Monogram 1/48 B-29 in Bare Metal Foil

[Johnny_K]

My go-to material for NMF airplanes has been Bare Metal Foil for the past two years. I was just never happy with a painted NMF. Some modelers could do a great job with Alclad, mine never looked right. My first BMF was a P-47. Next was a P-51, then a F-104 and finally a F-86.

 

 

 

 

After I finished the F-86 I was ready for a real challenge, so on March 1st I purchased a Monogram 1/48 scale B-29. Sure this is a big model, but it has a simple cylindrical fuselage and big flat wings, how difficult can it be to foil that thing.  WRONG, wrong and wrong. It has been 11 months and I am still not  finished. I didn't work full time on it, but I should have been finished by now! This model has a number of problems that make it a slow go.

 

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This photo shows where things stand as of the past week. The fuselage is 95% finished (I ran out of foil), the wings, engines, cockpit, and  landing gear are finished. I included my P-51 for scale. So far I have used 8 sheets of foil, and still not finished. I hope to finish it this week.

 

This kit is from 2003 and it has it's share of pros and cons:

 

Pros

• Only 1/48 scale B-29 available
• Minimal flash for an older kit
• Well-engineered connection between main wings and fuselage
• Well detailed interior (although most of the interior is not visible after the kit is finished)
• Nice clear parts, except the cockpit glazing does not fit correctly
• Numerous options for bombs

 

Cons

• Tail heavy. Needs a lot of weight in nose of fuselage
• Warped main wings
• Raised panel lines and no rivets
• Really bad looking engine exhaust pipes
• Poorly engineered connection between engine cowl and nacelle
• Fuselage engineered for bomb bay doors to only be in open position.

 

I would like to share with you the steps leading to the model's current status:

 

MAIN WINGS

Let's start with the most visible problem with this kit, the main wings are warped between the outside engines and the wing tips. The warp is very obvious, so it need to be corrected. My solution was to use something to flatten out the wings as the cement cured. Whatever it was, it had to be really rigid. I used my old architect' scale. Its triangular cross section prevents it from bending.

 

 

Now that's a straight wing!

 

Next came the engine nacelles. Just another problem. Typical of Monogram and Revell larger bomber kits, the horizontal joint in the nacelles is a big mess. I can't understand how Monogram could release a kit with this type of defect.

 

 

 

 

After using my trusty sanding stick I was able to reduce the joint to an acceptable size.

 

The joint was eliminated after some putty and sanding.

 

 

The center portions of the 1:1 airplane's wings were painted. This was to prevent the special alloy that was used on the wings from corroding. Also,  the ailerons were covered in a fabric and painted.

 

 

I used Testors' Metallic Aluminum Plate on the painted surfaces of the wings. I wanted a matt finish so I did not buff the paint before a protected it with Testors' Metallic Sealer.

 

 

 

 

 

This is how the wing looks after the Bare Metal foil is applied. I used two different colors of the foil, Matt Aluminum and Improved Chrome. I also used a rivet tool to emboss rivets on the plastic prior to applying the foil. I apply the foil to each panel individually. I cut the foil a little larger than the panel, apply the foil, burnish the foil with a paper stump, and then trim the foil. Using paper stumps as a burnishing tool is the real secrete for getting a really smooth foil finish. It is the only way to remove wrinkles and that that odd pebbly finish. Since the stumps are made of paper, you can press down as hard as you wish and the foil will not tear. After the foil is burnished I wipe it once, and only once, with 0000 steel wool. The steel wool adds a nice natural to the foil.

 

 

[Nachtwulf]

Nice! It looks great next to the mustang! Have you ever tried giving it a light flat clear coat? I also have used paper Q-tips for burnishing. cut them at an angle and you can get into the small corners and such. Hope you finish her soon!

[Thom216]

Looks fantastic. I'm getting interested in doing something like this, and even bought a cheap P-40 kit for a future project. Will be watching!

[Johnny_K]

3 hours ago, Nachtwulf said:

Nice! It looks great next to the mustang! Have you ever tried giving it a light flat clear coat? I also have used paper Q-tips for burnishing. cut them at an angle and you can get into the small corners and such. Hope you finish her soon!

I think that the Q-stick would work very well as a burnishing tool, especially in tight corners. The paper shaft is similar to a paper stump tool. I am concerned that sprayng anything on a BMF finish would make it look like a painted surface.

 

John

 

[Johnny_K]

17 hours ago, Thom216 said:

Looks fantastic. I'm getting interested in doing something like this, and even bought a cheap P-40 kit for a future project. Will be watching!

You should try using foil. I like Bare Metal Foil because the the adhesive is already on the foil. In the past I tried applying adhesive to kitchen foil but I could never get it to work.

[Uncle Uncool]

Hi there, Johnny!

Hat off to you; I've been dealing with an old Monogram kit for almost 7+ years now. At first I was building Kee-Bird, for which I had to source the HS non-cuffed screws, as my kit brought the cuffed ones. Then I got a tad discouraged about how awfully wrong the base for the turrets are - no correction sets for these.

