Masking spitfire for primer

[Guest]

Hi all.
Have been building a spitfire model, however have come to a problem and it has put me off working on it for about 2 months now!

I am ready to prime the plane, probably should have done this before I build the main, but oh well, we live and learn.

I am worried that my priming (spray can) will just go in and wreck the cockpit.
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I don't want to just tape the top off as this won't be exact to the cockpit lines.
I have heard that people mask the clear cockpit hood which fits exactly where should.
What do people recommend?

The other issue with masking is the undercarriage
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As you can see, a recessed green circle needs to be masked, I have no idea where to start with this as the actual painting will also cause 'uncrisp' edges and will no doubt hit the green if not masked.

Thanks
Edd

[papa 695]

The easiest way to do the cockpit is to fit the canopy with white glue( PVA ) then if you need to take it off it will just pull off. But if you don't want to do that, use an old sponge and cut it and put that into the cockpit. Which will also work for the wheel wells.

[BarryW]

You did not make a mistake. You need to prime after you have done the main construction as you have and before the final fittings of vulnerable parts such as aerials.

The next thing you need to do is treat the seams. You need to get rid of the join between the parts so once painted it does not look like components stuck together. You need to get some sanding sticks and sponges of various grades and sand the seams top and bottom of the fuselage and the front edge of the wing. You do not want to leave scratches so dont use anything to large a grit. Finish with a very fine grit to smooth it over. You check the seams by holding it up to the light to see if it has disappeared. Sometimes there is a stubborn, very hairline seam left that you will need to fill with a fine filler. I find Mr Dissolved Putty good for that but make sure it has cured before you sand that down to blend in.

Then you should rescribe any panel lines lost in sanding. That is easy enough to do with the right tools and there are plenty videos on YouTube that can show you how its done.

When you are satisfied with that you should wipe away and dust and then clean the plastic with either lukewarm soapy water or i.p.a. This gets rid of any finger grease.

Then you need to mask up the areas such as the cockpit and other areas. There are lots of ways to do that. Most commonly I carefully stuff the pit with kitchen towel tissue and use Tamiya tape to seal it in. Small pieces of tape carefully positioned does the trick. Some people do it by masking the clear areas of the canopy and fixing the canopy into place, (I sometimes do that) others use sponge pieces plus Tammy tape. There are lots of ways to mask up. You can do the wheel wells in exactly the same way. With some kits you can use the u/c doors to at least partly mask with a temporary glue such as Mr Liquid Tape.

Then spray your primer, do it in lots of very light coats and resist the temptation to do a heavy coat.

You can then check the seams again. One job of the primer is to help you identify any flaws in the build before laying dow a base coat. You then treat the seams and re-prime, check, sort and re-prime yet again if necessary.

As mentioned YouTube has lots of video about all of this that can be a great help.
It if want you could also subscribe (about £4 per month, no lock in) to Flory Models to view their tuition videos, that how I learned, well worth every penny.

[Guest]

Masking all kinds of apertures is a pretty common task when you're spray painting. I use a mixture of sponge (I usually cut up foam earplugs), blue tack/white tack (would be perfect for those wheel wells), and Tamiya tape. I would find it helpful to slide bits of paper down the sides of the cockpit or wheel wells between the sponge or tack, to make sure you get a nice clean edge.

[Guest]

Cling-film is also handy - often, you'll use a combination of stuff!

[Guest]

Thank you for your replys.

Definitely using a combination then. Like the idea of using a bit of paper down the side.
Are seams that big a deal then? Will it really show up that much? Do I not need to be able to see the seams, or not to be able to feel the seems?

Edd

Just signed up on flory models

[Guest]

I usually stuff tissue in, topped off by masking fluid, and then I am done. Just don't be aggressive in stuffing it in. It should actually be not too deep at all
Cheers

[Guest]

For the seams, I second what Barry said about Mr Dissolved Putty, but I would also like to add that Mr surfacer 500 is also very good. Also, normal Tamiya filler (grey stuff) is great. It can also be thinned with Tamiya Extra thin glue

[BarryW]

Thank you for your replys.

Definitely using a combination then. Like the idea of using a bit of paper down the side.
Are seams that big a deal then? Will it really show up that much? Do I not need to be able to see the seams, or not to be able to feel the seems?

Edd

Just signed up on flory models

It makes a big difference sorting the seams. They can feel smooth but when you lay down some paint can still be seen. What you need to do is examine the seams held up to the light from various angles. There are other ways of dealing with them for instance running a line of black paint along them making sure the area of the seam is well covered. Then when you sand, in theory, the black will be gone when the Sean has disappeared. I am not convinced by that myself.

By the way, glad to see you have signed up to Flory. You will find the videos a great help and I recommend watching all the basic tuition videos first then graduate to the more complex ones. it is also a great help to watch some of the video builds.

[Guest]

If the seams are raised, then a Swann Morton size 15 blade held vertically on the seam and drawn back towards you ( think peeling potatoes!) is brilliant. It takes skill, and accuracy, but if you master it, it will remove seams very effectively. I also use this method for removing flash and other moulding aberrations. If you have parts left over from your current or other build, use these to have a go, keep the pressure light - remember, a curved blade will only make contact on an incredibly narrow section (a tangent, to be precise), which makes it ideal for this, providing you do it gently!

[stona]

I mask wheel wells with a decent kitchen roll. I wet the paper before tearing off strips and pushing them into the area to be masked. Things like radiator intakes and outlets, the bits of radial engines visible from the front, etc., can all be masked in this way.

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Cockpits I do by fitting the masked canopy whenever possible. Painting it with the rest of the model minimises the chances of it looking 'stuck on' at the end.

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Some need careful sealing to stop paint blowing in. I use a bead of Blutac for this.

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The old foamand tape trick can work for cockpits, but if possible don't fit the control column until after painting!

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Cheers

Steve