liqui a Plate and Rub N Buff. Did anybody use them?

Cheers :-ok
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on April 06, 2010, 11:20:35 PM
I used Liqui-Plate on the vacuform F-89 I started this thread with. That was the product I couldn't remember the name of...... :-roll It worked pretty much the same as the other products as I recall all these years later. I still have the "How To" book that came with the Liqui-Plate and it is quite thorough. I don't think I used Rub N Buff but I do remember the name.

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on April 07, 2010, 05:28:36 PM
Thank you mate ;) I hope that I will soon have one plastic kit where I will demonstrate my way of metal finishes and add it to this subject.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on April 07, 2010, 07:37:47 PM
Letipapa,

Here is a completed model (Horace Carswell's B-24J) that I used foil, Testors Metalizer, and Alclad on.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_0033a.jpg)
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_0029.jpg)

The largest portion of the model is BareMetal Foil. The variation in panel shading is done by applying the foil with the grain in different directions. The vertical fins and many of the other compound curves are done with the spray-on products, using different shades for the variation. For example, the cowlings are entirely Testors Aluminum Plate but the nacelles are a combination of foil and paint. The wing trailing edge panels are also primariy painted on.

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on April 07, 2010, 08:54:28 PM
Scott- did you ever take a part in any model competition with this nice build metal kits? They are fascinating looking :-clap
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on April 07, 2010, 09:10:37 PM
I actually built that B-24 for part of a group project for the IPMS Nationals in Dallas, Texas a number of years ago. Our group built models of aircraft in which crewmen earned the Medal Of Honor. I've shown some of my airplane models over the years, including the vacuform F-89. The funny thing about the F-89 was that I finished it just before Monogram/Revell released their 1/48th Scorpion kit! :-bat

I used to show superdetailed NASCAR stock car models on a national level back in the 1990s but I've retired from that side of the hobby and come back to aircraft modeling in the past seven or eight years.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_0609.jpg)

Unfortunately I never get much modeling done! :-/

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on April 07, 2010, 09:21:03 PM
Windshield frame done in metal foil or SNJ? It look very realistic :-ok
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Jicehem on April 08, 2010, 10:46:43 PM
Hi mates,  :-salut

Years ago I used Rub n'Buff but I find it's too white. Before Rub n'Buff I used Abt's aluminium powder, a french product which was issued in the late 1960s. This system was re-issued by SNJ...
Nowadays I simply use Humbrol's Metalcoat Polished Aluminium that I handbrush. After 30 minutes of drying I polish Metalcoat with Abt or SBJ aluminium powder. The rendering is amazing.

(http://i67.servimg.com/u/f67/10/07/63/16/100_3310.jpg) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=848&u=10076316)

(http://i67.servimg.com/u/f67/10/07/63/16/100_3311.jpg) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=849&u=10076316)

(http://i67.servimg.com/u/f67/10/07/63/16/100_3312.jpg) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=850&u=10076316)

Cheers,

Jicehem   :-wave :-wave
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on April 09, 2010, 03:30:02 AM
No.1, the windshield frame is part of the chrome tree on the Monogram convertible kit, so I can't take credit for that one!

Jicehem, that is beautiful. It's also exactly why I started this thread, so I could learn something!!! I thought that SNJ was originally a European invention and you confirmed my belief. That really seems to work great.

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on April 09, 2010, 04:10:01 AM
Another edition, this time from the Y1B-17 project:

More filing, filling, sanding, and priming brought out some more low and high spots on what I thought was a smooth surface.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_4709.jpg)

Another coat of primer and some block sanding, and this was the result, better but the flaws will still show up badly with NMF:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_4711.jpg)

Finally got a smooth contour on both sides of the forward fuselage on the fourth attempt. After cleaning up the window openings, scribing all the panel lines, and working on the interior these two halves will be ready to attach to the center section:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_4713.jpg)

I use a bit of "bad" foil to verify that all the flaws are no longer visible. This piece has been applied to several areas, accounting for the rough look of the surface. I use it as a guide to see that all my dimples and high spots are gone, or they'll show up on the finished product.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_4719.jpg)

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Jicehem on April 09, 2010, 08:24:04 AM
Hi mates,

Unfotunately, SNJ powders seem to not more exist...
Another rendering of polishing Metalcoat Polished Aluminium. You can also polish the Matt Aluminium for which the rendering will be less brillant.

http://www.letletlet-warplanes.com/forum/makete-aviona-aircraft-modeling/f-100d-super-sabre-1314/

