hey!
one thing im looking for right now is a good roll of tape to mask edges (particularly canopies). what to you expert modelers prefer or use.
thanks!
My favorite is Tamiya, but I also use 3M Drafting (Low Tac) tape for some applications.
Regards, Rick
For a sharp edge, ditto on the Tamiya. For canopies, regular scotch tape works well as does Bare Metal Foil.
As for my, I like to use non poruse surgical tape(3M) which you can find at your local Hospital supply store.
Its low tack and it wont leave a build up of paint behind… Best of all, the tape is easy to work with, tasks most shapes as well as curves… Comes in three or four different sizes…
Flaps up,
Mike
Rangers Lead The Way
Tamiya tape or nothing for me! [:P]
I always use the Tamiya tape for the canopy. Some of the regular low tack 3M tape for anything big.
Never heard of using scotch tape though! I may have to try that out one of these days
I use all sorts of things, depending on the need…
For masking camo paint edges on aircraft, I like to use Sticky-Tack rolled thin and used to attach paper masks. Depending on how thick you roll, you can get everything from hard “British” edges to fuzzy “French” ones.
Low-Tack painters tape is good for this, too, if you roll it into double sided, thin adhesive bits. It is also cheap and abundant, but for canopies it tends to be a little thick and resistant to cutting cleanly.
For canpoies I like Bare-Metal foil, thin and easy to work with.
My favorite canopy method is to outline with thin tape or foil strips and then fill the panes with liquid masking material made for draftsmen, but I have been unable to find it locally
Next thing I will try is Parafilm M, as I work where there is a lab and an abundant supply of the stuff.
I used Parafilm on my last build, and though a little bit different- worked quite well!
For canopies I use bare metal foil as well. Works great.
I use Monokote foil trim for canopies. The adhesive is a bit stronger than bare metal foil and it’s waaaaay cheaper to buy.
For almost everything else I use 3M low-tack masking tape. It blue and you have to get the kind for delicate surfaces. It’s got the number 2080 on the label inside the roll tube.
I was watching DIY over the weekend and they were showing a new curved masking painter’s tape by HENKEL (DUCT). It is a curve masking tape. Bends and easily shaped. We may have a new tool! Looks like Home Depot/Target etc…
http://marketplace.diynetwork.com/Product.aspx?Lid=1431-7112924
Link above. Looks like great stuff.
Rod
I like bare-metal foil for most jobs. Do the canopy pane by pane, placing foil piece in middle of pane, then burnish outward toward and over canopy frame. If properly burnished, you will see the outline of the frame under the foil. Trim around the frame with a VERY SHARP XACTO #11 blade - New is best, and trim LIGHTLY enough to cut the tape without scoring the underlying plastic. Then lift the frame foil from the canopy and airbrush-first the interior color, then the exterior. It is surprising how fast you will get at masking this way.
Certain canopies, e.g. JU-87 have large numbers of panes. For these I use tamiya paint in a two step procedure. First I mask so I can paint canopy frames that travel North-South, and paint those. Then I do East-West. This method is rapid as it is easy to lay the tape along the length of a frame.
Regards,
Jimf