Masking wheel wells

Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Masking wheel wells

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, August 13, 2004 11:03 AM

How do you guys and gals mask aircraft wheel wells? I painted the wheel weels of FW-190D and then find myself in the tough sitituation of trying to mask it before airbrushing. The masking tape just won't go where I want it to.

The landing gear covers in this kit (Tamiya 1/72) do not fit into the well. They are too thick and too short. And the real machine doesn't have the full coverage to begin with (part of the wheels are exposed).

Or am I doing it wrong? Maybe I should just AB it then go back and repaint the wells? But this won't work with larger scale kits that do not have closed wells. Like larger FW-190s which wheel well is connected to the engine compartment.

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, August 13, 2004 11:34 AM

Paint the wells first, then stuff wet paper towels inside the wells, and you're all set

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, August 13, 2004 12:12 PM

or you may use silly putty..... it works for me......
just a tip : remove the silly putty ASAP because it tends to leave a glossy surface over the paint....

later

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MusicCity

Member since
January 2004
From: USA

Posted by MusicCity on Friday, August 13, 2004 12:40 PM

I use masking tape. I stick it on the sides of the wells, sticking out of the well, and then fold it over to cover the well.

Scott Craig -- Nashville, TN -- My Website -- My Models Page

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saltydog

Member since
July 2003
From: Lower Alabama

Posted by saltydog on Friday, August 13, 2004 1:20 PM

Steven, i do my exterior finish first, get the paint the way i like it, then, when it cures, i mask off the bottom of the of the kit leaving the wheel wells exposed, and then paint them. i find it much easier to follow the rim of the wheel wells with a sharp xacto than trying to mask the inside of the wheel wells. later.

Chris

The Origins of Murphy's Law: "In the begginning there was nothing, and it exploded."!!! _________ chris

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KJ200

Member since
July 2003
From: Bicester, England

Posted by KJ200 on Friday, August 13, 2004 5:12 PM

I'm just finishing Revell's Fw190 in 1/72, and I've adopted the same approach as Saltydog, ie, RLM 76 first over the entire underside, then mask the underside and spray the RLM 02 into the wells.

Works for me.

Karl

Currently on the bench: AZ Models 1/72 Mig 17PF

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knight667

Member since
January 2004
From: Philomath, OR, USA

Posted by knight667 on Friday, August 13, 2004 6:04 PM

QUOTE: Originally posted by saltydog

Steven, i do my exterior finish first, get the paint the way i like it, then, when it cures, i mask off the bottom of the of the kit leaving the wheel wells exposed, and then paint them. i find it much easier to follow the rim of the wheel wells with a sharp xacto than trying to mask the inside of the wheel wells. later.

Do you think that'd work for a 1/48 F-16 as well? I was going to do the wheel wells first, but this sounds like a much better idea. Big Smile [:D]

John "The only easy day was yesterday." - US Navy SEALs "Improvise. Adapt. Overcome." - US Marine Corp. "I live each day/Like it's my last/...I never look back" - from "I'm A Rocker" by Judas Priest

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saltydog

Member since
July 2003
From: Lower Alabama

Posted by saltydog on Friday, August 13, 2004 6:19 PM

John, it has worked for on every kit i've ever tried, i don't see why not. let it rip tator chip. later.

Chris

The Origins of Murphy's Law: "In the begginning there was nothing, and it exploded."!!! _________ chris

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, August 14, 2004 10:59 AM

I usually paint the wella first then stuff them with wet tissue

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, August 14, 2004 2:36 PM

Do you wait for the tissue to dry before you airbrush it?

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wibhi2

Member since
March 2003
From: Brooklyn

Posted by wibhi2 on Saturday, August 14, 2004 5:28 PM

no. if you spray enamels, the wet paper won't absord the paint so much. I don't know about acrylics.
I am a bit more lazier, I will stuff them with dry paper, then put a couple drops of water on it. to smooth and flatten it out

3d modelling is an option a true mental excercise in frusrtation

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, August 16, 2004 5:48 AM

Sorry I got distracted by my stang heh. Depends on what I am shooting. If I shoot the wells first with acrylic I wait 24 hours and spray with future, wait another 24hours then stuff them with wet tissue, all the work up front saves me time retouching later when I have another finish to worry about. If I am shooting acryilic OVER the wet tissue yes I wait for the tissue to dry so I dont get seepage. If I am shooting enamel or lacquar its all good.

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, August 16, 2004 12:38 PM

Cool. Thanks a lot.

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, August 16, 2004 3:06 PM

I've had good success using silly putty and blu-tack for this. These are my two 'go-to' products for hard masking tasks. Touch-down every time...

Murray

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