BY SEAN MIDDLETON V 4. Instructions courtesy of TopNotch Page 1

Transcription

1 BY SEAN MIDDLETON V 4 Instructions courtesy of TopNotch Page 1

2 INSTRUCTIONS INTRODUCTION Using masks take a little bit of practice and some patience when you first begin. Like most things though, once you get the hang of it, it becomes a lot easier. Using paint masks will allow you to build more professional and accurate models. The masks are made out of a very thin vinyl and are fairly durable. Care needs to be taken when separating the mask from the backing sheet. This is especially true for smaller pieces and letters. Our masks can be used with both acrylic and enamel model paints. They are suitable for use with both airbrushes and paintbrushes. MASK PLACEMENT Illustration Rotating the Mask Masks need to be placed in a certain way. Rotating a mask slightly the wrong way can lead to other pieces not lining up and you will not achieve the desired result. Take your time to place each piece. The more you use masks the easier it will get. With a bit if practice you will be able to correctly place all the camouflage pieces more quickly than using the traditional method of blue tack and tape. The underside of the mask is sticky, so although you may have to lift a piece and reposition it a few times, you ll be able to do so. We suggest you get a few key pieces in place and work from there. The mask may have slight bubbles under them. Do not worry about this. As long as the edges create a seal with the surface to stop the paint from going underneath it, you should achieve the proper result. REFERENCES Illustration: Spitfire Mk I Mask pieces are made to overlap in certain places. As each manufacture produces slightly different variations of the same aircraft we needed to make allowances for this. Keep referring back to photos, paint instructions, plans and other source materials to help you get the placement of the mask in the position that you want. Instructions courtesy of TopNotch Page 2

3 PANEL LINES Illustration: Using Panel Lines Panel lines are a wonderful guide in helping you place the mask in the correct position. Tip: Look at photos of your subject rather than relying on paint instructions that come with the kit. A lot of the time the instruction sheet is an artist's impression and can be inaccurate. Don t worry if the masks don't line up with the panel line exactly. You need to allow for some variance. As mentioned, kits will differ between manufacturers. However, a lot of effort has been put into trying to be as accurate as possible. If there is a noticeable difference (more than a few mm) then you may need to check that you have placed the mask as accurately as possible. See the section on mask placement on page 1. Rotation can often cause the mask to seem way off from its intended position. PAINTING Light to Dark By convention most Modellers work from light to dark. So for RAF colours the base colour will be Dark Earth or Ocean Gray. Spray your base colour first. Base Once you have applied your base colour you should let it dry and cure before applying the mask. We recommend 24 hours. Remember you will be handling the model quite a bit when you apply the mask so the paints needs to be thoroughly dry. Illustration: Future Floor Polish Some modellers like to put a sealer such a Illustration: Mr Hobby 400 Johnson Clear or an artist s sealer when working with acrylics before masking. Acrylic paint is rough in texture and it is desirable to have a smooth surface before applying the masks. Some reducers are self levelling like Mr Hobby s 400 self leaving thinners, If you use this as your reducer with your acrylic paints it is not necessary to seal the base coat as this will have already been done for you. Instructions courtesy of TopNotch Page 3

4 POOLING The paint will probably pool causing a slight ridge when you spray the unmasked (2nd colour). This is not a problem and can be removed with a polishing mesh cloth grain depending on the thickness of the ridge. FEATHERING or SOFT EDGES Masks give a hard line. If you want a feathered effect use small balls of blue tack to lift the edges all the way around the shape of the mask so they don t touch the surface of the aircraft. Illustration : Soft edge - Spitfire IXC by Michelle Edwards Most WWII aircrafts were painted using rubber mats. The exception was when aircrafts were repainted at the squadrons. For example when Spitfires were sent out to North Africa the Dark Green was over painted with Middle Stone. Illustration: Example of a Hard Edge between colours The choice whether to feather or not, is up to the modeller, depending on what effect you want to achieve. WEEDING Weeding is removing the unwanted sections from a mask before using it. Some people prefer to remove all excess material before they start. It is not necessary with our mask. Some people prefer not to weed the mask so that they can replace the mask on the backing sheet and reuse the mask. Weeding will be necessary when doing letters as you want the paint to form the shape of the letter. When doing camouflage, you are protecting the colour from the other as you spay over the unmasked areas Instructions courtesy of TopNotch Page 4

5 Illustration : Weeding and re-using the masks. Illustration: Weeding before removing the mask from the backing sheet Illustration : Before photo Example of doing letters or Stencils. Illustration: Completed Number on a P40 Instructions courtesy of TopNotch Page 5

6 BEFORE YOU SPRAY CHECK, CHECK and check again if there are some areas that need a bit of masking tape (if the masks haven t aligned properly) or some blue tack where the mask is not adhering to a difficult contour. Make sure all the edges have been pressed down so that you reduce the risk of runs. OVERSPRAY No matter how careful you are, paint has a habit of going where you don t want it. The best way to avoid this is to tape off the areas around the mask. Tamiya tape is preferred by most modellers. Illustration: taped areas around the masks DRYING TIME It is very important to let your paint dry between colours. Masks and Tape are sticky so there is a chance that the mask or tape will lift the paint away when pealed off. When doing multiple colour on insignia I like to let the colour dry overnight. This is especially true for Acrylics. Tip: Sometime it may be preferable to use a very thin coat of future to protect an area. I found that my blue and yellow on my RAF roundels would lift. YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO POOL the Future. If you do use this method, mist the Future over the desired area and let it dry completely. THIN IS BETTER Use thin coats of paint and build up a colour. Otherwise you risk your lettering and insignia looking like very thick decals. The point is to get a natural painted finish. Instructions courtesy of TopNotch Page 6

7 PSI Compressor air pressure Air Pressure, like the viscosity of your paint, goes hand in hand. There is no magic formula. I use a 75/25 thinner/paint with a PSI at times. Paint Types, Reducer Types, Humidity, Temperature can all affect your airbrush results and it is outside the scope of these instructions to discuss airbrushing in detail. Reminder: Masks can be used with paintbrushes! WHEN TO USE DECALS Masks are great for large areas. They are also scale dependant. For example you may not be able to use a mask for No Step in 1/48 Scale but this may be manageable in 1/24 scale. Some complex designs are just not possible in a smaller scale and this is when you need to use a decal sheet. Illustration: decals CONCLUSION Masks require a little bit of practice and some confidence. They are one of the many tools to a modeller. It is a personal choice and it is up to you to decide when to use them and when not. We are happy to hear feedback and suggestions and would be delighted to see pictures of your work. We do make custom masks. Each request is considered on its own merits. Instructions courtesy of TopNotch Page 7

8 Below are some sample pictures of what can be achieve with our masks: Happy Modelling! The TopNotch team Visit us online at: Instructions courtesy of TopNotch Page 8

9 GALLERY Revell Spitfire Mk II 1/32 By Michelle Edwards Instructions courtesy of TopNotch Page 9

10 Adolf Galland 109 E-4 1/48 By Sean Middleton Instructions courtesy of TopNotch Page 10

11 Hurricane Mk 1 Tom Neil 1/48 By Sean Middleton Instructions courtesy of TopNotch Page 11