General Discussion

Hello everyone, there are now quite a lot of 3d printing accessories on the net. The Arma Hobby stuff looks very nice. Many things could maybe also be adapted quite easily to other aircraft types in a freeware CAD like Fusion360. I am also amazed at these display bases that some people offer for download very cheap:. https://www.armahobby.com/category/3d-files https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/art/wwii-us-aircraft-carrier-diorama-and-display-base-1-48-scale-200mm https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/art/nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-diorama-and-display-base-1-48-scale-300mm Who has already gained exp…

I have been working with Peter Castle of Airscale fame to produce masks for his new and ground-breaking venture, a fully 3D printed, highly detailed and accurate 1/32 kit of the Boulton Paul Defiant. His kit, due for release in the near future, has markings for a day and night fighter variant. The kit will feature decals for those who like to go down that route, but paint masks will be available from Peter for a small extra cost in “hard copy” form and also here as a downloadable file on this site. The kit’s box will have a QR code on it which will link directly to these files. Max

Just a test post to make sure that posting functionality is working as expected. Safe to ignore! Kev

Well it's taken a while, and I must admit I've done a lot more than I initially intended, but I'd like to announce that the masks designed for the Airfix 1/48 Avro Anson are now available in the "Canopy masks" section. All the items have been trial fitted, adapted where necessary and now fit to my satisfaction and I hope yours too, however if you come across any issues please feel free to get back to me! If you have already downloaded an earlier version, please delete that from your files and upload the latest version. All the best Max

Hi Kev, I often see people on the web looking for people who make masks. Since there are people here who are quite good at that, perhaps you could add a forum for people who make masks so we could send folks here for help. Just a thot, Mike

Hi guy, im new to cutting mask, i just got a cricut machine and i would like to make simple Korean Natural metal Mig-15 marking. Does anyone have a file already maklde or a picture of the kit marking so i can make my own? Cheers

Hi everyone, hope all is well in your neck of the woods. This forum is a magnificent resource for all things masking/cutting etc. but not everyone owns or has access to a printer/cutter. Many however, would very much like to take advantage of the benefits of masks on their models. Since I'm new here I may well have missed a sub forum so please forgive me but, is there anywhere on site here where requests are placed? With so much talent available on tap, it occured to me that there could be a demand for custom masks? Is this something that has already been discussed? Cheers, Guy

I spent some time yesterday evening showing my wife how to use the Silhouette to draw and cut masks, but when I was shutting it down a message came on screen saying “Silhouette has encountered a problem and needs to quit”. Subsequent attempts to restart the software met with the same response, so at the moment my machine is effectively dead. I’ll try a reboot etc this morning then contact the help centre to see what they advise. Damn! Max

This may seem an odd topic for a forum dedicated to paint masks, but bear with me please. I take it that most, if not all, of us here are interested in masking and painting markings because we believe (rightly imo) that it give a better representation of a real aircraft's markings, and we enjoy the process (or we wouldn't do it). But thinking about a Spitfire I'm just embarking on, it occurred to me that the red-doped fabric patches over the gun ports are better represented by decals. The real thing was a doped fabric patch, so the decal is actually better at representing that; and a decal will shrink slightly as it dries (particularly if setting solutions …

Hi I have a Cricut Air 2 that I have had and used on and off for around 3 years. While it can handle Roundels, Stars and Bars very well anything like the serial numbers of 1/48 RAF aircraft or the carrier names for USN aircraft it simply mangles the mask. I use Orascom 810 for creating Vinyl masks. I know that commercially available masks often have decals for the smaller markings. Can a Silhouette cutter handle small markings any better? Will

Hi, Just wanted to say what an excellent resource this site is. I really hope as my skill levels get better in this area I will be able to contribute fully. Currently my skill levels are hovering around zero as I am trying to get my head round the wife's Silhouette Cameo 4 and also the process of designing masks. Looking forward to progressing this area of the hobby Gazza

