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Masks for the excellent new tool Hawker Hurricane. Please note that the outside masks have all been trial fitted and are accurate, the inside ones are simply a slightly reduced version of the outer but haven't been test fitted!

Human nature I guess Gene, sadly. Following putting the Anson masks on here I have shared them and the forum address on both Britmodeller and iModeler, I think that’s the only way to increase awareness. I have the new Revell Hurricane and plan to make canopy masks for that too before too long, again sharing this fact across forums. Max

Dave, It's not intuitive, but there are a couple of different ways to join endpoints, including this on compound paths. Gene

View File Hawker Hurricane Revell new tool Masks as described, outer test fitted and accurate, inner ones are a reduced version of the outer but not test fitted.....over to you. 😄 Submitter Mozart Submitted 01/23/2023 Category Canopy Masks  

I use the Silhouette Designer software Gene, just measure the canopy as carefully and accurately as I can. I have actually done the full set of markings (this is part of it) for a friend’s chosen scheme:

In more ways than one Kev, only took an hour or so. The trickiest part was the narrow top section of the windscreen, had to adjust that several times to get a good fit.

Sorry friends, only just picked up on this thread. The answer is “yes”, I bought a special blade and cut this: which is the centre section of a sliding canopy for my Harvard. The resin ones that I bought were too thick to have the front section slid back, so I measured and cut these, painted it inside and out and glued it in place, not even glazed, didn't to be because it was hidden between sections 1 and 3: Max

NP, Gene. I used .010" sheet and cut 8 circles to glue together. I used an Autoblade I used settings: Depth 3 Force 25 Passes 2 Speed 6 (I forgot to change it slower) The circles weren't cut all the way through and I had to finish them with a scalpel. Probably affected by the speed. I could have set the depth to 4 too. Supposedly each increment in the depth is 0.1 mm which converts to .00393", with a depth setting of 3 it should have been .0118". Next time I'll try to remember to slow it down and set the depth to 4. The ring is for the cowling supports (12) as highlighted in this photo.

Got back into modelling after a long layoff about 7-8 years ago. Have got fed up with thick decals, decals that crack whilst applying, lack of choice for markings etc, etc. Have gone through the forum and digested all of the valuable information in there and have downloaded Silhouette Studio to start having a play before splashing out on a Cameo. Andy

Max, Great job, as always. I'm slowly going through all your posts (as I have the time), and thank you for all the lessons! You do an outstanding "job" photographing and explaining. Gene K

Try the settings I suggested above (on .010 or .015), and then stack those clean cut pieces to get your desired thickness. Laminate with Tamiya Extra Thin Quick Set cement to avoid melting/deforming. If you have a Cameo 4, using the the craft blade in the second blade holder (more force) should work well since you'll be making a continuous circular cut vice "Smart Cut" as explained very well here. The poster uses the method you suggested as regards to multiple passes with different force (depth) settings. I found Smart Cut not to my liking since I was cutting small parts (1/72) that had a lot of corners to negotiate. In the end, I was too busy (lazy) to dial the cuts in, so I use my tried and true "regular" method using the "regular" blade holder. Good cutting! I'd be interested to know your final determination. Gene EDIT. I was just reading through older posts and see that you have a Cameo 4 since 2020, so I'm not telling you anything new.

I just ordered a $150 Portrait 3 to play with (it's Christmas, after all). Gene K

Unfortunately, despite Kevin's efforts, this very useful forum hasn't gotten much visibility. Understandable, in a sense, since the number of cutting machine users is still relatively small. Also, many of the folks who do drop by to view and/or download seem to be hit and run, without so much as even "indicating" any appreciation or providing any feedback ... most of the time. Thanks for being a Prime Mover here. 👍 Gene K

Final stages, whole roundels put back in place then red centre removed, replaced and blue outer done: The transfer piece here is sold for Cricut machines - low tack, completely clear (which is a distinct advantage) and with the grid on it which helps: and before very long at all:

I've no idea where you're located, but this is the frisket that is being spoken of. Search (midwestairbrush.com) Dave

Thanks for this info - i created some new swear words last night trying to join endpoints. 🙂

Hey Gene, sorry for the late answer ... https://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/models/decals.htm

Just made my first successful cut on my silhouette for a 1/48 RAAF P39. Will post the outcome when it get's to that stage. Great site here - look forward to learning heaps from you all.

