Introductions

Hello! Thank you for sharing your knowledge on this site. I am a fan of large scale Cold War Era jets, and started to design and 3d print my own models with markings that may not be available commercially. Though I have printed my own decals in the past, the large white unit designator letters on SEA camo jets was a challenge. I looked into inexpensive ways to print my own white decals, for which I have found a process that works for small areas. But paint masks seems to be the way to go for large areas. Based on what I've learned from here, I bought a Silhouette Portrait 4. It has worked perfectly for that purpose. I would like to expand the usage to non-mask app…

Hello all like my name I am pretty new to the hobby sub one year total. Unlike most modelers I have not had the joy of modeling when I was younger. I do however have a lot of excitement. Looking forward to learning more with you

Hi! I'm primarily interested in modeling aircraft and I just recently bought a Silhouette Curio 2. Now I have to figure out how to make Silhouette Studio work for me.

Hello fellow modelers. I’m new to the site. I’ve owned a Silhouette cutter for a few years now but have not really used it to design and cut more than basic masks, simple stuff. I’m really interested in cutting my own canopy masks since some of the aftermarket masks are impossible to find. Looking forward ramping up the learning curve . Thank you all for helping out the newbies. Brad

Hi all. I’m just back into scale modeling after a very long hiatus. To add to the complexity and pleasure of the hobby I’ve decided to buy a Siser Juliet to cut my own masks. I was looking for SVG files (Google … I believe) and came across this site. My model focus right now is WWII fighter aircraft (although I have an Avro Lancaster in my stash) - and I do plan to build a replica of a Gloster Meteor F8 that my father flew (and crashed … !!!) in the Dutch Air Force. Looking forward to the journey. Johan H

Hi all fellow builders and greetings from Sweden. Im quite active on LSP for many years, fantastic forum indeed it is and i really enjoying being there, see all fantastic projects in progress. Im used to use vinyl masks, but the down side i have to rely on AM or if lucky one can cut masks for me, so stuck in a way in options. So to lock up more options, its time for me to learn that too in modelling, so got me a own cutter, and i think after reading about it it is a good to start with, as i am truly a beginner, do know PC and OS, and troubleshoot hardware, and games, as im a period gamer,.builded many of them. But when it comes to software, well that is something else…

Hi fellow modellers. I'm new in here but have been designing masks for about 4 years . I really eenjoy it, and get quite good results at reducing my decals usage ;-). Using a Cameo Silhouette 3 (thinking a bout a 5) and mostly oramask vinyl but also cricut vinyl which tends to be harder and as such allow finer details and smaller letters when it's needed.

Hello everyone nice to meet you, Im a greek modeler based in Germany and I like to build manly post-war and modern Aircrafts with complex or special markings. Since my wife ones a Cricut machine she wanted to boost my scale models with custom mask. Thank you for having us in your Group. We hope to learn a lot from this forum. If you want to take a look at my work and learn more about my scale model interests, here is a link to my Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/tsilis_models?igsh=ZGRrM2ljZ3hwcDNo&utm_source=qr Greetings, John ☺️

Allow me to introduce myself, I am Rudy from Belgium and a complete rookie in the world of plotters and masks. I just bought a Silhouette 5 alpha and am therefore still learning and tinkering, but that seems to be part of the learning process. My interest is primarily in cars, military vehicles and aircraft. I hope I can learn a lot in this environment!

Hello everyboday and thanks for having me, just picked up a silhouette portrait 4 and am keen to learn. defintaly a learning curve but i am keen, any quickfire begginers advice would be great. mainly do aircraft and armour in all scales, cheers all.

Hello i am Nektarios from Greece. I bought a creality falcon laser engraver a while ago for projects for kids and since I'm into scale modeling for some years now i thought it would be a good idea to use to cut paint masks. I am an industrial designer so the design procces of the mask is the easy part, the hard part is to find enough time to play with materials and setting on the machine in order to have a good result and avoiding setting the workshop on fire!! I hope i will have some good results soon and post them here. See you all around

Hello all, I am a relocated brit, now based in Rotterdam. I drifted back to scale modelling after a 30-odd year break, building 1/48 WW2 era aircraft. I recently purchased a second hand silhouette cameo 3 to try to replace some roundel decals which disintegrated on contact with water, and while I was quite happy with my results for a first attempt, I would now love to find out how to use the thing properly, to hopefully improve my modelling skills. Apologies in advance, therefore, for any daft newbie questions! Best regards, Francis

