Best windscreen/window chrome trim

[Donny]

Is there something I can get for a windscreen trim, like chrome/silver tape made for windscreens and doors. Saw Rons test  of Fusion Firm, not sure if my hand is steady enough to use that  without masking. If there's a similar thing but a tape, that would be great. Thanks.

Don  

[Can-Con]

Bare Metal Foil

[StevenGuthmiller]

BMF.

 

 

 

Steve

[peteski]

BMF

Here's the model featured on the BMF packaging.

Edited Wednesday at 11:23 PM by peteski

[johnyrotten]

Bare metal foil. Like everyone above says. And a fresh #11 blade. StevenGuthmiller above has a fantastic tutorial on trimming arches as well.

[Rodent]

1 hour ago, peteski said:

BMF

Here's the model featured on the BMF packaging.

That's an AI image, right? Or a real car? Certainly not a 1/32 scale model. A master craftsman must have built it if it is. 😁

[peteski]

12 minutes ago, Rodent said:

That's an AI image, right? Or a real car? Certainly not a 1/32 scale model. A master craftsman must have built it if it is. 😁

It's a real model car Steve.   1:32 scale curbside by Gunze Sangyo.  Sitting in my display case. Gunze produced a series of '50s and '60s cars in 1:32 scale and I've build few of them. Around 20 years ago.

For some reason this model had no wiper blades, so I scratchbuilt them.

Here is a '57 Cadillac from the same series. This was the first model I have used BMF on.

 

 

[Rodent]

1 hour ago, peteski said:

It's a real model car Steve.   1:32 scale curbside by Gunze Sangyo.  Sitting in my display case. Gunze produced a series of '50s and '60s cars in 1:32 scale and I've build few of them. Around 20 years ago.

For some reason this model had no wiper blades, so I scratchbuilt them.

Here is a '57 Cadillac from the same series. This was the first model I have used BMF on.

 

 

LOL Pete. I was just being silly. I was just spreading the word that among the celebrities on this forum, we have the builder of the BMF cover model for anyone who didn't already know.

[Donny]

7 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

BMF.

 

 

 

Steve

Think I might need to do a few tutorials on this one, looks pretty tricky

Don

[NOBLNG]

6 hours ago, Donny said:

Think I might need to do a few tutorials on this one, looks pretty tricky

Don

Make sure you get the “New Improved Chrome”. None of the other versions (Chrome, Super Brite Chrome, etc) are as good and some are not useable at all.

[peteski]

6 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

Make sure you get the “New Improved Chrome”. None of the other versions (Chrome, Super Brite Chrome, etc) are as good and some are not useable at all.

True, only that type uses some special stretchy and pliable metal alloy, not just a plain thin aluminum foil like used for the others.  While it has slightly "warmer" look, they way it conforms to details makes it the best of the bunch.  My models appeared on the BMF packaging not too long after BMF company introduced their Ultra Bright Chrome, which I eagerly tried. While shiner, it was much stiffer and wouldn't conform to complex foiled areas without wrinkling or tearing. I suspect they brought out the new foil to compete with Detail Master's newly introduced their Foil, where they indirectly stated that it was much better looking than the BMF.  I tried the Detail Master foil too, and just like the BMF Ultra Bright Chrome it was stiff and unusable on any complex types of moldings or scripts.

I was worried that BMF would discontinue the original Chrome foil so  I mailed them a letter describing my poor experience with the new stuff. I also included few 4x6 photos of my models where I used the original Chrome foil.  The company owner (he has since passed away and his son took it over) reassured me that the original Chrome will continue being made, and he also asked me if he could use my models in their ads. I agreed of course as I thought it was an honor to have my models featured by the company making my favorite foil.  The rest is history.  BMF also used my model of green/white Ford Sunliner in some of their ads with appeared in hobby magazines (like FineScale Modeler).

BMF had some supply issues around the COVID pandemic time and for a while produced a sub-par foil, but I believe by now those issues are resolved. They seem to have renamed the Chrome foil to New Improved Chrome (probably after the COVID time debacle), but it seems to be the same soft stretchy and easy to work with foil as the original Chrome.  I suspect that some of the bad foil is still hanging around in some hobby shops. If possible, get your foil directly from BMF, or make sure to get the "New Improved Chrome".

Edited Thursday at 07:09 PM by peteski

[Mark W]

20 hours ago, peteski said:

BMF

Here's the model featured on the BMF packaging.