The following link shows my very beginning in NMF which consisted in Testor's spray aluminium lightly polished with aluminium powder :

http://www.letletlet-warplanes.com/forum/makete-aviona-aircraft-modeling/f-100d-super-sabre/

Cheers,

Jicehem
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Letipapa on April 11, 2010, 10:51:56 PM
Scott, that Horace Carswell's B-24J is amazing :-eek Impressive work; different shining of panels, wonderfull :-obey :-obey :-obey :-clap :-clap :-clap

Jicehem, metal glow on your Mirage has one special elegant, little dark tone. Very serious, remarkable. :-obey :-obey :-obey :-clap :-clap :-clap

Thank you both for sharing your experiences. :-flo :-wave
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on April 12, 2010, 07:46:19 PM
I have finally get one kit for the metal finish and I will place this part of build here :-wave
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Letipapa on April 14, 2010, 07:31:30 PM
Great No1 :-ok
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on April 19, 2010, 07:38:23 PM
Lets continue with standard way of the metal surface finishing with some of the tips. In one of my last post in this thread I have said that I will use one Spitfire for the demo but in meantime I get one amazing kit of the Zlin aerobatic plane and as well it is made in shiny metal, I have decided to use this one.

Our friend Second Air Force have noted that smooth and clear surface is of the ultimate importance when going to do project like this. Metallic color have different properties then the other so if any error are present on surface, with metallic top coat, this error will be much focused. So first thing is to prepare surface.

First three images present assembly section of the Zlin kit, this is fuselage with wings ad the engine cowling. What you will definitely note is the gaps on some area and this will be problem. My approach to the filling of this area is specific and for the first coat I use liquid filler. We all know Gunze Sangyo and its excellent product Mr. Surfacer. For this operation I use 500 grit sample and apply it with hand brush all over the join lines of the kit as well some possible problematical areas. Question is- why liquid filler first?

Reason lay in the physical nature of the surfaces. You have to note that all gaps are small. Second thing is that there could also invisible layer of the dust. If you apply regular filler there, it is possible that dust will avoid the filler to contact with surface and this will result in weak surface cover and it will crack later during sanding. Even if you clean up with some fluid this area and make it clean before filler, you will have situation that filler will trap the micro balloons of air underneath and this will also cause problem during later sanding.

Best approach is to first apply liquid filler and it will goes into smallest holes and after it dry, you will make with easy regular filler coat and this will make perfect filler coat over the surface. My choice for filler is the Tamya... I am sure that many of you know for it.

The fourth image show the kit with coat of the liquid filler. After that I have add regular filler and sand it to the perfect possible shape. Is it perfect, this will be find in following step.

Next step is the spray of the liquid filler. I like to use spray can with Gunze Surfacer 1200 and I have coat all of the surface of the kit. Principal designation of this type of filler is to find all surface irregularity, cover all scratches and make good base for later painting.

Will be continued...
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: samuraj77 on April 19, 2010, 08:13:47 PM
Very usefull topic lads
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Letipapa on April 21, 2010, 12:10:00 AM
Absolutely! :-clap :-clap :-clap :-clap :-clap :-clap :-ok
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on April 25, 2010, 04:33:47 PM
Just two images in this post. The first one show that some areas are sanded as well they show some surface imperfections. Most important is that model get canopy over it as well the same kit is under preparation to be painted. What I did not use is the few of the small parts as well they would be damaged during the polishing process so they will be fit at the very end. Another image show basic coat before aluminum spray- White Base, this is one of the great Gunze Sangyo product. It is very good coat for every paint and excellent for the metallic.

 :-wave
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on April 25, 2010, 04:48:33 PM
No.1,

Does the Gunze white allow you to paint lacquer-based finishes on top of it? I like the overall finish it gives and would like to try it on my project.

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on April 25, 2010, 05:22:57 PM
As I know it allow use of the enamel based paints but if need I can make some additional test, just let me know type of paints you use as well type of thinner.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on May 09, 2010, 10:56:34 AM
To regret my bottles of the Testor polishing metalizers has expired and as well it is not easy here to get replacement so easy, I decide to use classic enamel based Testors based paint. This is very good series of paints and I know that many modelers prefer their use. Before I have coat the kit with this paint, which need no polishing, I have dry sand whole surface with sand paper of Swiss manufacturer SIA, which is excellent product. I use 1600 grit and it is excellent to remove any dust or any other agents which is merge to the surface. After smoothing of all surface I have spray paint. Result as well images of products are here.

