More Foil - Revell 1/32 F-104G Starfighter

[Ghostbase]

A new 'work in progress', this is the ancient Revell 1/32nd Lockheed F-104G Starfighter. This kit has been around since the 80's I am sure and gets reissued every now and then, usually with a bright and interesting colour scheme. It is an easy simple build, is cheap (this cost me a total of £6.90 on eBay) and best of all has raised panel lines

I started this build about 18 months ago, it was going to be in Canadian markings but I lost interest and moved on to yet another Phantom so it has languished in a box since then. I am taking a break from an HB F-111A so this is a nice one to pick up and play with again. I want to return to using metal foil to try to continue to learn from the Revell 1/48th F-89C Scorpion which I completed a couple of years ago.

This is the state of the build as of last weekend:

The idea - at this stage - is that she will be completed as this:

She is F-104G 63-13269 which 'starred' in the film 'The Right Stuff'. I have wanted to build this for years and she will be a good opportunity to try out applying metal foil to achieve a polished metal finish as well as differently shaded panels.

These are the raw materials:

Both sheets are ordinary confectionary foil, most likely chocolate bars from Lidl. The sheet on the left has been pressed and cleaned with white spirit, the sheet on the right has been likewise cleaned then polished with Brasso, then cleaned with white spirit, this has given it a slightly darker and more blue appearance.

Some of the tools and discards of the foiling process:

The foil is applied with Micro Metal Foil Adhesive. I use cheap disposable knives from B&Q to cut the foil because they go blunt very quickly!

This is where I started, I had already constructed the fuselage and sanded the joins then applied Halfords grey primer which seems to help give the foil better contact. You cannot expect to apply foil to every surface because it will cope with some curves but if over-applied it will wrinkle which will spoil the smooth metal effect. I therefore airbrushed some areas with Humbrol Metalcote 27002 'Polished Aluminium, for example the tail fin leading edges, the ventral strake and the grilles around the undercarriage doors, also the inside of the doors. I have also applied Humbrol 85 Satin Black to the air intakes and the nose area. The dielectric panel behind the cockpit is yellow mixed with a drop of olive green.

And then start applying foil! I started with the least visible panels underneath, if I make mistakes I want them to be here:

Fortunately the technique quickly comes back to me and I develop the confidence to start foiling the more visible panels on the upper fuselage. The result to far is not perfect but the different metal hues are clearly visible. This is achieved by cutting panels from the two foil sheets, also placing some panels at right angles which also gives a slightly different effect. I wanted the airbrake to stand out so I used a piece of kitchen foil for this area. Kitchen foil is thicker and a slightly different hue so I hope this has the desired effect.

You are looking at an afternoon's work here:

I am encouraged so far...

Going to keep at it. One good thing about the Revell kit is that it does have the 'short' tail fin for the F-104C so I can keep my options open. Also, if it is not good enough for my preferred option I can make her into an early silver Luftwaffe F-104G.

Will post more when I get to the air intakes. Michael

[nimrod54]

That's a great start, I look forward to seeing more progress.

[Breaker]

Always liked the look foil gives to a BMF. I'd be tempted to try it on a Lightning at some point so I'll follow this for tips!

[Tomjw]

Excellent results, and a handy tutorial.