Owing to this issue, some time ago I switched to building one of the Silverplate aircraft, and I learnt about the ATTIC conversion set for the Monogram kits - tried to get the Cutting Edge sets to no avail. Only one I got so far was the cowl correction set.

Well, now my build's been on hold for almost two years; it's scary how big the thing is when attaching the wings. Fortunately, the whole range of detailing sets from Metallic Details started happening some years ago. The flap set is just awesome, as well as the one to detail the engine exhaust pipes.

With regard to foiling your kit; have you ever learnt about Mona Lisa Gold Leaf adhesive size? It works with kitchen foil just as good as Bare Metal Foil - only that it's a lot cheaper.

Hope it helps. Gonna be following your build.

Cheers,

 

Unc² 

[rob Lyttle]

Give that Man a medal!

Epic work, Johnny'.

That's a very presentable collection of Silver Birds you've put together, and this one.....

Epic is the word for it!

I'm guessing that these are all Monogram kits?

I got the P47 in a beaten up state with no canopy parts, but I'll be making a start soon, in foil.

[MarkSH]

I'm currently doing a 1/72 Starfighter for the STGB and I think that might be enough foiling for one lifetime certainly at that scale! but you may just use up the world reserve of BMF on this project and save me any future trouble. My hats off to you for tackling it.

[Johnny_K]

3 hours ago, Uncle Uncool said:

Hi there, Johnny!

 

With regard to foiling your kit; have you ever learnt about Mona Lisa Gold Leaf adhesive size? It works with kitchen foil just as good as Bare Metal Foil - only that it's a lot cheaper.

Hope it helps. Gonna be following your build.

Cheers,

 

Unc² 

I have tried using kitchen foil with adhesive instead of BMF. For some reason, I have never been able to make it work properly. Either there was not enough adhesive or there was too much adhesive . BMF is not expensive in the States. A sheet costs $6.95.

[Johnny_K]

Now it's time to address the engine exhaust pipes. 

 

This is a photo of the exhaust pipes on FIFI. There are two pipes, a large engine exhaust and a smaller turbocharger exhaust. Notice all of the dents in the aluminum skin on both engines. This comes in handy when applying BMF over body putty.

 

 

 

This is exhaust supplied with the kit. The single pipe is supposed to fit into a recess in the nacelle; however, the quality of the fit is terrible. Plus, there is only one pipe!. I am surprised that Monogram did such a poor job on this. 

 

 

I had a better idea for the exhaust. I purchased aluminum tubes in two different sizes, one for the main exhaust and one for the turbocharger. I cut the tubing and painted them with Testors' flat black and rust. I varied the amount of rust.

 

 

 

 

 

I grabbed my electric drill and took a drink of Woodford Reserve Bourbon and started drilling the required holes in the nacelles. I drilled them on an angle to match the angle of FIFI's exhaust. Then I used putty to fill that nasty recess in the nacelle.

 

 

I inserted the tubing into the holes and finished the foiling of the wings. The slots in front of the exhaust pipe are to provide air for the turbocharger. The nice thing about BMF is that it covers imperfections in the surface under it. I did not need to do a perfect sanding job on the putty. Any imperfections in the putty looks like dents in the BMF. At one point I considered using a sanding tool and make dents in the plastic of  the nacelles and cowlings. After a couple of seconds I decided that that was a dumb idea. I used my rivet tool to add rivets to the nacelle and wing. Adding black soot behind the exhaust pipes will be done later. I think the exhaust pipes look really nice.

 

The next step is to work on the fuselage.

Edited December 8, 2017 by Johnny_K

[rob Lyttle]

Can you show some info/pictures of your rivet tool in action?

Sounds very interesting.... I've got a Red Arrows Hawk on the go in1/32, and photos show the fuselage tail end covered in rivets.

But the revell kit fuselage is as smooth on the tail as it is everywhere else!

I'm wondering if this rivet tool thing is something I could use here.

Great picture of Fifi, by the way, and good effort on the exhausts.

Much improved on the original.

Is that both sides on four engine nacelles?

Better pour another shot...!💫

[Johnny_K]

Here is a photo of my rivet tool:

I bought it from RB Productions http://www.radubstore.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=77_110&zenid=8d52b4d83566b57d37c53bae9cd1d2cd  . The kit included one holder and four toothed wheels with different spacings between the teeth. The  holder fits into the handle of a hobby knife. I purchased additional holders because I became tired of unscrewing the rivet wheels. After using it for a short time it becomes possible to make straight lines of rivets without the need of a straightedge. 

 

This is a photo of my P-47. I used the rivet tool to make all of those rivets. The key is to equally space the rivets. I just divide the distance between panels and mark each line of rivets with a pencil.

 

Regarding the B-29 exhaust pipes----there are pipes on both sides of the nacelles. That means that there are eight sets of exhaust pipes.

[Thom216]

Nice work on the exhausts. They look so much better.

[rob Lyttle]

Sounds like just the thing I need, Johnny'. Thanks for that.

I'll start by asking round the club, see if anybody has one...

 

I hear what you're saying about dented metal sheet.

