How to: mask 1:350 windows

Hmm, got out my Soya to look before answering.

That's a unique situation. (The entire superstructure face piece- all decks, full width, is a single clear part.) I would and will do it like an aircraft model- yes, lots of little pieces of tape. I suppose like an aircraft it would look better to tape the whole thing, cut around the windows and pull off the rest. But they ARE small. This'll be a tough one to get right.

Usually I have the windows on ships be gloss black or dark blue. It looks the most realistic to me. In which case I paint them last. I'm not so sure Hasegawa has the best idea here. Also, they want to make your life doubly difficult by masking on the inside too and painting the rest in there "interior green". That wouldn't be as hard because you could afford to be imprecise, since it all will NOT be visible. Personally they I think they had the kit designed over in the aero dept.

To mask all the portholes on the deck level, I hit each one with a little dot of white glue on a toothpick first, but it takes a while to get consistent results.

And all this on a part about 30mm by 20mm.

When kits have holes where the windows go, I use Krystal Kleer tinted dark.

You'll be best IMO painting them black, or dark blue, or really dark green like the sea. It's reflected light after all.

If the windows are tiny (1/8 inch diameter or square, you may consider using Micro Crystal Clear to make the glazing instead of using the plastic clear parts.  You can install them after painting.  I've done this several times and was pleased with the results.  If the windows are larger than that, try the technique anyway.  I've managed to do this on windows as large as 1/4 inches wide.  If this is not possible, try to figure out a way to paint the parts before assembly and if you need to fill a seam etc. at assembly, try to make sure the seams are as tight as possible and you can touch up with your airbrush on a very narrow stream setting and mask the whole window area from the airbrush.  After that, you will need to mask each window individually.  If they are round such as portholes, try using a hole punch or a Waldron Punch tool to cut the masks.  Hope this helps.  Good luck.

I like the idea of white glue. Then I can get that off and apply the decal for the brown window trimmings. Thanks.

One thing I do when masking transparent parts is to "seal" the final masking with a coat of gloss clear.  This is the same as sealing with a color when masking over paint, but with clear.  That way, if any paint gets under edge of tape, it is clear paint.  Usually the first paint that gets under edge of tape prevents any subsequent color from getting under there.

Don Stauffer

One thing I do when masking transparent parts is to "seal" the final masking with a coat of gloss clear.

The other thing I always have to remind myself is NOT to remove the masks to "see how it came out" until the very last, after all the weathering, and the final dull coat is done. Often forget that one.