Peter, are you the one that built this model, I have always admired it.

[Donny]

14 hours ago, Donny said:

Think I might need to do a few tutorials on this one, looks pretty tricky

Don

Just one day I would like to build models like this.

Don

 

[Mark W]

All I can add to this is to be sure the area you are foiling is as smooth as you can get it. Any roughness in the surface will show up and ruin the chrome effect. 2-3000 grit and even polish the area. Just as you would the paint job.

good luck

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, Mark W said:

All I can add to this is to be sure the area you are foiling is as smooth as you can get it. Any roughness in the surface will show up and ruin the chrome effect. 2-3000 grit and even polish the area. Just as you would the paint job.

good luck

Agreed.

If you polish your paint jobs anyway, you’ll just polish the trim by association.

A smooth glossy base is the order of the day when it comes to BMF.

Take your time, do the trim in sections, (and in several pieces if necessary) start in the middle of a particular molding and work your way towards the ends to prevent wrinkles.

If you’re doing a body length molding, do each section separately, (ie, front fender, door, rear quarter)

Do windshield frames in several pieces with the realization that there are molding seams on the real vehicle, and place your overlaps as such.

Do difficult areas such as vent windows in several pieces.

On a triangular vent window, I usually do the bottom, A pillar, and vent post separately.

To take that even farther, I’ll often do the front vent window section separate from the drip molding and windshield A pillar molding. Any time that you have a natural separation between moldings is a good place to break to prevent tears, wrinkles, etc.

Once applied, burnish the edges well and then polish vigorously for a chrome like shine.

Just like anything else that’s worth learning, it takes a little bit of time to get the hang of, and plenty of patience, but it’s absolutely worth the effort.

As I often tell people that don’t want to take the time to learn, or put forth the effort, go to a model car show sometime and you’ll quickly learn that in the vast number of cases, the winners are using foil for their trim.

Likewise, with few exceptions, the best builders on the planet are all using foil as well.

All of that said, don’t let people tell you that foiling is somehow exceedingly difficult, it’s not really all that tough.

You’ll learn as you go.

Several decades ago when I first started using it, it probably took me no more than a few builds before I began to understand the properties of the material, and started to get good at it.

I won’t say that it’s my favorite thing to do, but it is without a doubt one of the most transformational operations that you can do on a model car.

 

 

Steve

[NOBLNG]

On 8/14/2025 at 1:27 AM, Donny said:

Think I might need to do a few tutorials on this one, looks pretty tricky

Don

Check out Steven’s wheel arch foiling tutorial. That method works very well. Here is a link to a simple tool I made that helps also.

 

[Mark W]

13 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Agreed.

If you polish your paint jobs anyway, you’ll just polish the trim by association.

A smooth glossy base is the order of the day when it comes to BMF.

Take your time, do the trim in sections, (and in several pieces if necessary) start in the middle of a particular molding and work your way towards the ends to prevent wrinkles.

If you’re doing a body length molding, do each section separately, (ie, front fender, door, rear quarter)

Do windshield frames in several pieces with the realization that there are molding seams on the real vehicle, and place your overlaps as such.

Do difficult areas such as vent windows in several pieces.

On a triangular vent window, I usually do the bottom, A pillar, and vent post separately.

To take that even farther, I’ll often do the front vent window section separate from the drip molding and windshield A pillar molding. Any time that you have a natural separation between moldings is a good place to break to prevent tears, wrinkles, etc.

Once applied, burnish the edges well and then polish vigorously for a chrome like shine.

Just like anything else that’s worth learning, it takes a little bit of time to get the hang of, and plenty of patience, but it’s absolutely worth the effort.

As I often tell people that don’t want to take the time to learn, or put forth the effort, go to a model car show sometime and you’ll quickly learn that in the vast number of cases, the winners are using foil for their trim.

Likewise, with few exceptions, the best builders on the planet are all using foil as well.

All of that said, don’t let people tell you that foiling is somehow exceedingly difficult, it’s not really all that tough.

You’ll learn as you go.

Several decades ago when I first started using it, it probably took me no more than a few builds before I began to understand the properties of the material, and started to get good at it.

I won’t say that it’s my favorite thing to do, but it is without a doubt one of the most transformational operations that you can do on a model car.

 

 

Steve

Lots of good advice here.

Other than a smooth finish, one technique that makes the job easier is as  Steven said, do it in sections!