 :-flo
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on May 09, 2010, 05:48:29 PM
No.1,

If the "thinner" has dried up in your Metalizer products but there is a lot of the solid pigment still in the bottom of the bottle you may be able to use lacquer thinner to re-suspend the pigment. I've been forced to use lacquer thinner to revive a couple of bottles with good success.

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on May 10, 2010, 06:59:48 AM
Good to know- thank you :-flo Only good thing in this case is that I have use material which is also available so this fit somehow to the topic.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on May 10, 2010, 07:13:45 PM
I'm thinking of dusting off a 1/72 Tamiya P-47 that I started years ago so I can actually contribute to this thread. If only I knew where I stored it! :-think

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Letipapa on May 12, 2010, 11:50:23 AM
 :-ok :-ok :-ok
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on May 15, 2010, 09:50:12 PM
I found my P-47 and it is raining all weekend, so I may get a start on this project tonight and tomorrow. :-jump

I'll be building the NMF airplane in the photo, a D that was assigned to Bruning Army Air Field in Nebraska as a training aircraft. Ellen and I have spent many hours walking on what remains of Bruning AAF so this model will be a connection to our home state. It's hard to see from the picture, but the Jugs have only two guns per wing for training purposes.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_4872.jpg)

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on May 15, 2010, 09:53:57 PM
This is interesting subject! What is the cowling color?
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on May 15, 2010, 10:01:50 PM
Insignia red cowling.

The most interesting thing about the markings on this P-47 is that the factory painted the national insignia on the fuselage too far aft to put the standard ETO squadron codes on. Notice that the forward bar of the insignia is not painted onto the intercooler exhaust doors but is completely aft of the doors. This pushed the aft bar so far back that no letter could be applied. The insignia was repainted on combat aircraft, I don't know if it was done in-theatre or at mod centers. I also don't know if all the factories applied them this way or not.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on May 15, 2010, 10:12:22 PM
As I know this is not the first case of this offset markings position. This is what modeling making mo' interesting :-ok What is the serial on tail?
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on May 15, 2010, 10:30:40 PM
Y36 was a P-47D-20RA built at the new Republic plant at Evansville. The serial is 43-25372.

One interesting thing about the Thunderbolts assigned to Bruning was that they got a lot of "oddballs". They had Curtiss-built Gs and the second prototype of the bubbletop variant ended up as a trainer there.

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on May 16, 2010, 07:42:25 AM
Thank you for info  :-razz Here you are little support to your build ;)
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on May 16, 2010, 04:45:23 PM
Beautiful three-view, No.1!

I can't decide if the small red panel just behind the cowling is truly red or fresh olive-drab to match the rest of the anti-glare panel in the photo. I'm thinking it was a replacement part in green, but I may use the red as you've done it.

These training airplanes were flown very hard and the maintenance crews were faced with shortages of spare parts. The Base Historical Records tell of not being able to get parts and tires because priority went to the combat zones first, then CONUS training stations. Bruning nearly had to cease flying for a short time because no tailwheel tire inner tubes could be gotten.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on May 16, 2010, 04:54:27 PM
No matter of what paint you are going to use, I am sure that build will be top one. By the way- did US use during the forties P-26 for training? I ask because I think that I have seen some of them on operational airfield and in fresh condition.

Sorry for off topic :(
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on May 16, 2010, 06:02:08 PM
I believe the P-26s were used in the very early part of the war for some training duties and as "personal" airplanes in a few cases. They were also used in maintenance training schools for a time and I've seen pictures of them in standard olive drab/neutral grey camouflage in a Chanute maintenance school hangar.

The Filipino air arm fought bravely with their P-26s against the Japanese in the early days of the Pacific war, also.

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on May 16, 2010, 06:27:09 PM
Thank you mate :-ok
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on November 17, 2010, 06:15:46 PM
I dug out the little P-47 I am using for practice with my NMF methods. Most of the surface preparation is done now. Next will be painting the anti-glare panel and dusting a little primer on the various seams to verify that there are no gaps. This Tamiya kit fits so well that almost no filler is necessary.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_5776.jpg)

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on November 17, 2010, 06:45:18 PM
Tamya is perfect for this! I like it :)
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on November 17, 2010, 07:00:18 PM
I made a lot of extra work for myself when I was painting the yellow chromate on the wheelwells and the cockpit green. This was originally going to be an O.D./neutral grey paint scheme but I decided to use it as a NMF practice kit. I've done a lot of sanding to smooth the yellow and green you see sprayed all over. If I'd known I was going to do NMF I would have very carefully masked off the skin so I wouldn't have oversprayed it.