Thanks Kev for setting up the WiP section, you have been wise in using a broad brush approach regarding how much of the build people want to post with the ultimate aim of a greater understanding of how masks are produced and applied. 👏 Max

Things have been very quiet around here lately, and that's partly my fault, as I haven't had much time to spend here myself in recent times. And sadly, I'm also not an expert in the art and science of cutting paint masks, so it's difficult for me to lead from the front, so to speak. I would, however, hate to see this place wither and die, when it has the potential to be such a useful resource to the general modelling community. So, in the spirit of community engagement, I'm reaching out to you guys to sound off, and let us know that you're still here! I'd like for this site to become a comprehensive online library of masking resources, but we're just at the ba…

I've just started preparations for the painting stage of my Hawker Fury I (1/32 scale AlleyCat resin and white metal) having finally decided on the scheme: It's quite a complicated scheme which will require a lot of masking at various stages, and because of this I had more or less decided to use the transfers supplied with the kit, shock horror!! 😱 But no, fear not dear friends, t'was not to be.....just couldn't do it. So I found myself yesterday happily seated in front of my computer scanning the markings, importing said scans into the Silhouette screen, tracing etc etc. An idle thought came into my head, wouldn't it be a…

Hi everyone, I've just done a quick spring-clean of the General Discussion area, as I realised that there were a few posts here that really belonged elsewhere in the forums. To that end, I've moved a few out of here to the areas they more appropriately belong. If possible, I'd like to reserve the General Discussion area for off-topic posts and threads, that don't otherwise relate to the core business of the site. And on that note, if you feel you'd like to make a post relating to scale model paint masks, but can't see anywhere else but General Discussion to put it, let me know, as it may be a sign that we need to either expand or refine our existin…

Hello to all does anyone have something similar to share for decals because I don't have the sheet?

I just wanted to drop in and wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and hope that you are all safe and well. Kev

Hi everyone, Can I just ask that you please include a screenshot with your mask designs when you upload them? It makes it much easier to tell at a glance what's what, versus the sea of default thumbnails. Thanks! Kev

So, we've just passed the 200-member mark. Thanks everyone for your support so far - especially to those who have so generously uploaded their mask designs. And welcome to all our new members! Kev

I've just created a couple of new categories for National Insignia in anticipation of uploads to suit them. They are: Canada - All Eras - pretty self-explanatory. If there was a Canadian presence in WWI with distinctive national markings, then I can modify this category to be Post WWI. Happy to take more knowledgeable advice on this one. Would love to see a maple leaf or two uploaded! Australia - Post WWI - again, pretty self-explanatory. Anything specific to WWI can go in the WWI - All Nations category, otherwise here's the place the roundels and roos. If you have something you'd like to contribute, but don't see a suitable c…

Hi everyone, After seeing AvergeModeller's question about tracing objects in the General Discussion section, it occurred to me that we really need a dedicated Q&A forum - so I've just created one! https://www.scalemodelpaintmasks.com/index.php?/forum/19-q-a/ If possible, I'd like to keep General Discussion as a place where folks can chat mainly about off-topic stuff, with the exception of politics, religion, or any form of vilification. Kev

Hi...an idea:a room in which is possible upload /download font useful to create masks for military planes/afv....

We've just grown to our first 100 members, which is great! Thanks to everyone who has joined and supported the site so far. It's still a work in progress, and has plenty of room to grow and evolve just yet. Here's to the next 100 members! Kev

As I post this, the site is brand-new, and in its infancy. To kick things off, I've created a basic set of categories for file uploads, but with the intention that they will evolve over time to meet the needs of both the site and our members. So with that in mind, I'd like to initiate a discussion on the types of categories you guys feel might be useful as we grow. I can certainly see the category of 'Aircraft - Military' being entirely too broad for the long haul, but I'm also mindful of the fact that too many categories can also be a problem. Splitting up a large category like that could be done in many ways (by scale, by country, by aircraft type, by era, e…