Hi all,

this is a very long term project: Lockheed model 10 Electra from Special Hobby in 1/72. For the last couple of years I've had the feeling that it is close to the finish line.
Once done it will represent CF-AZY of Canadian Airways as it appeared 1936.

Quality is typical for older short run kits: somewhat heavy details, thick trailing edges and one has to be prepared to spend lot of time puttying and sanding. The basic shapes are good. Good and reliable drawings are hard to find, but after staring at pics decided to modify the shape of the rear fuselage: it looked too narrow. The engine cowlings were also clearly undersized and had to be reworked.

Interior was mostly scratched, and colors were estimated from the reference material I could find. The landing gear bays were detailed based on pics I was allowed to take of the Electra on display in Ottawa. Engines were replaced with Aeroclub Wasp Jr's. Some details were added.

This is my first try with foiling. The experience has been mostly rewarding, but next time I'll know what to differently. Decals will come from an old Whiskey Jack sheet. The exception is the Canadian Airways flying goose-logo. These were printed all equal so that on the starboard side the goose would have been flying rear end first.
Mika Jernfors from Arctic Decals kindly redid these for me.

All criticism and comments welcome.

Best,

Petri

4 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Hi Jack,
why foiling? After looking at pics of Electra I wanted to create the slightly uneven, three dimensional look that the original surface has. I've attached a picture that shows the effect I'm after. Also, the rivet lines are easy to do on the foil, and one can control how visible they are just by going over them with Micromesh and polishing afterwards. Also, they reflect light like the real ones.

Sure this is a lot of work, but since foil stands very well to handling one can do it in small bits during the construction. This way it does not get too boring. I haven't given up on metallizers but so far this has been fun. And applying foil is somehow less stressful than painting NMF: if - and when - you are not happy with the result, just remove the piece, repair and reapply. One piece at a time.

Best,

Petri

1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

That's what I was gonna ask...bare metal foil or household aluminum foil. Either way, it's a daunting task (one I only tried once and didn't finish) - just goes to show what patience and talent can accomplish (neither of which is my strong suit, unfortunately).

What are you using as an adhesive for the foil? I'm contemplating an NMF job, but know little of the process.

The stickers are on. They went on with much less drama than I had feared. The glue had gone slightly bad here and there but placing them on a drop of Future eventually made them behave.

All comments, especially critical, are most wellcome 🙂

Best,

Petri

1 attached image. Click to enlarge.