By Geoff Coughlin
Subject of this technique – Alley Cat Shorts Tucano, 1:48 scale
Materials you’ll need:
- Micro Mesh sanding cloths in various grades – 8000 and 12000 are great for this task. You may need to go down to 6000 if the ridge of paint is a little stubborn
- Micro Mesh sponge block
- Soft brush to remove dust
It’s easy to miss the problem
When you have masked and sprayed an area such as the yellow identification markings on the upper surface of the wings on this Tucano it’s normal to get a slight build up of paint against the inner edge of the masking tape.
You leave your model to dry and when the masking tape is removed it looks great if all has gone well to this point but STOP!
Step 1 – Prep
Take a moment to run your finger across the demarcation between the base colour and (in this instance) the yellow band that has just been sprayed. It is completely normal to feel a slight ridge and that must be removed once the paint is completely dry. The reason is that if you don’t and you go on to apply your decals over this area the tiny ridge of paint, however fine will show up and potentially ruin the final look of your model – not good!
Step 2 – off you go
All you need to do is press quite firmly but not too aggressively and work across the ridge, remembering to keep the flat surface of the cloth on the model – try to avoid the corners and edges digging into the surface.
If you’ve used acrylic paints then take extra care they are rarely as durable as enamel paint and it’s easy to rub through to the plastic or primer (if used) below. It should be fine with acrylics – just take care!
Step 3 – brush off…
… and apply your gloss varnish if you’ve used matt paints.
Job done!