Someone’s got to have a better way to paint these things rather than just going at it freehand with a paint brush and yellow paint. I’ve been doing it that way for years but have never been happy with it. Even in 1/32 it doesn’t look right. And I have a fairly steady hand.
Anyone?
Here is what works for me.
Paint them all yellow, go to the arts supply store and get a set of calligraphy nibs and a holder(don’t get the pens with the ink catridges but the good old woodne handle and nibs).
Choose a nib that draws the right widht, dip into your black model paint and draw the black lines onto the pull handles. No need for masking, but you need a steady hand and work SLOWLY.
Might take a few attempts to get right, but I have used this method quiet succesfully for this and other applications.
Dana,
I do it the same way that you do. The technique that MadModelFactory describes above doesn’t sound much easier than the way we’re already doing it.
Aren’t there decals for this somewhere? I would think that SOMEONE has to offer this. I thought I remembered having an old F-14 kit from when Top Gon came out (geeze that dates me!) that has something like this on it’s sheet.
I would think there would be great demand for placards, labels, generic warning signs, ‘remove before flight’ tags, caution placards, etc. etc. etc.
If I knew more about how to do it all, I’d put it all together on one giant decal sheet. If ever you needed that one extra dial, label, tag, stripe, whatever, it’d just be right there! 
Bri~
What I do is paint the entire handle yellow. After it has dried i take very fine wire, i use stuff off a small electric motor armature, wrap that around the handle, spray it black, then remove the wire. It may seem tedious but it doesn’t take me any longer than trying to paint it by hand and it always comes out looking good.
I can identify with the problem, I like Eagle334s wire solution. I have to give it a try. Hope it workes with 1/72.
I paint it yellow then use one of those micro-fine tip sharpies.
Eagle, I’m gonna steal your idea as well!! That sounds like a really good one.
Go to www.eduard.com and see if they have a colored PE set for the aircraft you’re working on. I found a set for a 1/72 F-14 I’m working on!
EW
there is also the idea of using thread - I’ve done this before and it looks good. Just a matter of twisting in the right amount of yellow with black. (3 strands of yellow to 1 black)
Could that new dental tape floss stuff be used as a viable mask do you think? Would it be easier to use than the wire already mentioned? I’d just be a little concerned about the wire marring a freshly painted surface is all…
B~
For 1/72 scale, I simply painted the handles yellow and then drew the black lines on with a fine point felt tip black pen. Worked like a charm.
Regards,
Hmmm… I’ve got some new ideas to try for ejection handles now… thanks everyone. I’m lucky most of the aircraft I have started are WWII fighters and don’t have ejection handles…