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AFV Painting & Weathering
Answers to questions about the right paint scheme or tips for the right effect.
Bent fenders?
UpperCanadian
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British Columbia, Canada
Joined: June 28, 2020
KitMaker: 152 posts
Armorama: 133 posts
Posted: Monday, August 03, 2020 - 05:18 AM UTC
Any tips on achieving a scale looking bent fender?
18Bravo
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Colorado, United States
Joined: January 20, 2005
KitMaker: 7,219 posts
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Posted: Monday, August 03, 2020 - 06:29 AM UTC
Get some lead foil. Form it over the kit fender. Bend the hell out of it.
marcb
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Overijssel, Netherlands
Joined: March 25, 2006
KitMaker: 1,244 posts
Armorama: 1,226 posts
Posted: Monday, August 03, 2020 - 06:38 AM UTC
You can copy the fender with lead foil, like Robert mentioned, or hollow out from underneath using a Dremel (cover with mud afterwards), and bend.
barnslayer
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New York, United States
Joined: July 29, 2002
KitMaker: 102 posts
Armorama: 102 posts
Posted: Monday, August 03, 2020 - 07:16 AM UTC
Not a fan of lead foil... usually too soft. I recommend sheet brass or copper. You can torch it to to make it less rigid.

You can also go old school. Thin out the underside of the plastic kit part. Then carefully heat and reshape the part.
This is much more technique sensitive and you only get one attempt.
JPTRR
Staff MemberManaging Editor
RAILROAD MODELING
#051
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Tennessee, United States
Joined: December 21, 2002
KitMaker: 7,772 posts
Armorama: 2,447 posts
Posted: Monday, August 03, 2020 - 07:21 AM UTC
The nice thing about using foil is that once painted, you can poke holes in it. Of course, sheet metal on tanks rusts while foil on models doesn't. But that's why we have rust-colored paint!
18Bravo
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Colorado, United States
Joined: January 20, 2005
KitMaker: 7,219 posts
Armorama: 6,097 posts
Posted: Monday, August 03, 2020 - 07:31 AM UTC
Lead foil is soft, but then, I touch my models as little as possible after they're finished. Heavy duty foil is an option as well - the kind found in a one time turkey basting pan. But I like lead foil because you can emboss details like treadplate by rubbing on it with a stylus. For plain flat surfaces I've used brass shim stock, but it's rare that you can use it without some sort of modification - bending an edge on it using your PE bending tool for instance.

And you can stiffen up lead foil and you're done working it with a coat of CA on the underside. I suppose plain old Elmer's would work too, but I haven't tried that.
UpperCanadian
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British Columbia, Canada
Joined: June 28, 2020
KitMaker: 152 posts
Armorama: 133 posts
Posted: Monday, August 03, 2020 - 07:35 AM UTC
Sorry for my ignorance, but this lead foil: are you replacing the plastic fender with the metal one?

How would you be able to bend it on top of the plastic?
18Bravo
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Colorado, United States
Joined: January 20, 2005
KitMaker: 7,219 posts
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Posted: Monday, August 03, 2020 - 09:38 AM UTC
Yes, replacing the original. It's very pliable, so with patience you can even get it to replicate a rounded fender like on a car. People will tell you they use lead foil from wine bottles, but if the are they're drinking some very old wine. It's almost never used these days. I've got some I can send you.
UpperCanadian
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British Columbia, Canada
Joined: June 28, 2020
KitMaker: 152 posts
Armorama: 133 posts
Posted: Monday, August 03, 2020 - 09:53 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Yes, replacing the original. It's very pliable, so with patience you can even get it to replicate a rounded fender like on a car. People will tell you they use lead foil from wine bottles, but if the are they're drinking some very old wine. It's almost never used these days. I've got some I can send you.



I might be interested in that.

I guess you would shape it by bending it around the plastic fender then?
TopSmith
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Washington, United States
Joined: August 09, 2002
KitMaker: 1,742 posts
Armorama: 1,658 posts
Posted: Saturday, August 15, 2020 - 03:35 AM UTC
I have used aluminum foil, a heavy duty version and it worked well.
Biggles2
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Quebec, Canada
Joined: January 01, 2004
KitMaker: 7,600 posts
Armorama: 6,110 posts
Posted: Saturday, August 15, 2020 - 04:46 AM UTC
Aluminum foil (cookie sheet, pie plate) doesn't work well with compound curves - it will just crumple and kink. Lead foil is much more malleable and modeler-friendly. But I still like thinning the plastic part from the inside with a Dremel and damaging the part accordingly.
RLlockie
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United Kingdom
Joined: September 06, 2013
KitMaker: 1,112 posts
Armorama: 938 posts
Posted: Saturday, August 15, 2020 - 05:26 AM UTC
Copper and pewter sheet are also options. Forming over the kit parts can work in some instances but it depends on the kit parts. If they have other details moulded in place, you might be better to form them over a blank made from styrene or similar and then adding the details later. For example, a lot of German trackguards are made from a metal frame with sections of pressed treadplate attached to them, which is hard to replicate convincingly other than by copying the original construction method.
Vicious
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Queensland, Australia
Joined: September 04, 2015
KitMaker: 1,517 posts
Armorama: 1,109 posts
Posted: Saturday, August 15, 2020 - 11:33 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Sorry for my ignorance, but this lead foil: are you replacing the plastic fender with the metal one?

How would you be able to bend it on top of the plastic?



it depends on what you want to do, if you want to damage only a small part, such as the front, replace only that, if you want to damage everything instead you replace it all, but maybe in that case it is better with a PE fender with all the details
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