Thanks Kev/Max, Max, unfortunately I`m in the part of Hampshire that must be furthest away from Dorset, near to Berkshire and Surrey. Still, not that far away... I'm really enjoying getting stuck in to the tutorials and practising on Studio. Just need the Cameo now! Andy

Funnily enough I haven't built that many WW2 RAF fighters in standard camouflage, and those few I have "free-handed" with the airbrush. But with the sublime Tamiya Spitfire kit I decided to explore making camouflage masks. I scanned the colour A3 sheet provided with the kit then imported the image onto the Silhouette screen, starting with the wings: I measured the distance from leading to trailing edge on the kit where the wing walk stripe goes, then scaled the image onscreen to match that distance (just draw a straight line the measured distance, rotate and move it over the wing image and drag that out to match the line size). Once that was established it was very easy selecting the line "figure of eight" draw tool to (manually) trace the outline of the camouflage lines: I had already put down a base coat of Ocean Grey so the masks for those areas were pulled off and carefully laid in place on the wings. It took no time at all to spray the Dark Green resulting in crisp lines when the masks were removed: That was the easy bit done, then "3D fuselage would be a different matter. But first I decided to finish the upper and lower wings. Slight problem, unaccountable problem, with one roundel on which the blue lifted when the mask was removed, no idea why: but the other was fine: There was a potential problem with the under wings; the centre of the roundel coincides with a large fairing....."lump" to me, that no mask or decal for that matter is going to willingly conform to. I sliced around it carefully once the roundel mask was in place then used masking fluid to fill the gaps. Worked well enough: Adventures with the fuselage: I wasn't sure of the best way to go about these masks - separate port and starboard ones or a one piece "wrap-over" one. Well after a few experiments the latter wasn't that practical. So I used the same technique as the wings - scanning, importing (and flipping one image), scaling, tracing: which ended up something like: (but this has now been revised and uploaded to this site.) Screenshots showing mask positions: and after applying to the model, spraying and removing: Drawing the fuselage masks involved a certain amount of trial and error, and there is still a little touch up to do but generally speaking it's been a successful exercise. Please feel free to download the masks but please read the caveat with the masks. When I do the fuselage and tail markings I'll add them to this thread. Max

I have some sheets that are from Tamiya. I probably picked them up from SB. I haven't used them yet. There are plain sheets and sheets with a 1 mm grid on them. Dave

Glad to see you here and I hope you’ll find lots of helpful info on the site, but if you need specific advice, just shout! No promises of answers but we’ll try. 😁 Max

Welcome aboard, sir! Kev

Hello Guy, good to see another LSP-er here.

Cameo 2 Gene, no distortions! 😀 Max

I have similar problems not caused by camera angle - returned one Cameo 4 for this problem, and the replacement had same problems. My old Cameo 3 works fine, however. I think you use a Cameo 3, right, and have no distortions? Perplexing. Gene K

There are some good recommendations in this thread for the Silhouette Portrait, so ... if considering buying the excellent little Portrait 3, this $149 price (including shipping) from Walmart is a nice bargain. May be available in the store at your location. No indication how long this price is in effect. For the adventurous, there are currently some less expensive, supposedly new in-box Portrait 3s available on ebay, for example this one for $129 including shipping, but ... it's ebay. Gene K

That’s a good thought Guy. I have cut masks for several people (over on LSP) but purely on a “friends” basis and on the understanding that whilst I know my way around a Silhouette machine and software, I do not pretend to be a professional and therefore do not supply them with any guarantee of quality or accuracy. I would be willing to consider doing a similar thing here if required for cost of materials and postage. Max

I think that given your KLP Publishing activities and work on LSP, you're doing as much as you reasonably can on here, and we thank you for it.

I have to say that pretty much sums up my thoughts too. It would be a shame if the site were to go, but we can't expect Kev to carry on paying out of his own pocket, and are there enough members willing and able to donate to be viable? A hard question, perhaps. I would like to say thank you, Kev, for your work to date in setting up and running this site.

