Realistic mirrors?

[Steamboat]

Does anyone have a trick for making realistic rear view mirrors?

I have tried BMF and polished aluminum, but am still not satisfied with the results.

[BigTallDad]

Chrome tape, from an auto supply store.

[Russell C]

Or adhesive-backed silver mylar material. As seen in the first photo below, I used material that came free in the mail, but it can be bought at hobby shops. When my sister asked me to do some restoration of the AMT '55 Cameo my nephew had built for her years ago, I couldn't let the massive heat sink dimple in the side view mirror go by, so I cut out a rough circle of this sticker material, stuck it to a flat-topped stemmed piece of plastic which I could chuck into my motor tool, and then I 'lathe-turned' it (for lack of a better description) it into the perfect size circle. Since this kind of sticker is rather stiff but with good re-usable adhesive, I just picked it off the plastic and lightly applied it to the mirror, and it laid completely flat across the surface. The next trick was to 'lathe-turn' an outer rim for the mylar - a same diameter ring. Took a few tries to get it right, and then some more careful tries to get it just right on the mylar, but the result looks dynamite. I wish I could have angled the mirror to aim it back into the cab, but it was good enough for jazz to suit this particular restoration.

Edited December 16, 2017 by Russell C

[Modelbuilder Mark]

I like the mylar, but I have recently tried the new chrome pens as well..