S
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Letipapa on December 07, 2010, 09:17:36 PM
 :-clap :-clap :-clap
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on December 17, 2010, 03:51:55 AM
I finally got back to this project yesterday evening. I originally wanted to use both Metalizer and foil on this kit. I practiced with a little foil and found that the very delicate engraving of the Tamiya kit is nearly obscured by the foil. Since I didn't want to hide the beautiful molding I decided to go entirely with Metalizer. Here is a series of shots after applying the aluminum before buffing began. The little sheet of cloth on my hand in photo 1 is the polishing pad I use.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_5871.jpg)

These two are of the masking of the rudder. All of the primary flight controls were masked off before buffing the surfaces so as to get a contrasting sheen on the various parts. The same process is used to get the different shades on the other parts of the airplane.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_5874.jpg)
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_5875.jpg)
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_5879.jpg)

I'll do some different shaded panels next installment.

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on December 17, 2010, 09:13:58 AM
Always forget to ask- how the paint apply on the metal foil?
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on December 17, 2010, 12:27:05 PM
I have painted BareMetal foil many times, but usually to use it for canopy framing (I'll show my technique for that soon). I simply sand with very fine sandpaper and paint whatever color I need. As far as painting it on the airplane, it can be done but you MUST use very "unsticky" tape or liquid masking agent for masking or the tape will tear and lift the foil when you remove it.

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on December 17, 2010, 03:32:12 PM
Thank you mate :)
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on December 20, 2010, 01:43:11 AM
As promised, here is one method I use for canopy framing using painted BareMetal foil.

I first cut off a swatch of foil big enough to do the canopy I'm working on. Then I tape it to a popsickle stick and sand it lightly with 2400 grit sandpaper. When I paint the fuselage top color I paint this foil at the same time. To apply it to the canopy I just use a metal straightedge and a brand new X-Acto blade to cut the foil into strips the right width for the frames I'm working on.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_5884.jpg)

Then it's a simple matter to pick up the strips and apply them to the canopy.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_5885.jpg)
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_5886.jpg)

 Occasionally I need to touch up small areas where the paint might come off and leave the silver, and in some cases I actually scrape the paint off in high wear areas to replicate chipping/flaking paint. Here's the little training P-47 canopy after framing but before final installation and touch-up:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_5889.jpg)

One word of warning when using this method--if the canopy interior can be seen on the finished product the framing will be silver on the inside. In that case it may be better to mask and paint the framing rather than using the foil method.

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on December 20, 2010, 02:02:11 AM
I like this way and maybe the same could be used for interior. My method is old fashioned but I would like to try tis one.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on December 23, 2010, 01:48:41 AM
Here's a quick photo after making some contrasting panels by buffing. I'm not entirely satisfied with it as there is very little difference in the panel shades. I'll probably mask and respray some panels with a slightly different shade of aluminum.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_5902.jpg)

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on December 23, 2010, 07:58:44 AM
This is correct, even new samples show great difference in the panels shade
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Sall on December 23, 2010, 02:52:37 PM
A perfect combination of colors. :-eek I really like the camouflage. :-love :-love :-love
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Letipapa on January 01, 2011, 12:04:03 PM
This work with painted Al foil strips on a canopy - it's amazing :-eek One must be so precise :-think
Wonderful  :-clap :-clap :-clap and Al is great of course, thanks man :-flo :-wave
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on February 06, 2011, 05:39:57 PM
Here is the finished P-47 project. I may do just a little exhaust staining and I don't seem to have any Curtiss Electric decals for the propeller blades, but I'm looking.......
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_6191.jpg)

I want to thank everyone on this forum for inspiring me to FINALLY FINISH A MODEL!!!!!!!!!! This is the first completed modeling project in nearly ten years, and the first aircraft since our group build for the 2000 IPMS Nationals in Dallas.

Scott
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Sall on February 06, 2011, 05:59:50 PM
Hey mate,it looks great!
Do you want open topic in Aircraft Modeling,and show us some big photos of this wonderful project?
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on February 06, 2011, 08:26:08 PM
I suppose I could start a new subject thread and link it to the NMF discussion. There isn't much to this build--I started with a Tamiya kit so there isn't a lot to talk about! I just glued it together and painted it--it was more of a NMF practice kit than anything.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on February 16, 2011, 04:11:21 AM
Just a quick entry showing another of my many uses for BareMetal Foil--as a masking material. I simply apply foil and trim the edge with a new X-acto blade, rub it down firmly, and paint the part. Here's a tire from my bomb trailer:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_6245.jpg)
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_6249.jpg)

BareMetal works great and doesn't leave any residue on painted surfaces if you're careful. It gives a very sharp edge if trimmed carefully.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Profa on February 24, 2011, 04:25:37 PM
Today I experimented a little with NMF simulation on the wing of Nieuport XVII :)
First, I had to prepare the wing in order to check how paint would adhere to differently smoothed base. Therefore everything was sanded with water, using papers graded as written and polished using both fine and superfine sides of MaxFactor manicure stick.