Kev, I don’t doubt that you have contributed a lot in terms of effort and cash in opening this site, and this purely for altruistic reasons. I’m also sure lots of the masks that have freely been uploaded by those of us who enjoy using our Silhouette and Cricut machines have been used by site visitors, but there is no discussion/interaction element forthcoming. Without that, the site stagnates sadly.

made my own will post them up

Hello, Here is my latest model. The second one since my recovery after 18 years of abstinence. It is the Fw 190 A8 of Josef Priller of the JG 26. Some particularities for a FW 190 A8: - No outer wing guns and no matching bumps. This is the first series of A8s lightened of the outer 20 mm guns. Later the A8 received the "universal" wing with bumps to accommodate the Mk 108. - The propeller, new on the pictures, has external balancing weights. The model is the Tamiya Fw 190 F8 that was lying in my huge stock. The interior features the Eduard photo etched for this model and the propeller, with external weights, comes from Ultracast. Paint: RLM 76 Aeromaster, RLM 75 and RLM 74 AK Real Color. Oil finish Abteilung 502. Satin varnish VMS. Crosses, delimitations of the walking areas and part of the markings to the Silhouette. First the real one : And My model

Cheers Kev. It’s reassuring that I had a quick response from the Silhouette Support team, for reference I’ve posted it below: Hello, Thank you for contacting us. My name is Caden, and I will be helping to resolve your questions and concerns on this matter. I'm sorry to hear of the crashing issue! First, please do the following to clear your Silhouette Studio software preferences. Please note that this procedure will result in the removal of user generated cut settings (blade/thickness/speed settings) and user option selections: Close Silhouette Studio Open the Finder Press [Cmd]+[Shift]+G Type in ~/Library/Preferences Press Return Delete the Folder com.aspexsoftware.Silhouette_Studio (this one only) Empty the Trash Re-open Silhouette Studio If the issue still persists, please do the following to test for a library corruption that may be causing this issue: Open the Finder Press [Cmd]+[Shift]+G Type in /Library/Application Support May alternately be located by typing ~/Library/Application Support Press Return Select the folder below, and rename by adding the word "old" onto the end com.aspexsoftware.silhouette_studio.8 > com.aspexsoftware.silhouette_studio.8old Attempt to start Silhouette Studio If the issues continue just the same after this, you can reverse the steps above by deleting the word "old" and let us know if anything has changed in the startup process. If the issue continues, please let us know the following: - Operating System (Catalina, etc) - RAM size (GB) To locate this, please see the following: Select the apple symbol at the top left corner Select “About this Mac” The system information will be listed We look forward to assisting you further. Thank you,

Thanks Kev, all now sorted! I uninstalled the program completely and any associated bits that I could find, then downloaded the program again. I was delighted that it didn't ask for my SSD key, though I had it ready, and that all my files are still intact. Phew......what a relief!

I see Kevin. I do see folks who want custom decals masks but don't have the resources and there are no lists that I know of of people who would be happy to make masks for others but it's not really practical to advertise as an individual. For an example, Rob de Vie has a site re making your own decals and has a list of folks that will make them for you. Even if there were only a few folks who would be willing, at least it would be someplace we could send them. I fully understand your issue with real life eating up your time, it was just a suggestion, maybe in the future. Take care.

When you use decals, you can see the model gradually, slowly evolving - hopefully into what you'd envisaged - as you work. The gratifying thing about using the masks is that it's a bit quicker: you add lots of masking and do a bit of painting, and nothing seems to happen Then suddenly, seemingly in an instant, the masks come off, et voila! OK, the walkway lines are a little uneven in width, but I can live with that. What I can't live with (although I did seriously consider it) is that the starboard "S" is noticeably above where it should be. I've no idea how that happened, I blame the bench gremlins. Now I'm particularly glad I included a spare on the mask sheet. So not 10 minutes after the big reveal, it was out with a fine sanding stick, off with the "S", and a quick touch-up of the silver; the new S goes on next session when the touch-up's cured.

Hi Bax, I have a 4. I've not really used it a lot yet, but so far I haven't had any problems. I chose Silhouette because I didn't like the idea of everything being in the "cloud" either. The photo is a 1/48 A-20. The aircraft codes and S/N were cut with the 4. The national markings are decals. I'm slowly working my way there. I also used it to cut the masks for the pilot's canopy (not visible in the photo.) I'm slowly getting around to weathering the A-20. I've also used it for canopy masks for a 1/32 T-2 and I'm working on marking masks for a 1/28 Camel. I've not done anything in 1/72. I've only cut things using the mat and auto blade that came with it. Dave

