Masking
With Mark Rooks
Introduction
Now, I don’t know about you folks, but I find the masking of a hard-edge camouflage scheme nothing short of a right royal pain in the rear. Rolling out consistent diameter sized pieces of blue tac in an attempt to replicate faithfully, a distinct pattern, and then the nausea of filling in the blue tac with masking tape, sometimes loses my will to keep on living. OK, maybe not that bad. But don’t you wish there was an easier way. Enter, the pre-cut cut camouflage masking set.
Eduard have been making masks for canopies for a number of years now. But recently, masks for camouflage schemes have been produced reducing the time spent, preparing for that last colour to be applied to your latest creation.
The following photo article will attempt to show you just what’s involved with using a set of pre-cut camouflage masks, in this case, applied to Airfix’s Hawker Sea Hurricane.
The Masks


The masks are of a vinyl type as used in the early days of Eduard’s canopy masks. In addition to the camouflage masks themselves, AML also supply Straight lengths of vinyl if you need them.
To make it easier on the eye for quick recognition, I spend a few minutes prior to starting, copying the numbers from the plans onto the masks themselves.
Above, the major construction of the Hurricane is complete minus the lumps and bumps. I’ve applied canopy masks and the model has been primed and rubbed down.
The underside paint work is now applied.
Masking has been applied to the underside of the wings and tailplanes. The fuselage and front lower engine panel is left clear for the moment as the first masks to be fitted will be those marking out the demarcation line between upper and underside colours.
To remove the masks from the backing sheet, I find it useful to use the tip of a scalpel blade to lift an edge.
Using a pair of tweezers to minimise finger contamination of the “Sticky side” the mask is carefully laid on the appropriate area, in this case the front fuselage upper / lower demarcation line. If your not happy with the position of the mask, it can be carefully removed and relaid several times without losing too much of its adhesive properties. Once happy with the position of the mask, use a cotton bud to eliminate any air bubbles, starting in the middle and working outwards. Finally, use a cocktail-stick to burnish down the edges to eliminate the possibility of paint seeping under the mask.
Once the upper/lower demarcation masks are applied, the rest of the underside masking is completed.