Need help painting 1:48 wheels!

You could try an artist's template with all the different circles precut. Any office store or artists store should have one. I think Michaels sells them as well.

Just spray your black, mask off the wheel with the template and spray your base.

You could also do the old opti-visor and paint brush technique, which is still how I do it.  I need try the template as well.

Buy some Vallejo Dark Rubber. Thin it just a bit with Windex or Vallejo thinner or whatnot. Not much, just enough to give it a tiny bit of flow.

Next get a brush that tapers to a nice, fine point. You don't want one of those microscopic brushes...the one I use has about 1/4" worth of brush on it.

Dip just the tip into the paint and then wipe off some of the excess  on the rim of whatever you're painting from (I use bottlecaps), then very gently, pulling the brush toward you, trace the outer circle of the wheel...there's usually a very nice dividing line. By going gently, with paint that's not too thinned, it's shockingly easy to get a nice circle. I use this method on all of my wheels of all kinds, from big 1/32 bomber tires to tiny 1/144 wheels, and of course armor.

I have used a template and i have hand painted.

Thanks guys! I bought one of the newer ones they come out with and after buying it, remembered i have to figure out how to paint them.

Just letting you guys know I went out and bought a template, the 19/64 circle works, just had a small bit of sanding to do to make it a very tiny bit bigger. Should have thought of this sooner!

Glad to hear it worked for you. Now I need to try one.

Were you able to make the template work for you?  I have never had any luck using a template.  I am either off-center, or getting spray underneath it, or both, and generally making a mess.

Have not tried DoogsATX's method, so I will try that next.

I got the right circle after a very small amount of sanding, I'm not to the point of painting yet so im not sure how that will work yet. guess I will find out.

www.draftingsteals.com/catalog-templates-circles.html The best place to get templates. I use the Pickett Small Circles template (85 different circle sizes) and it works great.

Hey wbill76, i got one of those, the smallest one is 1/16" and the biggest is 1". So far I've only built 1/48 armor so that should be good enough.