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Welcome aboard, Dainis! Glad to see you made it over. Kev

I'm Dainis. I'm on this site because I mask and paint most of my insignias etc on aircraft subjects because I build mostly in 1/32 and 1/24 scale. It just looks better..and is very satisfying looking at the finished product. I have been purchasing a lot of masks($!)(cdn). I just purchased a cricut joy extra as someone else on this forum just did. Looking for tips on creating good masks and downloading insignias and sundry numbers and codes to create at home. Looking forward to being part of this forum. Thanks, Dainis

HI,what scale are yours files?

Great work! I like it.

well done Joe!

thank you, I realized it was the wrong location after posting. The cutter and masking adds new options for the hobby, thanks for hosting the site!

I recently finished this rather challenging vacuform airliner kit from Welsh Models. It was made in the mid-1990s, and while the original decals looked OK (designed by Liveries Unlimited, printed by Microscale), there were a little problematic in application. Not only that, but the decals supplied for the tail stripes had them in the reverse order (and they didn't fit well), meaning I couldn't use them for an accurate depiction anyway. In the end, I masked and sprayed the fin, and just extracted the UA logo from the decal. The white carrier titles on the fuselage were ultimately masked and sprayed, based on stencils I traced and cut from the kit decals. (One thing I do for every build project is scan the kit decals, whether I intend to use them or not.) Anyway, here's a selection of photos of the finished model: Kev

Looks great, Joe! Just moved it to the Gallery section for you. Kev

I've finished my Buffalo project. Its been a learning tool. I painted it as a USMC F2A-3 at Midway. The final has been uploaded.

Hi all Quick workaround for those who want to use RAF_PW_ATH Download Inkscape (a free, reputable vector graphic software). Write your text using RAF_PW_ATH. Export it as .svg Load that .svg file in Silhouette studio (I have the designer edition) And follow instructions below What this allows you to do is to get a more consistent point distribution than what MikeC generously put together a few years back. Allowing for a more precise cut. I hope this will help a few of you :)

Welcome Tudor, we have several Cricut users here so I hope you find benefit from the site. Max

Good to see you here Jonners, I hope you find lots of useful stuff here but anything further you need to know, just ask. Can’t guarantee an answer but we’ll try! Max

It IS a Cameo! I could have sworn it was Portrait. I'll go hide now.

Is it a Portrait though, Chuck? In your initial post, you mention a Cameo 4. As for tools, I've never bought any for mine (Portrait 2). Kev

Just ducking in the reaffirm my account. Also, what tools should I buy for my Portrait cutter- and where to find which model it is?

Welcome aboard, Jonners! Kev

Hi all, Jon Tabinor here. I'm an editor, writer, designer, and of course modeller, and work in the hobby industry. I mainly build 1/48 aircraft (but occasionally 1/72 and 1/32). Just bought a Portrait 4 cutter as I keep wanting to do markings that my decal bank doesn't have the bits for, so I figured it was time to start making my own masks! Very interested to get tips etc from you all. And happy to share my experiences too. I'm based in Worcester, UK but originally from Stoke on Trent. Excited to get cracking as I have two projects that really need some masks already! Cheers Jonners

Looking good, Joe! I've just taken the liberty of moving your topic over here to the Works in Progress section, where it more appropriately belongs. Kev

More work in the F2A. I used Oramask 810 for the insignia, and like the material more than Tamiya paper sheet, and its a fraction of the price. The mask lines are nice and crisp, no capillary seeping.

Welcome aboard, sir! Kev

My name is TudorA and I’ve been making scale models, mainly aircraft, since I was young. I gave it up as education, career and life took its toll on my time. However, now in later years, I’ve rekindled my passion for creating scale miniatures and have taken up the hobby again. I’ve recently purchased a Cricut Joy Extra cutting machine with a view to making masks and other items for the models I build and have joined here to learn some tips and tricks to mask making.

Canopies with straight edges are simple, less so those that are curved. For those I think there is no other way than Kev’s method; use Tamiya tape over the canopy, draw edges with a sharp pencil then apply to a flat surface. I usually then scan this, import it into Studio and trace. Then it’s a matter of trial fit, adjust, trial fit ad infinitum till accurate.

Welcome Gerson! There’s lots to learn here but if you have any other questions, ask away and we’ll do our best to answer them. Cheers Max

I usually end up doing what's been mentioned - take measurements, then start with a base file I might have downloaded from here, a scan or scratch if need be then adjust based on measurements if I've ended up slightly off when applying the mask, I'll correct with masking fluid and continue on or if it's really off I'll cut a corrected masking sheet

Welcome aboard, Gerson! Kev