**** DONE: GB-57 1/48 USAAF Spitfire Mk.Vb - WW2 Foreign Service

[N4521U]

Annd second color

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Very smart.

 

[Wurger]

With Vic.

 

[Donivanp]

Wow, that's great color demarcation.

 

[SaparotRob]

I have to agree with Donovanp. I also had to look up demarcation.

 

[36feet10inches]

That looks cracking. How did you do the camo masking?

 

[fubar57]

Very slick Bill

 

[N4521U]

That looks cracking. How did you do the camo masking?

Happy to share. This is my first step, taking an image from the www and making it to scale.
I measure the kit, not all kits "are to built scale", some are bigger, longer or wider.
I use Corel as my graphics program, any you can enlarge or reduce will work, Corel = $$$.
I have Corel because I do my decal artwork in it for printing...... I digress.

After making the image Kit size, I then trace the camo pattern with a White hairline in Corel,
easier to see when printed. Then after printing, section by section I cut the patterns out
with a fresh blade.
I use a piece of clean glass, I then use Tamiya washe tape, tape an area a bit oversize of
the paper pattern section on the glass.
I trace the cut pattern onto the tape with a pen and cut the Tape to the pattern. I leave
about 3-5mm, 1/4" of tape to wrap over the edge of the wing, to seal the edges.
After a couple are cut I will apply one that gives me the best edges to locate the mask.
In the case of the lowest wing tip illustrated above, the one under the roundel.
Then I use the paper of the darker color to locate the tape mask above it.
I just march around the fuselage the same way.
HOWEVER........... not all the masks line up, or are vague as to how they wrap around curves.
So I tend to cut them apart, no more than ONE cut, apply what is obvious and fill the gaps
with 1mm wide strips of tape to complete curves, then fill the gaps with the cut scraps.
BAM, done.
I have to do this for the Mustang, perhaps today, and will try and do a sequence photo shoot
of the process.
It's not the difficult really once seen how it's done. The most difficult part is pens don't make
a very dark image on Tamiya tape!!!!
Hope this helps. But......... I Never cut on the plane!

 

[SaparotRob]

Very impressive.

 

[fubar57]

I do basically the same thing but use Oramask 810 stencil film. You can buy sheets or in a roll.... sale 10 Sheets ORAMASK 810 Masking Tape film for cutting plotters - A4 21 x 30 cm

 

[Donivanp]

Sounds like Friskit paper might be less intensive? But all the same a photo shoot would be appreciated, great results!

 

[Vic Balshaw]

It sure is impressive and a photo sequence will be good Bill, help dunderheads like me understand.

 

[javlin]

Stunner Bill this will be sharp for sure!!

 

[N4521U]

Annnnnnnnd today....................................................
this arrived. Musta gone by way of AustrIA?
Mailed Feb 12 from?, arrived 25th March Aus, Air Mail?

Many thanks Terry.

 

[Crimea_River]

I didn't know Terry lived in Canada. No wonder he's all sore.

 

[Donivanp]

Apparently Terry got his coat and ran to Canada to mail it to Aussie land and then back to the British islands to put his coat away, just guessing!

 

[N4521U]

Pffffft. My mistake.

 

[Airframes]

Glad the parts arrived - eventually !
They sure took a long time.

 

[fubar57]

I remember sending decals to Jan (across a continent and over the Atlantic) and Andy (over a mountain range, 11 hours driving time) and Jan received the decals weeks earlier

 

[Vic Balshaw]

I remember sending decals to Jan (across a continent and over the Atlantic) and Andy (over a mountain range, 11 hours driving time) and Jan received the decals weeks earlier

It was a long walk over them mountains.