I don't recommend tape, it will eventually lift off and it looks less realistic on the model. Try the following technique; it works great for my aircraft models, especially a recent 1/48th scale black and white F-14B arrestor hook.
First I airbrushed the arrestor hook rod overall white, following the rule of thumb, light colors first, as my arrestor hook was supposed to be black and white. The next task was to create the stripe pattern and airbrush the flat black color.
1. Lay a 2inch long piece of 3M Blue Painters masking tape on a piece of glass. Using a straight edge and hobby knife, measure and cut the masking tape into thin stripes in the width you need for the scale your building.
2. Next, after the white paint has fully dried, apply the thin stripes of masking tape over the white on the arrestor hook and establish the pattern. The tape masks the white creating the stripe pattern.
3. Now, just load your airbrush with your flat black paint, and spray the next color, in my case, it was the flat black.
4. After allowing the black to dry, I removed the masking tape stripes and bingo, I now have the black and white stipe pattern for the arrestor hook rod. To finish things off, I brush painted crome silver for the the actual "hook" that catches the arrestor line.
It sounds like a bit of work, but it produces far better, realistic results than just applying a tape. The result is a realistic, painted on appearance...like he real thing!
Greg Williams
Owner/ Manager
Modern Hobbies LLC
Indianapolis, IN.
IPMS #44084