Greeting from Canada. My name is Andy, and I’ve been building mostly model aircraft (preferably in 1/48th & 1/32nd— with the occasional venture into 1/35th armour and the odd ship model — ever since I helped (hindered at age 8 more like...lol) my grandpa build a model kit in England back in 1977 (an Airfix 1/24 Ju-87 Stuka kit ). I stepped away from the hobby for far too many years, but I’m now making a real effort to dive back in and start working through my growing stash of kits that are waiting for me to build. I’ve seen a lot of great articles and videos of modelers using Cricut and Silhouette machines to create custom paint masks, so I recently picked up a gen…

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

Hey everybody! My name is Pete and I just got into cutting masks with a Portrait 3. I mainly build aircraft in 1/32 and 1/48. Glad to be here!

Hello from the not so sunny part of Northern California! I'm coming back to the hobby after taking the "long pause" when life, school, and then a career took precedent over quiet "me time" building marvelous flying machines. When I came back, I was amazed at how much has changed, and equally at how much has remained the same. I now know what I didn't when I was younger and have been prioritizing time for myself and set aside quiet periods for me to build and learn, learn and build and just generally enjoy a hobby that I always loved. Due to space considerations, I generally build 1/72 aircraft (but really admire the work of those who build the larger scales.) Somethi…

Hi all, I’ve been lurking here for a while now. I’m active on most of the modeling forums, I build 1/48 primarily, I also build 1/32. I bought my Cameo 4 when it was first released, sadly I only plugged it in the past few weeks. I’ve felt a little intimidated over designing my own markings. I am currently finishing up a 1/48 Arma Hurricane and this build has forced my hand. I’m usually pretty good at applying decals, but I had a lot of trouble on this kit getting the decals to conform over the raised details. Some decals also cracked, so this build has forced my hand. This kit is absolutely fabulous and a pure joy to build. The past week I learned the sillouette softwa…

I'm Jose from Spain and I work as an air traffic controller in Barcelona Tower. I mostly build planes of any scale. Glad to be here with you mates!

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

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.

I'm a retired comics, concept and storyboard artist living with my lovely wife and irascible dog on beautiful Whidbey Island, Washington. I build mostly 1/48 aircraft and vehicles, but also have a few subs, ships and military vehicles in my stash. I have a Silhouette Cameo 4 that I have yet to fire up. I wanted to learn how to use and make files for cutting both masks and plastic parts. You may know me for my build threads and sassy mascots- cheers!

My name is Gerson, engineer, 63, I live in Brasil and my hobby is the making of WWII airplanes. I just bought a Cricut Joy and I am willing to learn a lot from you. Thank you for accepting my request.

Bonjour à tous Je me présente , Pascal 65 ans, français habitant prés de Grenoble maquettiste depuis................. Je construit essentiellement des avions au 1/72, avec un centre d'intérêt particulier : les pilotes FAFL ( Free French) pendant la seconde guerre mondiale. Je remplace petit à petit les décals des kits par des pochoirs réalisés avec la silhouette. Je débute dans les pochoirs et je viens donc vous rejoindre pour progresser. Merci pour votre accueil.

Hey all, I found this forum over on BM, I just peruse there for the information I need rather than post, I'm more of a discord person. Mostly I do 1/35 armour. and I would say I'm alright with an ab, so I don't use masks much, however my heart truly lies with helicopters, I just started the new Italeri 1/72 Merlin HM.1. I just find there isn't a lot of verity with current offerings. That said, I'm venturing into making my own masks with a Portrait3. I have had some success with the whole trace option within the silhouette software, but I'm lost when it comes to making anything remotely complex or making anything at all XD. So I'd be grateful for any tips and advice that …

I'm a Brit, currently sweating it out in Raleigh, NC, but planning to retire back to the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where I spent 21 lovely years. I’m almost exclusively a 1/32 WWII builder. Until recently, I had never considered creating my own paint masks. Then Mozart over at LSP kindly made some custom ones for me, and after a few conversations, I realized it could be fun—and a great way to dodge the bane of decaling and get better results. A Silhouette Portrait 4 is on the way, along with some vinyl, and I’m looking forward to learning a few new tricks.