Masking probblems

I always seem to have problems when building these kits. I'm building an Honda S2000, and the floor pan requires some parts body colour, and some parts black.

I'm trying to mask the areas of, but I'm being thick, or I'm really not very talanted, but I just can't seem to mask it off. It's becoming a total nightmare. I've tried placing the tape on, but the corners prevent me getting on the part, more like just stuck to my fingers, cutting on the part, and this isn't a GREAT idea for me, as the line isn't very good, and I'm now marking the surface. I used a toothpick to trace out the line.

I've even now tried liquid mask, and this is even worse to apply, as it just goes everywhere.

I'm getting very angry with this, as I just can't seem to work out the best method for masking floor pans off.

Anyone built the Honda S2000 from Tamiya and have a good tip on how to mask the bottom.

Sadly, I think I've mucked my base body colour up now, and will have to remove the paint in DOT4 and start again, but I'll use this first as a test to get this right, as I've got to learn.

Masking tips needed, thanks..

Cut the masking tape in small pieces and strips, use tweezers and toothpicks to get it in tight places, or get a thin burnishing tool from you hobby shop. Burnish the tape real good and then use fresh blade to cut the pattern. Use tamiya tape.

'zactly what 360 said. Tamiya tape and effort. It's not easy, but it can be done.

Cut the masking tape in small pieces and strips, use tweezers and toothpicks to get it in tight places, or get a thin burnishing tool from you hobby shop. Burnish the tape real good and then use fresh blade to cut the pattern. Use tamiya tape.

Many thanks.

I have Tamiya Tape, Knife and Burnish tools, as well as toothpicks. My method is bad. I try and lay the tape down in large chunks, but it's not working out for me.

I've now spent the last hour using your method, and I'm getting on a whole lot better. In fact, I've only got the really complicated fuel tank to do now, and it looks like I might "I say" might not have to strip the paint, as my marks are not that bad from my first "bad" attempt.

This post was a frustration post, as it's my first "Real" under chassis mask off job using complicated masking schemes, all the rest of my builds have been much easier to maks off, it at all.

Thanks for the help - wokring out much better for me now.

i dont bother with masking tape a lot unless really neccessary

as for your problem i painted(sometimes sprayed) the chassis all over in the body colour, then when it comes to paint engine/exhaust/petrol tank, i paint it freehand and sometimes its not steady

also sometimes when i mask areas, sometimes paint bleeds inside the masking tape

to rectify this, i used an old modeling paintbrush, snapped the metal end bit off and then trimmed that edge into a v shape or a fine toothpick in tight areas to scrape the paint off without damaging the body colour - remember to trim after every couple scrapes to keep the end sharp and pointed

hope this helps in your future builds

Agree with Alex. As for the bleedthrough mentioned, proper burnishing of the edges will minimise that. Also laying dry/mist coats down first so the paint is not runny enough to get under the tape. If all else fails then another trick is to first spray the masked surface with a coat of clear or the base colour to seal the edges and make any slight runs easier to clean/sand.

Thanks guys. I followed the advice from 360 spider, and eventually I got the part masked up. Not totally true to the build guide, as I just couldn't figure out how to mask of the rear wheel wells correctly, so took the mask to the next best line and used this.

I burnished the tape really well, and did use some maskol to seal the tape jons. Had one bleed, used a toothpick to remove the paint, and looked OK ish.. Posted the results in my Honda S2000 progress thread.

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXC099&P=7

I've used this stuff on R/C bodies for years, and it works really well. I haven't had the opportunity to use it on a model yet (cause I never paint), but I'm sure it would work well.