Model Master 1401 aluminium metalizer was throughly shaked, and I have used paint from the cap.
All the paintwork was done by my old trusty companion on the pics - Winsor & Newton Special Value No.1, five years old :-salut

Surface was painted using short and curt strokes, going in both up-down and left-right directions, holding brush in different angles to the surface, from almost horisontal to almost vertical.
When I got to the end of the wing with the first coat, shaking the bottle few more times in the process, I have immediately started the second coat. There was obviously enough time for the first coat to dry, since I didn't have any problem with it.

To conclude: the best coat was definitely on the superfine polished-surface.
Area sanded with 1500 grit can't be taken into account since I made a mistake using paint from the bottle and not from the lid. This was already a little shrugged, and this obviously isn't the way to go...

This way I have already painted F-100 (pic in-progress) and F-84:
(http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa189/jaka013/projekti/skola/th_NMFm06.jpg) (http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa189/jaka013/projekti/skola/NMFm06.jpg)(http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa189/jaka013/projekti/HB%20F-84G/th_1-m21.jpg) (http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa189/jaka013/projekti/HB%20F-84G/1-m21.jpg)
http://www.letletlet-warplanes.com/forum/makete-aviona-aircraft-modeling/hobby-boss-172-republic-f-84g-thunderjet-sfrj/

I'm sorry, but pics are not of the best quality. They nevertheless show the most interesting features...
So, this is my way of simulating NMF, with which I'm more than pleased :-wave
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on May 27, 2011, 08:14:56 PM
How about a posting of mistakes made? I'm working on a natural metal Zero on the Japan Group Build as frequent LLL members know. A few days ago I sprayed the flight control surfaces with Model Master buffing aluminum and then sealed them with the NMF sealer also from MM. This morning I masked all the flight controls with low-tack tape prior to spraying the next coat on the airframe. I used this Scotch brand tape and took the precaution of making it even less sticky by rubbing my fingers over the adhesive repeatedly.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_7205.jpg)

I tested the tape on an area and it seemed to be fine. When I was removing the masking I found that the sealer stripped off of the left side of the rudder.......
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_7198.jpg)
The right and all other surfaces turned out fine.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_7200.jpg)

Apparently I didn't "de-sticky" the tape quite enough on the rudder half. In the next installment I'll show how simple it can be to repair such damage if it should occur.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on May 27, 2011, 08:32:18 PM
Nice approach!!!
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on May 27, 2011, 08:36:54 PM
I think I need to try that Tamiya tape sooner than I thought!
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Profa on May 27, 2011, 08:52:03 PM
Yep, Tamiya is less adhesive than Scotch, especially after "de-stickyng"...
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on May 28, 2011, 06:33:02 PM
I managed to repair the damaged rudder coating over morning coffee today. First I "de-de-stickied" :-roll some more tape and affixed it to paper towel segments for masking.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_7208.jpg)
Then it was a simple matter to lightly sand the rudder with 8000 grit Micromesh sanding cloth and respray with the Metalizer and a coat of sealer. The bright trim tab is Chrome BareMetal foil.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_7210.jpg)

As a further example of the different shades and textures that you can accomplish with just one bottle of Metalizer, here is the outer wing panel of the A6M5. The leading edge is MM Buffing Aluminum (not polished), the center portion is the same shade but polished with a soft cloth embedded with aluminum powder, and the aileron is, again, the same shade, this time not polished and given a coat of MM Metalizer Sealer.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_7214.jpg)

This shading is quite subtle, and hard to see from some angles, but worth the extra masking, I think.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on May 29, 2011, 06:16:46 AM
The canopy of the NMF Zero is a good example of using unpainted foil for the framing. First photo shows (sorry about the photo quality) a large piece of foil laid onto the compound curvature of the rear canopy section. Once the foil is burnished down the molded in frame lines are easy to use as a guide for cutting out the clear portions with a new X-acto blade.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_7224.jpg)

