Making the stretched skin effect on 1/72 B-52 kits.

[@bradwolfgang1037]

Very nicely done, there was also a great article in FineScale Modeler on this technique used on a 1/48 spitfire. Almost identical except he did use a power tool initially. He used a curved blade scalpel to patiently “scrape” out the subtle “valleys” in the aircraft’s “skin”. His effect was extremely understated, subtle and very effective. Great video.

[@WootTootZoot]

I was in SAC from 71 -75 as a Security Police and spend countless hours guarding B-52's, and I think you did a fine representation of the airplanes skin wrinkles. Very nice work indeed.

[@iron8208]

That's cool👍

[@unclefester9857]

Hi Nigel, some years ago I made a model of the shackleton AEW2 WR960 for a crew member and made the "stressed skin" look by the same method as yourself, but the one thing I added was several coats of thin varnish to the area and mostly to the high points around the "gouged area" and this worked very well, im sorry I don't have any photo,s to show you of the finished result but it did make a good impression on all who took a good look as "stressed skin" was not seen on any kits back then. Cheers Anton.

[@bobidit5886]

I bought that tamiya drill for the very same reason didn't realize I had to build it but it was fun, the dermal is a monster. I'm still a few years away from hacking at and modding my kits to that degree but I'm getting there and your tip is awesome cheers!

[@the.just.able.biker67]

Jeezo. That second picture looked like a frickin' bouncy castle!!

[@johngriffin8654]

Nigel, I have watched a couple of your videos covering the B-52 and really like what I have seen. The method of getting the skin wrinkles for the buff is great. With a bit more time and effort it could be hard to tell from the real aircraft. A couple bits as an update, in this session you made a comment about the black belly of the Buff not looking very glossy. I'm retired airforce maintenance and I was told that they were indeed painted very glossy with the idea that if lights reflected off the bottom of the aircraft at night, it might be mistaken as stars (instead of an empty spot in the sky). In buffing up on the Buff, you were talking about the engines on the various models of the Buff. I recently learned that the engines are essentially tge same. TF33 engines installed on the "H" model are basically a J57 (installed on the early Buffs) with a fan section installed. The fan changed the profile of the engine, but the core is the same.

[@bruceboatwright7488]

Very well presented, great talent. I had fun with the monogram version, so many years ago now. Without room to sit it on it's gear, I made it an in flight model. I drew an arc down a length of 2x4, sawed it down that line and clamped the wing halves together in the two pieces of wood. Much sanding, filling, and fitting later, my hanging model looks credible with its upswept wings.

[@alainvandenbosch2685]

Hi Nigel, very nice tutorial. I only tried once reproducing stress skin effect and I only use a curved sharp blade. Did not dig the plastic with a rotative tool. And really I was surprised on how it was easy to go over the top with the effect even if I removed a very little plastic. But at the end, I was able to make it very subtle by sanding all the surface with Micromesh sanding clothes up to 12000 grit. You can go and watch my pictures on Genessis-models and look forward to find the Hobby Boss C-47 Skytrain in the last 1/72 scale group build. There are some pictures one the second page. Unfortunately I messed up the painting job on this kit and did not bring it to a final reveal. But I was quiet happy with my stressed skin effect. Also want to say you thank you for sharing your experience.

[@johnatsf1564]

Love it man! I love this channel! it so inspiring.

[@midnightmodeling1639]

Your stretched skin effect looks amazing, well done.

[@mehusla]

Thanks for sharing. “The eye craves detail.”

[@mattjohnson7369]

Thanks for the excellent video, don't think I'll try the stretch effect, but I will be restocking Mr surfacer, forgot how good that product is. Also going to get the Tamiya drill :).

[@bilgerat7694]

Awesome mate thanks for sharing mate till next time have a good one

[@johno9507]

The Boeing 747 also has this wrinkled stretched skin on the lower lobe just behind the body landing gear.

[@ScaleMilitaryModels]

Interesting take on this. I will be doing a similar approach on a 1/32 me262

[@michaeljorgensen9204]

Nigel, how about a tour of all your finished models?

[@claudio743]

Awesome!!!!

[@pilarmorin4405]

Nigel, maybe take a drill bit instead of the ball cutter perhaps. Same everything except try it with a bit, which size is another question... You might h@ve to tie it down for the control while your giving it a go. Just a suggestion.. Cheers!