View File Stars & Bars - 1/32 P-51D At Kev's request, I'm re-posting this content from Large Scale Planes. It shows in some detail how I used the attached cutter file to paint a simple insignia on my 1:32 P-51D. I started by making a cutter file in the software that comes with the Silhouette Cameo machine. I did this by scanning the decal sheet and tracing over it, although for something as common as the US fighter plane insignia you could find a vector art file or pre-existing cutter file many places on line. I made my own because I wanted to tweak them a touch for my planned painting process. I made the outside shape (only, not the stars and bars themselves) for the inner mask (top left, the mask that covers the blue when I spray the white) very slightly smaller than the shape in the mask below it (middle left, the mask that defines the overall blue shape) so that it will be easy to lay down inside the outer mask without the edges overlapping and making it hard to stick the vinyl down. By slightly smaller I mean 0.3 mm per side. I will tape over the junctions between inner and outer masks before spraying the white paint so that none can get through the small gap between them. I then cut a piece of Oramask 813 about 9x5 inches in size and stuck it down on the tacky support mat that allows it to feed into the cutter. The cutter can take 12x12 (or even bigger with a roll attachment) but that's overkill for my uses. This is about as big a piece as I ever use. It's quick - less than 60 seconds to cut this pattern. It makes very crisp clean cuts. This is a very simple pattern because all the shapes are large. For sheets with very small details (like the federal serial number on the vertical stabilizer of this plane) I run the cutter at its minimum speed to reduce the tendency of the blade to pick tiny pieces of masking film up off of the backing. To get ready to spray the blue area I simply remove the inside part of the mask while it's still on the backing paper... Then lay a small piece of frisket paper (a standard airbrush artist's supply you can get anywhere that sells airbrushes) over the top to hold it in place as I lift it off the backing. This is important to do even for a very simple shape like this because the vinyl is flexible and the frisket is not (at least it does not stretch in length/width). If you just peel the vinyl off and try to stick it down to the model, it's easy to stretch it subtly and distort the shape. This is doubly true if you stick it down and then decide (as I did twice) that you want to move it a bit. The frisket allows you to do this without damaging the mask itself. Here it is stuck in its final spot with frisket still on it. Remove the frisket and mask around the vinyl to control overspray. I've gotten into the habit of doing this with scrap paper from the printer and very narrow pieces of tape. It takes a little extra time, but minimizes the amount of tape you are putting on already-finished painted surfaces. Risk management and all that. Same thing on the wings. And just like the squadron colors, I'll need to paint a little corner of the insignia on the disassembled gun bay covers as well). And we're ready to paint. Right before starting to paint I try to always remember to double check the edges of the vinyl and burnish them down with a fingernail if they are lifting anywhere. It's important to check that between coats of paint too. I will be painting with my GSI Creos 0.2mm double-action airbrush. This is my go-to airbrush and the one I use 95% of the time. I have a 0.5 mm version of the same brush that I use when I need to cover large areas quickly (for example I used it to paint the gloss black undercoat on this model). My old 0.5 mm Iwata is reserved for those rare occasions that I want to shoot something water-based. The GSI airbrushes I use for lacquer only. This is the blue I'm using And after it this white. This model is the first time I've used MRP paints, and I have to say I like them a lot. The convenience of not having to dilute them is very attractive, and they are very easy to get a good result with. I still have a place in my heart for Mr Color, though, and will probably continue to use both brands. I started with a light "tack coat" - painting slowly and building up a very thin layer, just enough to initiate a strong bond with the layer underneath (it was thinner than this picture suggests). Painting with masks like this you want to avoid ever getting a "wet" surface - if you do it will form a meniscus against the edge of the mask and that will dry to an obnoxious ridge at the edge of the painted shape. I'm spraying here at 10 psi (2/3 bar), which is what I almost always use. I did all four insignia with the tack coat, and by the time that was done the first one was dry to the touch and ready for coat two (this is the #1 thing I love about Mr Color lacquers - superfast drying). The second coat got the blue all the way to opacity. I could probably get away with a couple hours' curing time and move on to the second mask and the white layer, but I'm feeling extra paranoid so I'm going to leave this until tomorrow before doing the white. Why take chances when it's *this close* to done? After I do the white I'll pull the inner mask and hit the whole insignia with a light pass of clear matte to kill and shine and unify the surface appearance. Phase 2 today. Started by removing the vinyl from around the part of the mask that I want to use. As before, lay a piece of frisket paper over it to pick it up with. Carefully lay that down inside the mask that defined the blue area... And peel the frisket off, making sure to buff down the edges of the new mask. Cover the junction between outer and inner masks with tape The first of five coats of MRP white I was able to do this continuously - paint a coat on all four insignia and the first one was ready for the next coat. Took maybe 20 minutes all told to get to this. Gave it a couple hours curing time and removed the second-stage masks Nice and sharp, but the blue is too shiny. I will give it a quick shot of MRP clear matte before removing the outer mask. The final result, after matte varnish. Submitter Alex Submitted 02/23/2021 Category U.S. - WW2  