The balance of the framing was done with separate strips as shown on the P-47 project a page or two ago.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_7225.jpg)
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Sall on May 29, 2011, 10:46:22 AM
 :-clap :-clap :-clap :-clap
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Sall on July 27, 2011, 08:23:37 PM
Thank you for answer and explanation!! :-flo One more thing that i learned today! :-tri

http://www.testors.com/category/145620/Metalizer_Enamel_Paint
There is non buffing paints,and can be order! ;) Price 4 $!
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on October 02, 2011, 06:02:11 PM
Another quick masking-with-foil example: This is the spinner for a Romanian Bf-109 I'm currently working on. First painted the white, then masked that 1/3rd, then the yellow tip and masked it, then the black.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_8329.jpg)
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on October 02, 2011, 06:07:05 PM
:-ok
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on April 07, 2013, 04:13:56 PM
Ellen and I went to a (very) small contest yesterday and found this RB-47 on display.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/IMG_1620_zps0153d94a.jpg)

This is a nice example of using various materials to achieve a NMF finish. I didn't talk to the builder or see any description of how the model was painted, but thought it would be a nice example of natural metal for our thread. The kit, incidentally, started as a Hasegawa B-47E in 1/72 but I am not sure who manufactured the conversion.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on April 07, 2013, 04:18:34 PM
Nice work! And how was at contest? Regarding to this great kit seen there, it was not small at all!
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on April 07, 2013, 04:35:57 PM
Sorry to say, the contest was very poorly attended for a town the size of Tulsa. This was the only multi engined airplane at all, and only a few entrants in other classes. Nice people and good show venue, but not many builders to compete, probably twenty aircraft in all IPMS classifications. This, to my eye, was the best military model in attendance.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on April 07, 2013, 04:40:55 PM
Very small to regret :(
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on September 12, 2013, 12:13:57 PM
Here you are simply instruction how to make metal peel of area on the aircraft surface. First at all, you need to spray some good surface on the top, in this case this is Base White. Next to do is to make very smooth surface and use 4000 to 6000 grit sanding paper. After that spray coat of silver paint. Spray it on surface where you need to do peel of paint and it is important to check out available images for precise details. When silver paint is completely dry, spray a thin coat of hair style spray. It need to dry from 10 minutes up to 30 minutes maximum. After that spray camouflage colors over, single or several, no problem at all.

When top coat of paint is dry, take short and strong brush (most of those for classic oil painting are like that) and with a little water, 'brush' over surface with a stronger pressure. Very soon you will see top color is removing and bottom silver is start to appear. Change brush size, movement and pressure in order to get specific shape of damaged paint.

Model by Tweety
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on September 12, 2013, 05:14:14 PM
Another excellent method to get this effect! I would never have thought of hair spray but it makes perfect sense now that y'all have shown it!
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on September 12, 2013, 06:08:01 PM
This method is used on many of my builds ;)
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on September 12, 2013, 06:37:15 PM
This is how you did the Typhoon recently? Now my eyes are opened!!! :-eek
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on September 12, 2013, 06:48:41 PM
Yes, Typhoon is did n+in that way. Just a note- I use acrylic paints, no idea how this could work with enamels :(
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Tweety on September 25, 2013, 09:29:39 PM
This is the best method for modeling ,but for hair it's a hell .  ;) :-flo
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on October 26, 2014, 01:37:49 PM
Dear friends,

lets share some tips in work with Alclad metalizers. I am new with this product but after I have try them, hardly that I can change it for some time. here you are set of the aluminum paints which will be used on this P-75. Lets first note some basic for work with Alclad.

Surface of the kit must be absolute smooth, at need sand it with best filler few times to fill possible gaps and scratches. I use Gunze Sangyo Diluted Putty and it work great. Final sanding of surfaces have to be made with at least 1500 grit paper and finer. Spray basic coat of black surfacer, Alclad have its own and I have used there black surfacer from Gunze Sangyo.

From my point of view, best start with lighter color and then add others. In this case I have start with with ALC-119 Airframe Aluminium color. Do not cover surface in first pass but apply paint direct from bottle in few layers. Paint are ready to spray and can be used with spray gun only. It dry fast and I apply another thin layer and after that one more.

Final image show it completely covered in three thin layers of paint. After complete, I spray enamel thinner through airbrush, as I know Alclad is lacquer based paints.

