Invasion Stripes

[prem895]

I was building a Hase 1/32 F6F-5 Hellcat in FAA colour scheme,all was going rather well until I was going to do the black and white stripes. I thought that it would be no problem,but boy was I mistaken. 1st of all taping off the area to be painted white proved to be a challenge,because of the tapering of the fuse and wings,it was really hard to get the tape straight. Once I was somewhat satisfied with the tape,I put down the white.Looked kind of ok,so I moved on to taping off the white so I could do the black,again taping was a problem.Measuring the width and getting it straight was a nightmare.Now that I am frustrated and giving in to the fact that this is the best I could do, I painted the black. So far not too bad,but not up to my liking. Once tacky I removed the tape only to find that the black had bled under the tape along the recessed panel lines. Now I am totally frustrated Well the picture show my final result. My question is how do you paint these stripes,and is there a better way of doing this?

 

[Wurger]

The first setp is to paint the areas that have to be of white. The second step is to mask the entire area of white that has to stay white and then I apply camo colours. When the colours are dry masking is removed. The third step is to cut off strips of masking tape of 2-3mm wide ( depending on a scale of a model ) and stick them around a fuselage e.g , making edges of future strips. It is much easier to fit and stick such thin ( narrow ) strips to a curvature of the fuselage. Also I make with a sharp pencil small dots (markings) at the fuselage top , sides and its bottom in order to keep the correct width of invasion strips on a model. Then I fill the area between two strips with either a wider strip of masking tape ( a piece of paper sheet stuck with masking tape ) or Humbrol Mascol. Always I try to stick a such strip as firmly as possible. The final effect below....

 

[Night Fighter Nut]

What kind of tape were you using? One possibility is the paint is too thin. Another question, are you painting by hand or using an airbrush?

 

[prem895]

I was using Frog brand painters tape.Brush,and i did not thin my paint

 

[Airframes]

Painter's tape is Ok for general masking, but you really need a sharp-edged, low tack tape of the Kabuti type, as sold under the Tamiya brand label. Before use, run this between finger and thumb, to remove some of the tackiness, which allows easier placement and reduces the possibility of lifting the paint when removed.
Once in place, burnish this down, especially at the edges, with a finger nail, or a fine, blunt edge, to ensure it is stuck fully all round, and pressed into any recesses. When happy, seal the edges of the tape with the colour being masked - for example, if masking over white, then paint white over the edges. Let this dry thoroughly, and it will prevent bleeding of the next colour under the tape.
The main thing is, take your time applying the masks - as Wojtek would day, modelling is not a race - and take your time with the painting. Only patience, concentration and care will result in a good finish.
Finally, have a look at close- up shots of the real AEAF stripes - apart from those applied to new aircraft at Maintenance Units, post June 1944, they were rarely neat!

 

[gumbyk]

I wouldn't worry about it. The stripes were painted with house rollers and mops, so wouldn't have had a crisp edge that you see on aircraft now days anyway.

 

[Airframes]

Hence my reference to looking at close-up shots of the real thing. Many times, you can see runs, drips, ragged edges and thin paint, with the original colour showing through, especially after a week or two, in the sun and rain. The stripes were applied using a washable, 'distemper' type of paint and, in most cases, were far from pristine!
The stripes on your model only needed some re-touching, to cover some of the paint bleeding. Quite often in the past, I've painted the stripes free hand, following pencilled lines.

 

[prem895]

Too late for this poor chap,he took one for the war effort.

 

[parsifal]

Once in place, burnish this down, especially at the edges, with a finger nail, or a fine, blunt edge, to ensure it is stuck fully all round, and pressed into any recesses. When happy, seal the edges of the tape with the colour being masked - for example, if masking over white, then paint white over the edges. Let this dry thoroughly, and it will prevent bleeding of the next colour under the tape.

That is excellent advice Terry

As someone who has also struggled with invasion stripes, that sounds like great advice. Ive tried Decals, with varying success, and painting, with vey limited success. I always suffers runs and bleeding when I try to paint. Terry's advice particulalry sealing the tape edge with paint the same colour as is being masked sounds like an excellent idea.

I would listen very carefully to both terry and Wotjek. Theres about 100 years modelling experience there talking

 

[N4521U]

"Seal the edges"...........................

slapping self in forehead with palm of hand!

 

[prem895]

I always listen to Terry and The Air Marshall Wurger. Your right, terry's tip at painting the tape the same colour makes absolute sense. I wish I had asked before I started to paint. I am sure I would not have had this casualty of war. I think I just got tooo exited about getting it done,and rushed it a bit. Slow and steady. I was trying to get the 3rd Hellcat to complete my trilogy. The 1st being overall deep sea blue,the next was the tri colour and this one was to round things out. Back to the drawing board. Glad I have 2 more in the stash. Well in between I am going to do a fw109a-5 Hase 1/32. I will open a new thread in the start to finish forum so you can watch me soar or crash and burn,Comments and tips are welcome. Just don't call me stupid

 

[Crimea_River]

 

[gumbyk]

Actually, Prem, yours looks spot on!

 

[prem895]

I think you should have said.It would have been spot on

Actually, Prem, yours looks spot on!

 

[gumbyk]

Oh, yeah...

 

[prem895]

Every once in a while one plane must be sacrificed for the rest of the squad

 

[parsifal]

have another go....now that you have the knowledge it will go a whole lot better

 

[prem895]

Ok, I am going to start over and start building a new 1/32 Hellcat. What width should the stripes be for this bird.. In cm.

 

[parsifal]

I dont know. But just estimating from the Photos by Crimea and the work done by Wurger, the 1:1 width of each stripe looks about 50cm wide. At 1/32 that makes each stripe about 1.5 to 1.6 cm wide

 

[prem895]

I suck at math. Thanks