Masking wheel wells

Richard, you might try my technique of painting wheel wells first, then when dry fill them with silly putty. Silly putty works well to fill cavities and won't lift paint or leave any kind of residue. 99% of the time it will come out in one piece and it's reusable.
Regards, Charles

LOL
Silly Putty? Really? The stuff that comes in Plastic "eggs" that the little kids play with? Won't it fall out when I turn the model over? Will it give a clean line? If that really works that would be great!
Rich

Rich, Same stuff! Trust me it won't fall out. Also works really well for two or more color camoflage schemes. I use it all the time. If I could figure out how to send a picture on this darn computer, I'd show you some of my stuff. Give it a whirl!
Charles

If you paint the wheel wells first, you can also use foam rubber, like that used for shipping protection in some products. Trace the well outline and trim the foam slightly larger than the well, then push it in. Just make sure no stray strands of foam cover the main surface. I also use this technique for protecting open cockpits and it works very well. If you spray the main wing first, you can mask over the wells by using a low tac tape, including a large area around the well to avoid overspray. With the tape over the well, take a soft lead pencil and gently burnish over the well cavity. this will let you see where the well edges are. Then use a new, sharp, no. 11 X-Acto Knife and simply slice the tape along the well edges using the edges as a guide for the blade. Sounds more difficult than it is to do. Remove the cut out tape from over the well and spray the color of your choice. Works great for me.

I just found a way that works really well (pun intended) for me. After they are painted, I cut strips of drafting tape, slightly wider than the depth of the well. I apply then to the horizontal surfaces, and fill the rest with bits of paper towel. The tape protects the horizontal surface (and gives you a clean line), while the paper protects the top of the well. I have had absolutely no paint leakage using this method.

Hope this helps.

Sorry to keep harping on this, but the Silly Putty I have won't work for this. It's too "runny". If you put a ball of it on a table and come back 5 minutes later, it has flattened out and changed shape. Are you guys talking about Play-doh, or plasticene?
Rich

They are talking about silly putty.

Don't even try Play-Doh. It hardens and leaves an oily stain.

Silly putty will self-level over time. Tempurature probably affects the self-level rate? My modeling room is in the high 60's to low 70's. I may have to touch-up the silly putty a couple of times if I leave it in the wheel wells for a week or more. Keep the wings level and place the A/C on it's back when you aren't working on it and you should be OK.

I've always had good luck by filling the wheel wells with dampened tissue paper. Takes a little time and work and occasionaly have to do a little touch up when I remove it. Also works well in cockpits and inside radial engine nacelles.

Folks, real easy, I posted this months ago. There are templates sold, green plastic for example which have all shapes. A variety of circles, squares triangles and arrows. I have found that every model I have built, 1:72 through 1:32 is represented by a circle of the correct circumferance. I simply use it as a guide and cut out a piece of masking tape with a sharp blade. There you have it, a circular piece of masking tape which snugly fits inside the wheel well. Then, you have already painted the inside silver or flat white or whatever, just push the tape in to fit snugly and paint away. Works lkike an absolute charm and easy as punch!!!!!

I too use damp tissue paper with great results. I'll pack it in with a dental pick then apply drops of water with my fingertip then touch up the pack job with the dental pick again. Works great.

I do the engine nacelles the same way.

I stick a piece of wide masking tape over the wells and cut it with an exacto using the wells as the template. If I haveto, I touch up with a brush.

In my 50 years of modeling, I have probably tried every one of these techniques at one time or another. But I have found that the best results come from careful hand-painting, with some creativity thrown in. For instance, hydryraulic lines are quickly and neatly duplicated with a medium-wide permanent marker of appropriate color. Check out your local art store for at sets of color markers. You can do wonders with them and avoid a lot of frustration.
Tony Ryan