Perusing your work on the Red Lion, heywood. Very smart work indeed! It must seem the closer you get to the finish line the more you see that needs to be done   My curiosity begs this question, what are the additions to the firewall? Particular with respect to the left quadrant. It'll be a treat to finally see the finished product

Neoflight

more progress to report..

Wow!  It's truly an honor. to hear you say that.  I'm the one who is humbled.  As far as being "nuts," I tend to think Great Minds Think Alike. 

Keep doing what you do best.  We'll follow each other. 

Thank you, sir

Gary

Heywoood,

Actually, I'm going to do exactly what you described but using thin plastic sheeting.  I'll first cover the sheeting with Flite Metal -as the fragile skeletal wing will not take the pressure of applying the foil over the sheeting and then burnishing down the edges.  Once the sheeting/foil is laminated, I'll apply them direct to the wings. 

The tricky part here is that I've got to cut the sheeting and foil to fit exactly over the wings including the leading and trailing edges and to account for overlap, the open gun bays, wing fillets, wheel well outlines and wingtips.  Lots of planning is going into this seemingly simple operation.

This foil application will be literally absolutely THE last thing I'll do after everything else is done.  Why?  It's because the foil itself is extremely fragile.  I only need to look at it cross-eyed and somehow, a small dent, a tiny scratch or small imperfection appears on the surface; and this is AFTER I've sprayed a protective coating of clear paint. 

It's a "small" price to pay in exchange for a true metal finish.  I'll post on my build thread and keep you updated.  Crazy things I get myself into these days....... 

Cheers,

Gary

deleveled:
Heyoood is an amazingly fast builder.  I'm still working on my P-51 Mustang (see "Yep, another one") that I started last year.  At this rate and his high level of quality, we can expect him to build at least two or three works of art for each one of mine. 

Heyoood:
Looking forward to your infilling the wings.  I'll be at that stage not too long from now.  I'm thinking of using thin sheets of thin plastic or glossy paper for the wings.  Then covering them with Flite Metal foil for that natural metal look.   

Gary

no worries - and thank you.

here is the current progress - tail feathers added. The wing has been laid-up and the dihedral added. I'm just starting the infill on it. Lots of work yet ahead

Great tip on the silver bezels!!!   This is a really inspiring build!

For that I use sherwin williams shrink free spackle paste..but its all part of a process. I also use multiple coats of Deluxe Sand N Seal, and then either Tamiya’s surface primer or similar from Mr Hobby - Mr. Surfacer 1000. It’s also about the sanding process. I use 60-80grit for shaping and establishing an even (but rough) surface, then when the spackle goes on, I use 120grit then 180, then 220. After the first  spackle step is done the Sand N Seal goes on and is sanded almost completely away. There are at least 3 applications of spackle / sanding / sealer / sanding before the surface is ready for the surfacing primer. The whole process is what it is. After much trial and error this is the formula that works for me. I came from the cabinet and casework mfg industry - granted I was only a salesrep TO the shops and owners but you have to immerse yourself in their world to be accepted and to be of any help. I learned a bit about finish work as much as any other aspect of it I guess. Hope this helps. I dont profess to be an expert or claim any special knowledge, this is only my method..based on what I have seen and read on these boards and in my work history