[@maxkoll118]

Legendary B52 😍👍👍

[@vidar7106]

Hi Nigel. I found your channel looking up the Aifix Hellcat. Been watching your videos, and have enjoyed them very much! Still haven't decided if I'm gonna get one... I have a suggestion that has worked for me in regards to the tin can affect. I use a Dremel wire brush wheel on slow speed. It's really nice at controlled gradual removal of plastic without any melting. I also use it to sculpt plastic to miss-match joins like the terrible fit on the wing root on the Minicraft Boeing 757 kit. I also suggest doing your wrinkles as shallow lightning bolts instead of short rows - the wheel makes it a sinch. Don't try to make them exactly parallel or the same. Be a bit random. This technique is also great on the skin of large scaled metal skinned ships like Battleships in 1/350 and 200 scales. What's also nice about the wire wheel is it allows to feather and blend as you go.

[@Tom-Lahaye]

I thought about the same way to get the effect. But what about adding little ridges of Mr.Surfacer in between the indentations, let them dry before adding the final layer of Mr. Surfacer? Also sanding the gouges out with a glassfiber brush will help to blend them in better. I have to test these on a scrap bit of styrene before risking my model.

[@darronhedges5873]

Looks pretty good.Could maybe gouge the rough shape of ripple,then leave a puddle of EXThin on area for a bit.After its softer sand some shape in it?If worried about Rotel getting out of hand.

[@simondixon2599]

The BUFF at the Robbins Air Museum had bodywork and total new paint job and markings. It looks soo much better now.

[@diogenes34]

That looks very good. I was wondering how that would be modeled.

[@jeffspam2791]

It’s caused by shear buckling. The thin skin of a plane does not like compressive stress. They tend not to cross the stringers or frames.

[@mode1charlie170]

Definitly a difficult effect to reproduce....i might try alternate the angle of the gouges in each panel to see if that improves realism.....also, what about gouging the inside of the fuselage then gently heat it with a hair dryer to gently deform the plastic....just a thought..

[@michaeljorgensen9204]

As always Nigel a great video! Since you're a B-52 junkie and I've preordered the MC B-52D I'm wondering if there is an update to this video where you feel you've landed on the definitive technique to creating stress skinned?

[@NigelsModellingBench]

No in a word.. You need to try the different methods here and see which works best for you.

[@whiteknightcat]

Just a thought here ... the methods demonstrated involve cutting grooves into the plastic. Has anyone ever tried the opposite, as in running beads of something like ACA cement to produce rounded RAISED ridges?

[@franktn001]

Wrinkles look good. She was born with them and will die with them.

[@pipotherium]

Nice

[@NigelsModellingBench]

Thanks

[@ChrisfurrsMilitaria1941]

Hi where did you get your drill bit from. Cheers

[@Looney2ing]

Not about how to do stressed skin but on the direction of the buckling it seems as that with yours and on the foto's that the nose is bend upwards. How is that possible the wing is the point where the lift generates from. Is the nose generating also lift?

[@normg2242]

No. The stretch marks pull in the direction of the force applied, which is forward and down. Try it with a t-shirt - same idea.

[@Looney2ing]

@@normg2242 indeed logical.

[@teenagerinsac]

Nobody is reinstalling that window that B-52 A thru E models had on the lower center sides aft of the upper one?? :)

[@toddw6716]

very nice

[@davidallen1213]

Hi Nige, a couple of years or so back I spotted this 1/72 B-52 build on t'internet: hsfeatures.com/b52had_1.htm This chap did a superb job and says he achieved the stressed skin effect with just a few swipes of a curved blade and some sanding. The end result looks fine to me. Haven't tried it myself yet but his suggestion does seem quite simple....what do you reckon?

[@lewistaylor1965]

'oil canning effect'....I think it's called

[@modelspot7465]

Nige, I’ve had great success using rubber polishing bits for the dremel, here’s a quick search on Amazon Rubber Polishing Bits Bullet Cylinder Shape Polishing Burrs Bit Fit Dremel Tool,Electric Drill,Rotary Tool Accessory 3mm Mandrel 20 Pieces www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07RZZF9ML/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Db9rDbT9NQYEE. I have different grits so I use the coarse one (like the old ink rubber) to give the depth then come back with the finer ones to polish and fine tune...perhaps give that a go. Cheers Si