Masking - HBK

Its probably been written about before but after the base coat goes on the bits I want to stay metal are masked off. It takes some time (about an afternoon) but its less frustrating than trying to get paint out of all the crevices its also faster/crisper than repainting on the metal.

To help me out I make a guide for myself its easy to get lost on a big model and nothing sucks more than realising you've painted something you wanted to keep bare metal.

I use the MWO textures as a guide but personal preference I don't like to much metal on show so often I'll paint it.

I use tamiya 6mm masking tape since its semi transparent and comes in a handy dispenser. I also have some normal size low tac tape (the blue stuff) and a few 2mm and 3mm for detail masking (personal tip get the paper versions not the vinyl it bleeds). Sharpe blade trims the excess, tooth pick/dental probe for poking and back of a brush to press it home. Also if you don't tape to stick to you or your tools wet/damp them.

If you're wondering the colours I use for the base coat I've change it some;

• Black spray primer
• Tin bits, gunmetal - dry brushed
• "Lifecolor Acrylics LC-CS10 Dust and Rust Paint" - 1-4 rust airbrushed on
• Clear coat

I moved away from orange washes, since I bought a more reliable airbrush (less jamming) and washes can be hard to control, takes while to dry and make a mess.

So for the next week I'll be finding bits of yellow masking tape stuck all over me.