Airbrushing camo and masking order

Red, if I am reading you correctly,,,,,,,,,,,you may have the "masking order" mixed up

Here is the "painting order" that most would recommend,,,,,,paint the Off White color first, then the Light Grey, the Light Blue, and then the Dark Grey

We paint from lightest to darkest, masking to preserve the light areas as we go along,,,,,,,,leaving one last set of masks that have only the intended darkest areas open to the airbrush

Rex

Thanks Tarnship.

Lets say I have a large piece that is predominantly white in color, and I want to paint light blue and medium grey camouflage patterns on it.

This was my plan –

1. Spray the piece in light blue first

2. Mask off the blue camo pattern that I want to keep using putty or tape.

3. Spray in medium grey

4. Mask off the grey areas that I want to keep.

5. Spray in white

6. Remove masks, which should then show the blue and grey patterns.

I’m not sure about step 5, i.e. how the white would look if I sprayed it over the grey from step 4.

Is this what you are suggesting?

1. Spray in white

2. Mask areas where I don’t want camo patterns

3. Spray in blue

4. Mask blue areas which I want to keep

5. Spray in grey

6. Remove masks

Step 2 seems to be a difficult step here. To mask off large patches of white seems counterintuitive compared to masking off the camo patterns in my original plan.

It would really depend on the size of the lighter colours. With some schemes, such as German aircraft with the wave pattern over them, you have to paint the light colour last. But these are thin stripes and you don't mask those.

But in general the second method you posted would be the best way to proceed. Is it simply because the white is such a large area that you are concerned about masking it.

the second procedure is the way we do it

modelers are usually after the thinest accumulation of coats as possible, and it takes less paint to cover a light with a dark than it does to cover a dark with a light

Rex