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Chrome Sheet (Self-Adhesive) A.MIG-8248

AMMO of Mig Jiménez

 

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There’s nothing like actual metal to represent a metal finish on a surface, and modellers have been using tin foil glued onto their kits with foil adhesive on panels for years.  This product from AMMO arrives in a resealable foil bag, and contains five sheets of self-adhesive chrome foil on a paper backing, at around A4 size (280 x 195mm). 

 

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The foil is very thin, measuring 0.1mm when adhered to the backing paper, measuring less than half of that when removed from the paper.  It was on removal of the paper that I noticed that the film feels almost like plastic, although it looks highly realistic on the paper.  I cut an oversize section away in the usual manner to apply to a panel on a fuselage half that I had lying about, and applied it to the long straight edge, burnishing it down as I applied it to the surface.  It is quite forgiving and can be repositioned if it wanders off from your intended destination, but when I tried to remove another piece later it felt more difficult, possibly due to the burnishing down, but it also may be the adhesive bond becoming stronger as time goes by.

 

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Burnishing over detail was difficult due to the foil flexing back, and there was an element of bounce-back in deeper curves that made it almost impossible get it to conform, so I had to use a cocktail stick to define the panel lines well-enough to cut the panel edges to shape.  Small raised areas tended to trap air pockets because of this resistance, and smaller panel lines such as inspection hatches were almost impossible to find in order to define or cut around.  It doesn’t conform to the surfaces like a true metal foil does, tending to crease or pucker rather than follow the contours, and it doesn’t have sufficient flexibility to conform to compound curves, although it will adapt to smooth curves in one direction.  This makes it difficult to use in foiling a model aircraft, the surfaces of which are usually a mass of compound curves in all directions with only the occasional exception.  I don’t remember seeing the F-117 Wobblin’ Goblin in chrome though, so that’s a shame.  Scratching the foil creates a permanent mark that can’t be burnished or sanded out like traditional metal foils, so care must be taken when applying it.  The instructions advise against using metal tools in application for this reason.

 

 

Conclusion

The applications for this type of foil are limited to flat, single direction or lightly curved surfaces that have few or no raised or recessed details within the area to be foiled.  It must be applied to shiny, smooth surfaces, and even a tiny mote of dust between the foil and surface will blemish the surface unless you remove it and reapply.  Large open areas will be the primary use for this type of foil, although if you’re more skilled than this modeller, you might be able to tease more uses out of it.

 

Not really recommended for foiling complex curved, detailed surfaces.

 

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Review sample courtesy of

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