(Just about a)whif - Queen Bee

[Caveman]

So I'm going to attempt the incredibly difficult feat of converting a Tigermoth into a Queen Bee (and no, not the monoplane single seat racer Tigermoth). However, I am going to do the land plane variant and have both the cockpit fairings fitted just so it's not too hard... I haven't got appropriate markings for this so it'll carry the numbers of the box Tigermoth. And I'll probably balls up something else too.

Principally I am using this to try a couple of techniques. 1 is using foil for metal finishes and 2 is rigging.

Step 1 remove the visible chine on the fuselage caused by the fabric stretched over metal frame: the Queen Bee uses a Moth fuselage which is wooden and has slab sides.





Subtle change but I know I've done it.

Step 2 will be to fare over both cockpits. Rear seat would have been taken up with the remote control "gubbins" and the front seat was for test and ferry purposes only.

I'm tempted to try to repose the pilots into operators on the ground. But that might be stretching my abilities a bit far.

I've had a little bit of a practice with the foil - using chocolate pennies. Anyone tried this and have any recommendations? How did you "glue" the foil down?

[PR19_Kit]

I foiled the entire wing of an Airfix F-27 Friendship a zillion years ago using standard cooking foil and Humbrol clear varnish. The panels were pretty large, much larger than the sizes you're using so it may not work as well for you.

I cut the foil to size, a bit larger than the panel on the wing I was  reproducing, and then laid a coat of varnish on the wing. I left it a few minutes until it went sticky and then applied the foil, burnishing it down with the wooden end of a largish paint brush. Some time later, maybe an hour, I trimmed the foil along the panel lines and slowly pulled off the excess bits.

Job done.

That was in 1974 or so and it's still in place now.

Of course Humbrol are bound to have changed the formula of their varnish by now, which will make this method questionable, but it may be worth a try.

The Bare Metal Foil people used to do foil adhesive, but I've not seen it on the market for years.

[rickshaw]

I have used baremetal foil (a self adhesive foil from the US) and I have used just plain aluminium from the kitchen cupboard.  Both worked moderately well.  I used specialised watered down PVA glue for the kitchen foil.  You coat the foil and the model area to be covered with the glue and allow it to go "tacky".  You then lay the foil on the model.  Be careful and make sure there are no imperfections on the model 'cause they will show through the foil.  Make sure you only do the model in small sections.  Cut the foil out roughly the size of the panel you're going to cover.  Then cut and peel off the extra foil before applying the next piece.   Its a slow process but the results are usually quite stunning.

[Caveman]

Thanks for the tips guys! This is hopefully going to be a bit of a re-mojo-fication model too. I thought some new techniques might help spark it up. Unfortunately I'm going to be away now for almost a week

[Scotaidh]

If you get your kitchen foil from a discount shop or buy and "off" brand the foil will be thinner than the heavy duty stuff sold at mainstream supermarkets. 

[zenrat]

IIRC from the model car forum I used to frequent the foil from chocolate bars was favoured.  Purple side inwards fo course.
But also cheap shop foil as Scotaidh says - because it is thinner.
IIRC spray mount adhesive was used to stick it on - spray it on the back of the foil.
I never tried this myself preferring to use Bare Metal Foil.

As someone who's building skills I respect once said to me.  "Fred, why do you risk ruining a good build by using cheap s**t from the supermarket.  Don't be so tight and buy stuff intended for models".
He was right.  But he was also wrong because sometimes the stuff intended for models is just the cheap s**t repackaged, in smaller quantities and with the price bumped up.
But I digress.
I haven't tried to use non-model foil and glue because I know I would make a terrible mess and end up with bits of it stuck to me.
I have used BMF once on an aircraft and while it looked great at first it has deteriorated.  I think this is because I didn't bother putting the "grain" the same way on all panels and so as it has tarnished it has developed a patchy look (and not a pleasing one because I didn't cut a separate piece of foil for each panel - I used the largest pieces I could get away with).
Following that experiment I have concluded I should continue to use paint for NMF restricting my use of BMF to model cars and the odd extra metally panel on aircraft.

[McColm]

Now that's a good idea