MiG Hunter Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 (edited) What is the best way to airbrush movable wings? I am a newbie and had a hard time with my 1/48 F-14A Tomcat. I airbrushed the wings on the model and in full forward position but when the wings are fully retracted, a small section of wing is obviously unpainted. See attached photo. What is the correct technique to avoid this issue? Any tips appreciated. Edited March 9, 2017 by MiG Hunter Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bob Beary Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 (edited) Two choices as I see it... 1 paint the wings in the retracted position 2 mask and paint the small section It's a really easy mask job. You most likely will have to do the leading and trailing edges separately with the wings open and closed. Bob Edited March 9, 2017 by Bob Beary added info Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 I've read about modifying the pivot hole to a notch so the wing can be slid in after painting. Means you need to be careful transporting the finished model, but no messing about with the paint. Tamiya apparently designed the wings to be painted off the kit. Of course, my F-14 kits are Not-Tamiya, so I'll be doing the notch thing or figuring out how to replicate Tamiya's slotted wing-pivot joint... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MiG Hunter Posted March 9, 2017 Author Share Posted March 9, 2017 Mine is an old 1/48 monogram F-14A. No option to slide it an after painting. I guess my only option is to mask and paint the unpainted section. I thought there might be an easier way, though. Another issue here is, that the paint will be scratched/marked once you move the wings due to tight fitting which makes the whole idea of having movable wings impractical. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MoFo Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Two options: - paint the wings before assembling the fuselage. - cut a section out of the wing hinge, so the wings can be fitted after assembly. Like this. Note that you want to leave a couple of very small tabs so the wings will stay in place. It basically makes them a snap-fit. If you cut a simple U shape, the fit will be lose; you need something to make your slot look more like this: c= Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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