Warbird Information Exchange

I've started building a flight of 97s, C-97A (Minn. ANG), C-97G (Minn. ANG), and a KC-97L (Texas ANG), my Dad flew the A and G, and my wife flew in the L. I'll start some photos soon. I do need some help with the metalizing. I don't want to do it with foil, I'm going for the well used look. I've experimented with buffable paints about 15 years ago, but I'm unaware of any newer processes since then. So please give me some ideas. One thing I'm thinking about is using a flat aluminum spray such as Krylon as a base/primer coat, any thoughts on that? What is the purpose of using Future floor wax on the finished model? What about clear coats? What about the use of masking tape on the metalize surface for painting purposes?

Check out the last page of the B-32 thread. Second Air Force seems to have it mastered. Future is used to seal the finish. I did a 1/72 Uboat and the future saved me alot of remasking and touch ups.

I forgot to describe using Testors Metalizer products on the B-32 thread. I have had some really great results using all the various shades of Metalizer. The only drawback to using it is the fact that the reducer is really hot and will craze bare plastic if you don't dust it on very lightly. The buffing aluminum can be made really bright if polished with soft, clean cloth, but it can be scratched easily if you are too rough with the polishing rag. I would use plain old grey automotive lacquer primer for my base coat. Spray it on thin and wet sand to a glass smooth finish. Then, when you apply the Metalizer or Alclad you have a barrier on top of the plastic.

One bit of warning--masking any of these products is pretty risky business, as the adhesive tends to lift the metal finish. Use very low-tack tape or sticky-notes to mask panels and be very careful about how hard you stick the tape to the painted surfaces. Pull something out of the spare parts bin and practice these techniques for a time before hitting the project full-bore.

As to using Future as a topcoat, I would only use it for canopies on a NMF aircraft-it will be awfully shiny on top of your aluminum surface. Testors has a Metalizer sealer that works well and is rather neutral as far as gloss goes--it also makes masking large areas a little less risky.

Scott

Thanks for the info. I'll keep ya'll updated on the progress.

One more question; One version is going to have florescent paint: Do I need to have a base coat of yellow before the final florescent red is applied?

b29flteng,

I use flat white for my base under dayglo and then spray several very light coats of the orange, letting each coat dry a bit between applications.

Scott

TNX for the info.