Glad I found this site! I'm on the very beginning of the learning curve with a Cameo 4, and pretty pumped at the modelling possibilities. Looking forward to the sharing of files and getting some tips from the more experienced of you. I've uploaded a file of paint masks I've used on my 1/72 Academy Mustang, and hope to share more as I make them.

This is my second attempt at using the Silhouette Portrait 3 for paint masks. A little more involved this time and I have to say it seems like a pretty good result for the markings. ALL of which were sprayed on, so no pesky decalling to fight with. I've uploaded the Silhouette image into the downloads section if anyone wants to try them out in the future. They are a straight replacement for the Tamiya decals, with a few tweaks to get a more accurate set of markings. (eg. Size of the upper wing crosses and style of the tail numbers)

Hello Giorgos, welcome to the Forum. Can you tell us what the image is that you’re trying to scale to the right size please? If I’m making a German cross, or a British roundel for instance I measure it from the source material, perhaps the decal from the kit, or photograph. Then when I’ve drawn it with the Silhouette software I just enlarge the drawing to match the size that I measured. I’ve also taken a picture of an aeroplane from a profile in a book, a Ju88 for example, then imported that picture, or part of it, into Silhouette. Then I’ve measured an area on the kit (I only work in 1/32 scale), say by a door and scaled the drawing on screen to match that measurement. Then from that drawing I can draw the markings to the right size to fit the model! Hope this makes sense and is some help! Max

these were not my masks they predated my cameo except for the ac id numbers they came from montex. I did make the stripe mask as well, The model is almost done it has been ignored for a about 1.5 years sadly. I did lose the direction finding antenna after the pictures were done. Trumpeter is not very good about replacing parts so I made the mount via sculpy clay and the antenna will be from strip styrene or a some scap PE.

Okay, I seem to have figured out something about the bluetooth connection after contacting Silhouette Support. Evidently the Cameo 4 senses that a USB cable is plugged into the cutter (even if the other end is not connected to a computer) and the bluetooth doesn't work. I received an email from a support person who suggested a number of things and also pointed to a website that works through finding out exactly which version of bluetooth is actually on the computer. While reading through that gent's email I was thinking that I've already done all the scenarios but I'd work through them again, just for the sake of doing it. Originally I had the USB cable with an extension draped across the floor and when I did my testing, I just disconnected the USB at the computer. Since then I added a second USB extension cable and have it plugged into the back of the computer (disktop). Tonight when I ran through setup again I disconnected the USB cable at the Cameo 4 and low and behold it connected. I've retested a couple time this evening and it has reconnected to the Cameo. It seems to be a little slow on connecting but it does connect. It evidently can only be connected to one computer at a time too. So, info for someone else in the future. And while I was sending an email back to someone who may read it, I suggested that they update the FAQs on the website. Annnnnnd while I was at it, I made a feature request that the software have a way to weld the endpoints of lines, arcs, etc. Dave

Hello Dave, I can’t answer most of your questions I’m afraid because I use a Cameo 2 which to my knowledge doesn’t have a Bluetooth function nor roll stock holder (?) but the one thing I have learned in the 5 or 6 years that I’ve used mine is to cut only enough Oramask for the task in hand. I never throw away cut-offs, surprisingly small pieces so often come in handy. Yesterday I cut two roundels, I used a piece of vinyl no more than 100mm x 50mm. Good luck with your Cameo, you’ll love it and quickly realise just what an essential piece of kit it is!

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

If you've painted a model using paint masks, this forum is the place to show them off! It can be masks you've cut yourself, either manually or using a cutter, or they could be from a commercial mask set you bought. Just include a brief explanation for the benefit of your readers. Note that you can't upload your model photos directly to the forums, and will have to link them from a third-party image host, such as Imgur or ImageShack. I look forward to seeing all your fantastic builds! Kev