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How to paint wheelhubs


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Hello, 

 

I build mostly 1/72 aircrafts and still struggling to paint perfect circules for painting the wheelhubs. 

 

Sometimes I make a wash to define the circle and the fill up the rest but sometimes this doesn’t work in old WWII subject. 

 

So, I’m interested in learning your own techniques. 

 

Thank you

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Here's one on Amazon, but craft stores like Hobby Lobby, Michaels, JOANN, &etc. carry them too. I use Inkscape to draw the images. The nice thing about Inkscape is that you can draw the image in any scale, including full-scale, and then reduce to fit the model at hand. I then use Robocut to cut them. The cutting mat that Amazon shows is useful. I use Frisket Film and Tamiya Masking Sticker Sheets for the masking material. I will print, as well as cut, the masks on plain paper to test them out.

 

Here's an example of cross pattée masks I used for a 1/48 Albatros D.III OEFFAG 253. The colors represent different layers so I can cut multiple masks from a single file.

Cross-_Pattee-_Mask.png

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I  paint the hub and then the tire using a hairy stick and very thin paint. The paint flows to where it should be (usually). Sometime helps if you stick your tongue out a bit.

Edited by MacStingy
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On 2/11/2018 at 11:34 PM, dnl42 said:

I cut masks on a Silhouette Portrait cutter. They're the simplest of all possible masks.

Before that, I used a circle cutter, like the Olfa Compass Circle Cutter. I tried spraying through a circle template, but I wasn't thrilled with the results due to misalignment.

 

I too used masks cut on a Silhouette Portrait, but I found out that 4 mm circles were seriously unround, and unsuitable as masks. The 6 mm circles were fine though.

 

I replaced the 4 mm masks with similar ones made with a Waldron Punch & Die set. And here's the result. It's the Clark tractor from the old Revell 1/72 F-16.


Rob

 

f16-12.jpg

 

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My method combines a couple of the above ideas.  And I like cheap practical solutions.  Get one of the green circle templates, and the glass from a cheapo department store 5x7 picture frame.  Place Tamiya tape or favorite equivalent on the glass.  Determine which circle template to use and cut a circle of the tape using a #11 blade tip.  Transfer to wheel and spray or brush.  You can mask either the hub or the tire, but I almost always spray the hub and then cover it, spraying the tire last.  Leave the mask on and weather the tire. 

 

Cutting against a glass surface allows you to create very sharp clean edges on the mask.  A big circle template like Habu2's will almost always match the diameter you need.  I can't remember mine ever being too far off to use.  After a couple of uses, it becomes a very quick process.

 

Rick L.

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  • 1 month later...

Hello,

 

Thank you for your sharing your ideas...I have used most of thrm in the past with mixed result...lately I have been working on some old Airfix and Heller kits, the detail of the injection is not always consistent and that is what have me pulling my hair...

 

I bite the bait on this...

 

http://www.hyperscale.com/2017/reviews/tools/brevecocirclecutterreviewjh_1.htm

 

It just arrived, I have it assambled and will check the results hopefully this weekend.  Will let you know. 

 

Thank you. 

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