Missiles stripes?

I mask them and then paint them if there aren't stripe decals provided in the kit. Sometimes I paint them anyway depending on the quality of the decals.

If paint is bleeding under your masking tape something is wrong. It either isn't sticking properly, you aren't burnishing the edges down well enough, or you are putting a ton of paint over it. Paint the edges with Future before painting the color stripe. That way if anything bleeds it is just clear Future.

knight -

Usually air brushing the stripes in dusting coats stops the bleeding. As for me, I cheat. I've been using the Pactra pinstriping tape, it quick and easy. Some folks complain that its too thick for scale, but it's a concession I can live with.

Archer out.

yeah; you can eliminate the bleeding issue by putting either a coat of the base color or clear color first after you mask; this will seal the bleeding crevices and ensure a clean line.

I also like to take a toothpick and really press down the edges; as long as the tape is fresh and not reapplied for any reason; this ussually eliminates 99.9% of any bleeds; the rest are taken care of with that base coat above.

QUOTE: Originally posted by MusicCity Paint the edges with Future before painting the color stripe. That way if anything bleeds it is just clear Future.

whats future? as im getting ready to mask of off my apache but dont want bleed through...regards gordon J

future floor polish, walmart sells it in the cleaning aisle.

http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7824

all I care about is you get a big bottle for 5$. I was getting tired of buying tamiya clear gloss for 3$/ounce. way more economical.

FSM once carried this tip from a reader: thin labelling tape for canopy frames. Works well for missile stripes too I guess.