I'd like the paint the entrance of my 1/24th scale building in two colors -- white for the frame and trim, and dark brown for the door and panels. The trick is getting a clean, sharp edge where two surfaces meet at a right angle, for instance the door and doorframe.
Anyone have suggestions as to how I can mask this off to achieve the effect I want? I'm not sure I can do it with tape, due to the small size and limited surface area.
Masking fluid? on the panels?
I think they use gum aribic?
-Marty
Hello Ray,
best it's easily done before assembly.
With all colorize what you want, you can also take the same color.
You take out the bright color and then the darker color.
The dark color you are limited by a sharp blade that you push into the top corner and pull away in the cutting direction.
Maybe this won't hold up outdoors but you could paint some decal film and apply it to the frame. -- Russ
I am not visualizing what you're asking.
I might suggest masking with tape (Actually bare Metal Foil is an excellent masking) the best you can. I've found masking 1/87 models to be a real challenge. Whenever possible, I mix a wash of the darker color and let it settle in the crevice (given it is a good sharp delineation). It visually smoothes out imperfections in the taping/painting job at the joint. As with any of my advice, please take with a generous grain of salt.
Marc, this is what I was asking about... I was trying to find a way to get a clean, sharp edge here. Eventually I just went ahead and painted it by hand with a small, pointed brush. After painting the brown, I had to touchup the white, then I had to touchup the brown a little, until finally it was "good enough", though not perfect:
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.raydunakin.com%2FSite%2FIRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files%2FMedia%2FIMG_8150%2FIMG_8150.jpg&hash=3dbe1d8138424eccdcee6e2d81363c3234cdf6a7)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.raydunakin.com%2FSite%2FIRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files%2FMedia%2FIMG_8199%2FIMG_8199.jpg&hash=c7d6c8bad7e4e839ea47b4e448080d376109cd8e)
I don't know if there is a way to mask something like this that would produce a sharper edge.
Ah! I would probably have used Tamiya masking tape (works pretty well Iin tight spaces and sticks to tsurfaces very flat), ......or maybe Gum Arabic.
Scribing a small joint line, or building a seam line space into, into the assmbly would help as it allows a recess to set the tape into when masking the frame to paint the door.
Just out of curiosity, why not build and paint the door seperately, and glue in place after painting?
Nice clean styrene work btw.
3M automotive masking tape and a new scalpel blade?
I would have done the same as I do 1:1. I use a wide blade putty knife and hold that against the side I don't want to paint, right down into the corner.
I then just move it down as I brush the paint on the door. With a model, just use a much thinner flat blade, such as a razor blade.