1:35 M1A1 Abrams Tamiya 35156

Pmask 1:35 M1A1 Abrams, road wheel masks

Die-cut self-adhesive masks from the Polish maker Pmask for painting the wheels of a model of the M1A1 Abrams tank in 1:35 scale. The ring is stuck onto the metal part of the wheel and the rubber tire is oversprayed with an airbrush. The boundary between the two shades comes out sharp and the same on every wheel, and on the Abrams, which has a whole row of road wheels, that means a large saving of time against outlining with a brush. The film has a weak adhesive and it does not harm the dried finish when removed.

The real subject

The M1A1 is the form of the Abrams tank with a 120 mm smoothbore gun in place of the earlier 105 mm gun. The vehicle is powered by a gas turbine and protected by layered armor. The chassis has torsion bar suspension and road wheels with rubber tires, which differ in color from the hull on a model.

Use and tips

• Spray the wheels with the base color of the vehicle and let them cure completely.
• Stick the ring exactly onto the hub and press the edge down.
• Overspray the tire in a very dark gray with a hint of brown instead of pure black.
• Take the mask off while the paint is only tacky.
• On desert builds, lay the dust on with pigments only after the masks have come off.

Who the set is for

• For modelers of modern vehicles who want cleanly separated tires on the wheels.
• For builds where the running gear is clearly visible.
• For those who do not want to spend hours outlining wheels with a brush.

The package contains masking film only. The paints and the kit are not part of it.