The Little World

Just when you thought modelling could not become uglier…I had a good idea.

The camouflage patterns for many aircraft are wavy, blobby things. You can spray them freehand or mask them, but in most cases of 1:72 planes, masking is better. I’ve tried many different ways of doing it, but settled upon the putty worms and liquid masking as the most attractive for me

The worms have gone from Blu-Tac to art rubber eraser and the interstices have been covered in masking tape bits, wax sheets, and Humbrol Maskol. The tape was fine, but time consuming – the wax ineffective, and the Maskol expensive; it amounts to 53¢ per ml.

Imagine my joy in Jackson’s Art Supplies when I found an artist’s masking fluid for 23¢ per ml. Trouble was it tended to ball up and not cover over certain paints. Then I got wise – I cut up small bits of paper towel, dipped them in the fluid, and laid them on the model. They stuck well and later hardened into a rubbery mask.

Ugly as hell, but should peel off easily once the green paint has been sprayed.