To be continued...
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on October 26, 2014, 01:38:42 PM
Bad news- this coat is very sensitive. I try to protect some area for the application of another coat and I remove it with this result, silver paint pilled off. As well bottom black primer stay intact, I can guess it is not problem with primer. Alclad have its original black primer and in next work will try this again. In order to continue work, I have spray thin coat of gloss varnish and hope this will make easy work with masking tape. Masking tape I use is Tesa, for sensitive surfaces.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on October 26, 2014, 04:24:41 PM
Yes, this happens with Metalizer, also. I have found that spraying clear over the masked areas helps, but sometimes even the clear lifts off unless the tape is very "unsticky". My best results are with simple masks that I hold in place without tape....
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on October 26, 2014, 04:33:15 PM
I think also about simple paper mask but they are good for simple shapes. Will see tomorrow when I continue work.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on October 27, 2014, 03:18:21 PM
My test pass great- after thin coat of gloss varnish, there was no problems with pill of paint. I have spray another coat of metallizer. A bit strange that shades does not differ too much, I expected a bit stronger shade difference.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on August 03, 2015, 08:12:40 PM
Bringing the kit into the natural metal finish present challenge and a problem for a many of modelers. Reasons for that are several, poor preparation of kit surface, poor adhesion of the paint (in some cases), not good look of the finish, handling and sensitivity problems. I also face some of this problems and most prominent problem is the top coat sensitivity. Airplane consist of many plates of the metal skin and not all of them are in same shade. Difference in shade could be reason of different subcontractors for the material and some little difference in production cause this different look. Also not all plates have same purposes, some are assess doors and they are made of different alloy and this mean different color, some are heat resistant, some have other properties and all of this simply mean difference in shades. Result of that is demand to do all this shades on kit and making of this mean a lot of masking. Problem is not the same problem of masking, it is just time consuming, but the fact that removing of mask film or tape leave visible trace on the surface paint. To avoid that you need to spray some kind of medium over it, it could be varnish or sealant. Problem is that any additional coat fill up panels and rivets and you loose details. What to do? Any solution?
In August issue of Flieger Revie you have a chance to see excellent work properties of AK metal wax and what we will show you right now is their Xtreme Metal paint. They come in glass bottles, 30ml each, what mean enough material for painting. Shades we show you here are:

•   AK 479 Aluminium
•   AK 480 Dark Aluminium
•   AK 481 Polished Aluminium

Paint are ready to use, no thinner required, just shake well and drop in your airbrush as much as you like. But before the start…

Preparation

Must note that preparation is mother of everything in modeling (as well for many other things in your life). Good preparation mean that your kit will be excellent base for application of any paint and in case of metal paint, it is absolute must. Metal pain, like no other, clearly show any surface problem, finger prints, bad joint, cement traces and so on. So when you start build model and you know it will be metal finish, you need to do some things. First at all- use liquid cement. Cement in tube are fine but if there is any leak (and there is always leaks), it could leave trace which will be less visible until we paint metal. Liquid does not have that problem, you simply join the parts and pour cement into join line and capillary action do the rest. No leaks and no way you can touch it and damage surface of kit. Other important thing- use best of your sanding and polishing material to achieve absolute smooth surface. Start with 800 grit for rough surface (or places where you need to apply filler) and end with 8000 grit. Take attention on join lines. When all of this is complete, spray coat of surface, it will be great base to adhere paint and for metal paints black are recommended. If you did all of this, you can continue on painting.

Xtreme in action

To perform test I have prepared one Eduard MiG-21 PF kit and for testing I use airbrush with 0,3 mm nozzle. I shake bottle and with pipette add small amount of paint. If you do kit which is entirely metal finished, first coat to do have to be AK 479 Aluminium. Spray over surfaces goes excellent, AK have develop excellent formula and this paint cover perfectly in thin coat. Do not apply tick coat at once but slide over surface and apply few thin coat to get good coverage and uniform look. Best at all- it almost instantly dry and after I have complete it, I flush some of Xtreme Cleaner (AK470), to clean up airbrush. This cleaner is formulated to clean airbrush after use of Xtreme metal paint and it have acetone similar odor. Next step is protect with masking tape some panels in order to paint in different color. I use Revell masking tape. When masking was completed, I spray darker area at the exhaust panels and some polished at the spin of kit. As well it already have coat of paint, I use even thinner coat of next paint. Result was perfect! Best satisfaction come when I have removed tape and absolute no trace that there was anything used!!! I never experienced this in my life!!!

Conclusion

AK did what all of us desired- product which is easy to use, have excellent metal shades, excellent resistance and great coverage. My personal wish is that they will expand their range of paints and add more shades such as Burnt metal, magnesium, steel, titanium and so on and make it most perfect to use and reduce need to search for other colors. I give my top recommendation to this product!
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on August 06, 2015, 04:33:46 PM
Excellent review, and another option for NMF in our file!