I think we try too hard for perfect surfaces , and the real thing has more imperfections .

I took a Stanley knife to the wing tip tanks on my B57 Canberra to put a few dings in them before foiling.

And I'm trying to create a slight ribby look on the Hawks flaps. Don't know what it will look like in the end, but if you don't try, you'll never know...!

[Johnny_K]

I agree with you 100 percent!!! If you don't try you will never know. I am a retired architect. Architects live by that saying.

[Johnny_K]

Next step, building the engines and cowlings. Then attaching them to the nacelles

 

First I painted the engines with Testors' aluminum. Then I drybrushed some flat black on the cylinders and added some copper wires. 

 

 

I painted the front park of the cowling with Testors' Metallic Aluminum Plate which was buffed and protected with Metallic Sealer. The remainder of the cowling and vanes were covered on BMF.

 

 

Four engines/cowlings ready to go.

 

 

Monogram did not provide any alignment pins or attachment lugs for attaching the engine/cowling to the nacelle. The instructions call for butt gluing the cowling to the nacelle, but there is not much surface area for this to work properly. Revell's bombers are detailed the same way, but the engines/cowlings on the B-29 are larger and heavier and require a more secure solution. 

 

 

As a solution, I cut a sheet of styrene into strips that I glued together into blocks. I glued the blocks to the face of the nacelles and glued the engines to the blocks.

 

 

The engines/cowlings are now securely attached to the nacelles.

As I mentioned, there are no alignment pins which can cause visual problems with the cowlings after the wings are glued to the fuselage. It is important to align the panel lines on the nacelles with the space between the cooling vanes. This will make the vertical centerline of the cowling perdendicular with the ground. The instruction's do not mention this.

 

This is why it is important to properly align the cowling with the nacelle/wing. The vertical centerline of the cowling is perpendicular to the ground and it is not perpendicular to the wing. 

 

[Johnny_K]

Now it's time for  the fuselage. 

 

 

 

It's easy to see the inside of the cockpit because the cockpit greenhouse is very large and open. I used Eduard's upgrade kit to enhance the appearance of the cockpit controls and dials. The cockpit was painted with Tamaya Cockpit Green and weathered by dry brushing with Testors' aluminum, rust and black.

 

This model is very tail heavy, so I began the "weight process" by adding weights to the underside of the cockpit.

 

[Lord Riot]

Incredible skill and detail! 

 

Think I might give up modelling again, I feel like a Sunday league footballer where  everyone else plays for Man City! 😧

[Johnny_K]

33 minutes ago, Lord Riot said:

Incredible skill and detail! 

 

Think I might give up modelling again, I feel like a Sunday league footballer where  everyone else plays for Man City! 😧

What!!!!! Don't give up! Modeling is like any other type of skill, the more you try, the better you get. 

[rob Lyttle]

He's right,Riot!

Different mindset is... think of it as you're at your Sunday League practice session and a couple of Man.C players turn up and join in with a bit of coaching. They pass on a few tips and a bunch of inspiration.... You're not going to walk out on That opportunity.

Because we're all on the same side!😃

 

Must admit, this guy is good, though!

[Lord Riot]

Good point to be fair guys. Was down on the hobby because the latest kit didn't come out well. These pages are certainly good for tips. Let's see how the next kit goes ...

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

@Lord Riot ... Keep up the spirits  ... Never Give in Never surrender ! If you hit a roadblock wether its a technical, or you feel like you're burning out. I recommend shelving the kit till you sort the technical issues. That or start a different kit to get your creative mojo back. Just dont give up, and remember it is a hobby and it is meant for enjoyment and relaxation. 

 

Dennis

[Johnny_K]

13 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

@Lord Riot ... Keep up the spirits  ... Never Give in Never surrender ! If you hit a roadblock wether its a technical, or you feel like you're burning out. I recommend shelving the kit till you sort the technical issues. That or start a different kit to get your creative mojo back. Just dont give up, and remember it is a hobby and it is meant for enjoyment and relaxation. 

 

Dennis

I agree with Dennis. This hobby is about fun and enjoyment, not frustration. If a kit is not going well, put it aside and do something else.

[Johnny_K]

Okay, back to the B-29. There is not enough space below the cockpit's floor to hold the required amount of weight, so I decided to put the weight behind the flight crew's area in the flight engineer's space. Once the fuselage is assembled the weight will be invisible. 

 

 

I temporarily attached the wings and landing gear. I used a small plastic bag and continued to add weight until the plane nosed down. The bag is located above the flight engineer's space. I need to use 1/2 pound of weight to prevent a tail sitter. 

 

I put some white glue into the bag to keep the weight from rolling around. The weight bag was tied to the floor of the engineer's space with a wire. There is a small window in the flight engineer's space so I painted the weight bag black in that area. 

 

 

 

 

After the weight bag was installed I noticed that it was visible through the door opening in the flight crew's bulkhead. I found a photo of the rear wall of the flight engineers space on the Internet. I printed it out and cut out the appropriate area. I then glued it to the back of the flight crew's bulkhead. The weight bag is now hidden from view.

 

[phildagreek]

Very sharp!