(by SIMON PRESS)

The first thing to do is to choose an aircraft that features this scheme. Jerry suggests a plane that has painted wingtips, tail, nose etc where sharp and complex curves may appear, as the covering is hard to apply here.  This is true to some extent, but as you can see, my T-6 is completely covered and there are ways to get around the curves as described later.

The covering that I used to cover the T-6 is standard Solartrim chrome which I have been advised, is the same as Presto chrome that  Jerry uses. Since chrome paint is not available, this type of covering is ideal and gives the desired effect. There are even die-hards that have covered planes in real 4 thou aluminium sheeting, but weight problems arise from this method.

THE COVERING PROCESS
Since Solartrim is a self-adhesive film, it will not stick to bare balsa, even though it can be ironed to adhere better.  For this reason, I recommend that your model be sealed with 3/4oz fibreglass cloth and epoxy resin (remember those foam cores!). Once this has cured,  a rub down to 400 grit paper is sufficient. At this stage you can add your first realistic effect. Have you ever noticed that real aircraft, especially warbirds don't have perfectly smooth skins. They tend to be slightly rippled and worn, as they should be. The point here is that you  don't have to do an extensive bog, fill and sand job on the fibreglass. Leave the highs and lows to be accentuated by the film. Once you have done this, clean the model and workshop of dust as this will be your worst
enemy when laying on the film.

Next step is to take your scale documentation and draw on all the panel lines with a thick black texta. Be prepared to use a few rolls of  film, in fact the T-6 took about 7-8 rolls to cover the entire plane. The lines you have drawn will be your guide to cutting the panels in the film. You can actually start anywhere on the model that you like, but I found that the middle of the wing gives a good reference point to build on.

Firstly cut out with scissors, a piece of film that is oversized of the panel you will cover. Peel off one end only and stick this lightly over the end of a panel outline. Rub down the film from one end to the other, peeling off the backing as you go. The beauty of Solartrim is that if you make a mistake you can strip it off {although Jerry recommends that if you do this, to wipe off the adhesive gum with solvent and start with a fresh piece. I found that this was not required with Solartrim so long as you don't keep making multiple mistakes.
If you do get a dirt particle or bubble stuck under the film, simply peel back the film to the offending part, remove it and rework the film.  Once this is done, take a sharp knife and a ruler, and lightly slice along the panel lines you have drawn. The excess can simply be peeled away, and so long as your blade is sharp, it won't tear.  You'll need plenty of blades as they don't stay sharp for long. Adjacent panels are done in the same way. Overlap the corresponding piece of film and rub the edge down firmly.
This leaves a nice guide as to where to cut the film, and even if you happen to leave a gap up to 1mm or so, when peeling off the film, don't worry, we'll cover it later, in fact it adds realism. Keep going on all the flatter parts and leave the curves until last. Wing leading edges can be done in one piece if you're careful, by starting on the very front and working each side back over the aerofoil. The covering  should extend up to any paint areas but not over them as the paint will not  stick to the Solartrim, when paint is applied.

GETTING AROUND THE BENDS
For this part of the plane you will need a heat sealing iron with a hot sock so that you don't scratch the film. Be prepared to be amazed at the strength and strain that Solartrim will handle. To cover a compound curve, start at the middle of the bend so that you can work back either way. Lightly rub this on and then take your sealing iron, and set it on high. Now for a contradiction in terms, lightly rub the iron over the wrinkles, while at the same time pulling very hard on the film to stretch it bit by bit over the curve. Don't try and iron out the wrinkles like you might do with any other film, it doesn't work. You must stretch this stuff  out over the bend, and like! said, you can puff it to buggery and it won't tear or peel off. The more that you stretch the Solartrim around the bend, the harder it becomes to smooth out the wrinkles, and over a decent 90 degree bend, you might find the film starting to fade and becoming less adhesive.

PUTTING IN THE DETAIL
Once your aircraft is completely covered, you should have a plane that looks as if its just rolled off the factory floor, but of course, most real planes don't ever look this good, even restored ones. They need to be dirtied up to reflect hours of polishing, flying wear and hangar rash.

The first step is to define the panel lines and rivets. This is done using a small 20-30W soldering iron with a replaceable tip. To do the panel lines, a bullet tip is needed. Fir the rivets, simply use a piece of brass tubing. After having done the T-6 with a 1/8in tube, a 1/16in tip would have been a more scale size to use, but they stand out to good effect anyway.

At this point, apply any decals or stickers that need to be put on, especially if they are a film type. Once again using a rule as a guide run the bullet tip along the panel lines. Do not stop at any point, including decals, you will burn a small hole in the film. Rivets are also best done with a rule as a guide as a line of rivets done by hand are guaranteed not to be straight and will look ugly. You only have to touch the film lightly to imprint a rivet, except for on the decals, because of the double layer of film, and after a while you will be able to build up a rhythm running along a panel line. This part also requires a steady hand as any slip or accidental touch will leave its mark. Remember, this part of the process is permanent, so take your time and be careful. The next stage is to do any painting that is required, ie. cowls, fins etc.

The next step having all the panel lines and rivets done is to emphasize them. This done by dipping a rag, wrapped around your finger in a tin of black water based acrylic paint, and rubbing the paint into all the lines and rivets. Once the paint is dry we need to take off all the excess. I found that a towel (ie. the type found in the bathroom) will leave fine scratching on the film when rubbed hard, which is what you'll have to do to get the paint off, it's also the secret for getting the real polished look as you will discover how to do shortly. When rubbing the paint off, restrict your efforts to the panel lines or the whole plane will look dull which defeats the purpose of covering in chrome film. Now for the icing on the cake. You'll need a black artist's chalk stick. Shave the stick with the edge of a knife blade to powder it, then again with your finger only, no rag, wipe the powder into the panel lines you rubbed with the towel. You'll find that the chalk should be almost impossible to remove once applied. A little methylated spirits and a soft rag, such as a T-shirt, is used so that you don't scratch the film. This will take the heavy build-up of chalk off, and the idea is to take off any chalk in the middle of a panel, and leave a light trace along the panel lines where you would expect a build-up of polish and dirt. A light tint is also better since the clear coat will bring up all the polish effect.

Your plane is now ready for a clear coat and this is necessary to stop fuel from seeping under all those beautiful panel lines and rivets you just spent hours doing. Jerry Caudle recommends using a clear undercoat first and this is sensible, but as to date I haven't found a manufacturer that produces clear undercoat. I use an automotive 2K or 2-pack clear, which is very similar to spraying epoxy if you like, and for this reason I always use a proper respirator as this stuff is carcinogenic. This type of paint must be sprayed and does stick to the Solartrim but there is a catch which you will probably find once your clear coat is dry. If you bump or knock any surface, the clear coat will come away from the film, but all is not lost.

Provided that the damage was minimal, look closely at the clear coat, it probably hasn't split or cracked. Therefore, leave it alone as it once again characterises real hangar rash. If you are a perfectionist, and have to have a uniform surface, if the clear coat has not split, make a small incision with a knife and wick in a drop of thin cyano, and the paint will once again adhere to the film.

And there you have it, polished aluminium finishing that anyone can do. One great advantage of this type of covering, is one which I purely found by chance at a hot outback aerodrome one day. The Solartrim being chrome, reflects 100% of radiation from the Sun. I can guarantee this after leaving my T-6 out in 38 degree (Celsius) with a perfect blue sky, and touching the skin of the plane to find it quite cool, and conversely, the anti glare panel was extremely hot!!!