So what 'negative' thing happened, Billy...? I don't see it. If you didn't like the way this turned out, may I suggest Model Master "buffable metalizer" in the spray can. Several 'metal' finishes from which to choose and very easy to apply and rub to a nice shine with an old (soft) rag. Follow that with a coat of Future - don't use the MM 'sealer'...it'll ruin the shine...trust me.

It ain't easy tryin' to foil a model without using about a case of Reynolds Wrap - especially the first time. At least that was MY experience. Good luck.

As far as using metallizer goes, I always paint my colors first, mask and paint anything that isn't aluminum second. Colors like stainless steel, burnt metal and magnesium can be masked with blue painter's tape after the paint has set for about a half hour and buffed. Rub it on a clean table to remove some adhesive before you stick it to the model. You can't mask the aluminum with tape, but the damp paper trick works as well. (Just don't use newspapers. Especially if they have red ink!) On my F-100F, I sprayed the aluminum on the fuselage with an air brush. (This was my first time doing so.) It turns out a darker shade than spraying out of the can and also gets an oxidized look. The wing I painted out of the can and is far brighter and buffed up better. I also never clear coat metalizers. (Did it once and hated what it did to all my laborious buffing!) Just wear cotton gloves when you handle the model to avoid fingerprints and lifting paint. (As an aside, I have a B-58 that I did in 1993 and the aluminum metalizer has taken on a wonderful patina! This stuff ages like real metal and will look more realistic as time goes on!)

Forget all you know about aluminum, buffing, metallizers and above all that ridiculous foil. Learn one word-ALCLAD. More specifically Alclad II finishes. The stuff is as easy as you make it, others may try to make it hard but it ain't.

Step one, find yourself some Alclad. Most LHS's have it. Alclad comes in many shades. If you can find White Aluminum that's the one you want.

Step two pick out a cheapo candidate for NMF out of your stash. P-47, P-51, P-80 are easy ones. Build it, paying close attention to seams and blemishes. ANY NMF product will show these up like a zit on Prom night. CLEAN the plastic with alcohol on a rag, all areas to get Alclad. Make sure the plastic is CLEAN. Did I say CLEAN? That's the key to Alclad.

Step Three, Shake REAL well (no pigment on bottom) and pour right out of the bottle and airbrush. Thin, light coats. Don't try to spray it all at once. It will coat after 3-4 shoots.

Step five allow to set up about 1/2 hour, more if your not inna hurry. Mask off a couple of easy panels with Tamiya tape. (Alclad will NOT pull up, unlike Metallizer, if the plastic was CLEAN. Get your little jar of Testor's flat black, shake well, add a couple drops to your normal Alclad load. Spray the masked panels. Remove tape from panels, allow 1/2 hour to

cure. Tape off some new panels. (Look at pictures, random panels are best). Get your little jar of Testor's Flat White, repeat. Now you have a nice NMF, no need to seal anything. Panel lines can be accented and grunge added with water-based washes.Decals can be applied right over the Alclad as it is already a nice smooth surface.

It's not supposed to be hard. Any questions drop me a post. Bill Koppos

1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

If you want, check out my F-89 Scorpion, if you like it I'll tell you how I do it that's pretty much sure fire and painless! (Other than buffing out sanding scratches!) Or check out the guy's Lightning that was just posted in headlines, he could probably give you tips on foiling! (I'm thinking about it at least partially for my B-29.) It is sometimes frustrating getting a good NMF, but the results are almost always worth it. If you don't like what you did this time, try a different method next time or take a break and to a painted bird beore your next NMF. Remember, above all this is supposed to be fun!

Hi Matt, I'm trying foil on a 1/48 Chinese J7-B at the moment, check out my build log http://imodeler.com/groups/work-in-progress-aircraft/forum/topic/trumpeter-1-48-j-7b-fighter/ maybe it will help. Cheers, George