1:144 A-350-1000 Painting mask (ZVE)

1:144 Airbus A350-1000 – masking stencils for spraying

This set from the manufacturer SX-Art holds self-adhesive stencils for spraying the color scheme on a model of the Airbus A350-1000 airliner in 1:144 scale. The stencils define the shapes that are airbrushed, so the colored areas are made of sprayed paint and not of a decal. They are not masks for covering the flight deck glazing.

The real subject

The Airbus A350-1000 is the longest version of the twin-engine wide-body airliner for long-haul routes. It is characterized by slender wings with swept-up tips, a high proportion of composites in the structure and a continuous dark band of flight deck glazing. The engines are turbofans, mounted in nacelles under the wings.

Spraying instead of a decal

Large-area decals on the fuselage of an airliner break over windows and doors in this scale, they wrinkle on the rounded fuselage and after drying a glossy film is often visible around them. Sprayed paint has no such border and the transition is physically flat, not an applied layer. The procedure is simple: spray the base shade, let it cure for at least a day, then apply the stencil and press it down above all where it runs over door edges and over the fuselage seam. The dividing line on the fuselage usually runs along its whole length, so before gluing the fuselage halves together check that the line matches on both parts. Spray thinly and perpendicular to the edge; the edge should be sharp, as a soft transition looks unnatural on an airliner. Remove the stencils once the paint has set and only then apply the clear coat.

Who the set is for

• builders of airliners in 1:144 scale
• modelers bothered by the glossy border around large decals
• airbrush users looking for sharp dividing lines on the fuselage
• those who want the colored areas sprayed, not applied

This is a building accessory, not a model. Paints, glue and the kit are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.