How To Mask Up

[TorqueVR]

After a break of some 40 odd years I've decided to have a go at making another plastic kit. My 7 year old grandson has taken a liking to the Airfix Quickbuild kits and while buying him a couple of new ones in the local model shop last weekend I saw and bought a 1:48 UH-1C Huey made by Hobby Boss for what seemed like a knock-down £8. I've not head of the maker before but everything has fitted perfectly and I'm very impressed with the quality of the paint finish from the rattle-can I bought at the time. My difficulty is what to use and how to mask up the perspex bubble canopy and unless I can do a decent job the model is going to look dreadful.

I attach a photo of the part and should be grateful for some advice.

[Eric Mc]

Tamiya tape - cut into strips and applied around the outlines of the window frames. The central part of the panes is then filled in with squares or strips of Tamiya tape.

Tamiya tape is ace.

For some models you can buy pre-cut masking shapes for canopies- Eduard being one of the major providers of such accessories.

[perdu]

As Eric advises use Tamiya tape, which is available at any model shop I have found these days

And after you are ready to paint, STOP.

Any attempt to spray runs the risk of colour seeping through under the edges, even if they have been pressed down hard into the corners

The best advice I can offer for this situation is to mask as before then dip the clear parts (or paint them with a wet loaded brush) in Johnsons Klear or as you will be off the local model shop for Tam tape use Airfix/Humbrol's new Clear which comes in a small bottle and does the same job.

Instead of having colour seep under some of the coat of C/Klear will seep under the tape (some ALWAYS does) and finish the masking job for you. Then you can spray away all day.

I advise the treatment for whenever you are painting over another colour too, mask then prespray with the colour underneath.

[dr_gn]

Not previously mentioned is that if you're spraying it off the model, it's important to mask the inside of the transparency as well. In general though, pieces like the one in your post look more integrated if they're fixed the the model and any gaps filled, before spraying.

I did a quick "how to" on masking in my Defiant thread here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

It's near the bottom of page 2 on my browser.

Edited by dr_gn on Wednesday 26th February 16:07

[Evangelion]

If you're spraying canopy framing, spray a coat of black before spraying the main colour, then when the tape comes off you'll get the effect of the black rubber sealing strip round the framing.

[Brigand]

A steady hand instead of masking? (He says, after a 16 year hiatus and returns with a wobbly hand as a welcome. I guess my youthful fingers never suffered the shakes)

[Eric Mc]

Evangelion said:

If you're spraying canopy framing, spray a coat of black before spraying the main colour, then when the tape comes off you'll get the effect of the black rubber sealing strip round the framing.

It depends on the aircraft as to whether that is appropriate or not. More usual is that the interior of the cockpit framing will be painted in the interior colour of the cockpit. Most of us will spray that interior colour first before overlaying with the exterior colour. In that way the interior colour will appear as it it is on the inside of the canopy.

[TorqueVR]

Thanks for all your help. I used Tamiya tape and took your advice about masking to other side as well. I decided against the "steady hand" approach as both my hand and eyesight are not what they were! Apart from a couple of 1:72 kits a few years ago this is he first I've built in three or four decades and I'm fairly pleased with the result - nothing like as good as yours but not not bad considering I made do with a Stanley knife and my grandson's paint brushes.

[dr_gn]

TorqueVR said:

Thanks for all your help. I used Tamiya tape and took your advice about masking to other side as well. I decided against the "steady hand" approach as both my hand and eyesight are not what they were! Apart from a couple of 1:72 kits a few years ago this is he first I've built in three or four decades and I'm fairly pleased with the result - nothing like as good as yours but not not bad considering I made do with a Stanley knife and my grandson's paint brushes.

That's really an excellent result, especially if you brush painted it. I assumed for some reason you were spraying it.

I was going to add that using a scalpel and a pair of fine, flat tweezers makes masking much easier, but you appear to have nailed it straight away.

Any plans for more models?

[Eric Mc]

That looks pretty good to me.

Are those early Huey markings? They look like the schemes carried in the mid 1960s.

[TorqueVR]

Dr and Eric - thank you for your comments, I have been lurking on this forum for some time and am aware of your abilities. I sprayed with acrylic paint which seems to be light years ahead of the enamel spray I remember from decades ago. What amazing coverage and drying speed! I am sure to build something else but am not sure what. Over the last few years I have been collecting die cast planes and cars and space is at a real premium and SWMBO is a bit hacked off with it. Next time our grandson is round we'll work up a plan and talk her round.

[dr_gn]

TorqueVR said:

Dr and Eric - thank you for your comments, I have been lurking on this forum for some time and am aware of your abilities. I sprayed with acrylic paint which seems to be light years ahead of the enamel spray I remember from decades ago. What amazing coverage and drying speed! I am sure to build something else but am not sure what. Over the last few years I have been collecting die cast planes and cars and space is at a real premium and SWMBO is a bit hacked off with it. Next time our grandson is round we'll work up a plan and talk her round.

You've picked up on another good point there: The faster the paint dries, the less chance there is of any bleed under the masking. Yes, acrylics do dry quickly, faster than enamels, and in turn matt colours dry faster than gloss. So a matt acrylic spray invariably gives a good masking result, and a gloss enamel is a nightmare IME.