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How to Paint Gear Door Edge


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Hello guys,

 

As I am building the 1/48 F-14A, I need to paint the wheel well cover edges red. See actual photo.

 

What is the best way to have this edge painted nice and clean?

 

I'd appreciate your tricks and suggestions.

Mvc-011s.jpg

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I tried the Sharpie method once, and the red bled beyond the door edges badly. I had laid down a coat of clear coat and letting it cure overnight prior to using the Sharpie. How are you prepping the surface to prevent this? 

 

 

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   I also use a marker, but after trying the Sharpie type general markers, I checked out my local AC Moore big box arts & craft store and found a few lines of markers that I liked. The ones I settled on are Brushmarker by Windsor & Newton, have a fine tip and a broader tip. The paint is Alcohol based as per the label, so I'm going to assume that it's an acrylic type of paint.  The amount of paint it applies is very consistent and requires less pressure to apply compared to the Sharpies I've tried. This equates to basically less to no runs.  I've also found that the caps are excellent so that the paint tips don't dry out, which is a issue I've had more times then not.  the only downside is that they cost $5 ea. Every color including Red has multiple shades which makes picking out the proper color a tough choice. I ended up buying a few different shades.

 

Joel

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After spending hours and trying both methods(Sharpie and masking), I decided to strip paint off all the doors as I was not happy with the final product.  I wanted a clean and straight red on all interior edges but I was unable to produce it. Bleeding was also an issue.

 

I am back to square one again.

 

Any other way to do this?

 

 Mind you that this is a 1/48 scale and  gear doors are big enough to show details.

 

 

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Mig Hunter,

  The last time I needed to paint the gear door edges was on a 1/32 scale Scooter, so the width of the gear doors was larger then in 1/48 scale, which is larger then in 1/72 scale. The smaller the scale, the narrower the gear doors are, hence, the more difficult it is to get that smooth, consistent edge. 

 

  One reason that I switched from a Sharpie type marker to a Winsor & Newton marker is the tip quality, ease & consistency of the flow of acrylic media, and thus a more consistent line.  It does take practice and as I said a steady hand. I applied the marker over a matt surface not a gloss one, as it's much easier to control the flow of paint.  I also found that a few lite passes produced better results then one heavy coat that tended to run. And let one coat completely dry before applying a 2nd coat.   And for the record I never was able to achieve a consistent coat with a Sharpie marker, and always had more runs and errors then I was willing to accept. 

 

 An alternate method is to prime the gear doors, then paint the edges red. The carefully mask the edges with a Tamiya type tape.  I've also used this method previously, and it works just fine, but takes forever and a day.

 

The last method is to free hand using a brush with long tapered bristles held at a very slight angle. I've seen videos of master modelers applying thin lines of paint this way, but I've never been able to come  close to acceptable results.  

 

As I said, it takes practice at whatever method you decide on.   If you do decide to try the marker method again, there is no substitute for quality markers.

 

Joel 

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14 hours ago, MiG Hunter said:

After spending hours and trying both methods(Sharpie and masking), I decided to strip paint off all the doors as I was not happy with the final product.  I wanted a clean and straight red on all interior edges but I was unable to produce it. Bleeding was also an issue.

 

I am back to square one again.

 

Any other way to do this?

 

 Mind you that this is a 1/48 scale and  gear doors are big enough to show details.

 

 

 

Hi Mig Hunter,

 

Your experience is similar to mine. I have gone full circle from masking to Sharpies and Gundam markers and now I'm back to masking.

This is what works for me to get that neat line.

 

I'm working on the Tamiya tomcat at the moment. All paints used are acrylics.

 

First I spray the white (Tamiya XF-2). I follow that up with a protective clear coat (Tamiya X-22).  

Carefully mask everything. This step takes forever but is essential to do carefully.

 

Next I mist on the red (in this example I used Gunze H33 Russet). This coat cannot go on wet or it will increase the chances of runs. I spray many mist coats letting the previous coats dry before misting on the next. A hair dryer helps speed things up. Repeat until you have the opacity you desire.

Do not let the paint get wet. Wet coats run and seep under / between masking. Patience is key.

 

Once dry, remove masking. Any small over sprays can be cleaned up easily due to the protective clear coat applied earlier.

I use cocktail sticks for cleanup. Push the sharp end of the cocktail stick onto the table . This will blunt it and splay out the fibres at the end. Turns it into a small stiff brush. I wet it and use that to rub at the overspray.

