How I mask/paint nose checkerboards and spinners

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jgreiner

Airman 1st Class
260
309
Mar 10, 2011
Wisconsin
Hopefully a fairly self explanatory method. This is how I mask and airbrush the nose checkerboard pattern and 2 color spinners for P-51's of the 357th Fighter Group. Obviously this method could be used for any 8th AF FG nose/spinner color combination. I simply got tired of the kit/aftermarket provided decals for the checkerboard never 100% matching the color(s) I'd use to airbrush the spinner.

First off, our nekkid spinners and noses:
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I then cut very thin strips of Tamiya tape (about 1mm wide) and create the outline for the nose(s). Using a very thin strip makes the tape conform much better to curves, etc.
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I then simply take wider pieces of tape to mask the front fuselage.
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Once that's done, I airbrush a coat of white to give my final colors a uniform and true presence. Note I do the same to the spinners.
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I then airbrush a custom mix of yellow (Tamiya mix).
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For 1/48 scale, I use either kit or aftermarket decal checkerboard patterns to get an approximate size, which in this scale are roughly 3-3.5mm square. I measure and cut pieces of Tamiya tape and start masking!
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Yes, I'm also doing my first "Egg Plane". Here are the finished masks for the checkerboard, ready to get airbrushed using again, a custom mix of Tamiya acrylics for my desired shade of red.
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Here we are after airbrushing the red and starting to remove the masks.
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I should note that I also use the same process to mask the spinners.......thin strip followed by filling in the area I want left yellow. Here's the finished product(s) after a coat of Future/Pledge clear acrylic to seal/protect for weathering.
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Yes, the masking can be tedious, especially when I'm building three models at the same time. Doing one wouldn't take long at all and I feel the end result is quite worth the hassle.
I hope this helps!
 
Thanks for the kind words, everyone. It IS easy. Just requires some patience, which I know is sometimes hard to come by! When these beasts are finished, I'll take pics and post to the finished models sub-forum.
Also, thanks to the moderator/admin for moving this thread to the appropriate area (painting). My bad.
 

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