I'm especially impressed that AK have figureed out how to keep the pigment on the surface after tape application, I've never experienced that with any natural metal product in my life.... :-ok
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on August 06, 2015, 04:34:46 PM
Get it my friend, you will not regret at all :))
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on August 06, 2015, 04:49:31 PM
I see that you are right!

One thing about my "normal" product, the Testors Metalizer, is that it is better when you apply their sealer over the pigment. At least then you can mask (still very carefully) with tape and have better success. I don't especially like the glossy sheen the sealer adds to the NMF though, so this new product looks like the answer for me, too.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on August 06, 2015, 04:50:19 PM
I use it before, it is good.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on May 21, 2022, 09:14:40 PM
It's a long time since we've added anything here. I can no longer get my favorite Testors ModelMaster paints since Rustoleum killed the whole line, so it was time to start anew with an alternative. I found some of the Vallejo line of metal finishes and decided to give it a try. The subject is an old AMT XB-35 kit that has been waiting for assembly for many years. As odd as it may seem, this is the first time I've really given acrylic paint a test as I've always had ample stocks of enamels and lacquers in the past.

My first step was to spray the extra landing gear doors with various primers to see what happened and how durable the aluminum would be. One door was bare plastic, one in grey lacquer primer, one flat black enamel and one gloss black enamel. Then I sprayed the aluminum over each door set and let it cure, then masked one half of each with Tamiya tape and sprayed another coat of the aluminum. It turns out that the Vallejo is more durable with primer under it as the unpainted doors scratched rather easily. The others all turned out pretty well, with the black primer being the best--flat or gloss didn't seem to be too different from each other.

Next, on to another test.

Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on May 21, 2022, 09:38:28 PM
This come as nice review from your side- thank you :-razz I hear for this paints in 2016., have hold em in hands but never try and have no sample. Look strong enough and tone is nice :-ok

Welcome back!!!
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on May 21, 2022, 11:01:05 PM
Thanks, No.1--I've been watching all the time but haven't had any contributions for so long......it's good to have something to review again!
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: draken35 on August 08, 2022, 06:48:47 PM
I gived a try to those paints, I must say I'm satisfied. An advantage compared to AK Xtreme Metal is the fact that there are acrylics and don't smell at all - not the case of AK paints (but those ones are also giving excellent result !)
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on August 08, 2022, 07:56:38 PM
Good point, glad to hear that, thanks :))
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on April 13, 2023, 07:38:28 PM
It's a long time since I started reviewing the Vallejo NMF, here are a couple of pictures of the experimental stage. I determined to start on a small area of the XB-35 as a way to learn this new paint and the cockpit area is perfect for this. I had to paint window frames as well as painting the anti-glare panel. This all went so well that I was encouraged to continue with the rest of the airplane.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on April 16, 2023, 06:12:59 AM
Its wonderful look!!! Big kit as I see.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: draken35 on April 16, 2023, 10:16:07 AM
Excellent!
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on April 17, 2023, 10:15:53 PM
Thanks, mates!

Once I was confident in being able to spray the new paints I made up my mind to start on a smaller subject than the Flying Wing. I'd always wanted a very early Mustang so decided to break out an old Accurate Miniatures P-51 and converted it to one of the first XP-51s. If I recall this was the ninth Mustang originally meant for the RAF but taken back by North American for USAAF tests. Not many changes to the kit really, just some minor details had to be accomplished. The main thing was to practice spraying the Vallejo NMF and I was very happy with the paints! I even masked the darker area of metal around the exhaust stacks without being very careful and the paint did not lift, something I'd never been able to do with Metalizer.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on April 17, 2023, 10:42:57 PM
Rare and cute project  :-ok
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on April 21, 2023, 12:48:44 PM
Once I had enough confidence in my ability to work with this new paint, I attacked the previously assembled XB-35. This is the largest surface area I have ever sprayed with an airbrush! I painted this in stages, first the undersides, then the driveshaft nacelle areas, finally the rest of the upper surface. My colors were shiny aluminum and dull aluminum with a few panels in magnesium, all from Vallejo. The leading edge of the wing where the engine cooling inlets are located were done with Metalizer.
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: draken35 on April 22, 2023, 07:56:33 AM
Stunning work my friend
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: No.1 on April 22, 2023, 10:48:59 AM
Lovely one!!!
Title: Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes
Post by: Second Air Force on April 22, 2023, 12:51:25 PM
Thanks, friends!

I'm going to start a thread on the main page of all my miscellaneous builds that I've completed while my hip and knee were healing. I'll add some pictures of the Flying Wing there.