 

Dsng9LR.jpg

 

I have also tried Hasegawa's white vinyl sheets for some of the lines.

 

saTlMof.jpg

 

I spray on the same red, cut off strips and paste where required. I can't tell the difference between the painted lines and the vinyl.

 

HTH

 

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, CaptainObvious said:

First I spray the white (Tamiya XF-2). I follow that up with a protective clear coat (Tamiya X-22).  

Carefully mask everything. 

 

If you mask before you apply the clear coat, the clear will seal the edges of the mask and prevent runs under the mask.

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4 hours ago, habu2 said:

 

If you mask before you apply the clear coat, the clear will seal the edges of the mask and prevent runs under the mask.

Spraying the masked color also works quite well. Especially when you're not ready for a clear coat. 

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On 10/14/2017 at 11:21 AM, tosouthern66 said:

I use a red sharpie marker. I have a set of fine tip to broad tip. Sometimes I tape the area off and paint with insignia red paint and a fine tip brush. Hope this helps!

 

I've been tempted to try this, have you ever had a problem with the ink bleeding into the surrounding paint?

 

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2 hours ago, jfmajor60 said:

 

I've been tempted to try this, have you ever had a problem with the ink bleeding into the surrounding paint?

 

JF

 At 1st I had issues. Then I started applying it in multiple light coats. Do not press down on the tip to get more ink on the model. If it stops marking the use a paper to get the ink coming out. If you go slow and easy it will work, if you try to hurry it then you will get ink bleeding under the tape.

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I am happy to announce that after stripping the paint off the doors and starting all over again, I am much happier with the final result.

 

I ended up airbrushing the edges red first and after a day, I masked the edges very carefully and patiently with thin strips of masking tapes I cut out myself and airbrushed the interiors with white and today after removing the tapes, voila! 

 

It is not picture perfect but for a guy who is building his only 6th model, I did well. :yahoo:

 

Thank you guys for all your help. 

Edited by MiG Hunter
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5 hours ago, MiG Hunter said:

I am happy to announce that after stripping the paint off the doors and starting all over again, I am much happier with the final result.

 

I ended up airbrushing the edges red first and after a day, I masked the edges very carefully and patiently with thin strips of masking tapes I cut out myself and airbrushed the interiors with white and today after removing the tapes, voila! 

 

It is not picture perfect but for a guy who is building his only 6th model, I did well. :yahoo:

 

Thank you guys for all your help. 

Congrats

I have never tried to do the process in reverse. I may have to give it a try.

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16 hours ago, MiG Hunter said:

I am happy to announce that after stripping the paint off the doors and starting all over again, I am much happier with the final result.

 

I ended up airbrushing the edges red first and after a day, I masked the edges very carefully and patiently with thin strips of masking tapes I cut out myself and airbrushed the interiors with white and today after removing the tapes, voila! 

 

It is not picture perfect but for a guy who is building his only 6th model, I did well. :yahoo:

 

Thank you guys for all your help. 

 Mig Hunter,

  Congrats on a job well done. I've been modeling nearly half my 70 years, and I still have issues doing the red trim.  The thought has occurred to me that in real life I wouldn't be surprised  if there are runs and drips as well.  As modelers we tend to want everything absolutely perfect while that's that the case in real life. Another example is invasion stripes. For the most part they were hand painted on ASAP, and no where as neat and perfect as we make them.

Joel

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1 hour ago, Joel_W said:

 Mig Hunter,

  Congrats on a job well done. I've been modeling nearly half my 70 years, and I still have issues doing the red trim.  The thought has occurred to me that in real life I wouldn't be surprised  if there are runs and drips as well.  As modelers we tend to want everything absolutely perfect while that's that the case in real life. Another example is invasion stripes. For the most part they were hand painted on ASAP, and no where as neat and perfect as we make them.

Joel

Getting that hand-painted look is HARD! I did that on the red warning markings on a 1/144 A-90 Orlyonok ekranoplan. 

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On ‎10‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 7:29 AM, habu2 said:

 

If you mask before you apply the clear coat, the clear will seal the edges of the mask and prevent runs under the mask.

 

On ‎10‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 12:02 PM, dnl42 said:

Spraying the masked color also works quite well. Especially when you're not ready for a clear coat. 

 

Great tips fellas!

I'll be sure to use them the next time.

Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:

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