1:700 USS Texas BB-35 Deck Masking Sheet (for Trumpeter kit 06712)

Artwox Model 1:700 USS Texas BB-35 - masking sheet for the deck

A pre-cut self-adhesive sheet of masks for the decks of the battleship USS Texas BB-35 in 1:700 scale. It is not a kit or a veneer deck: it lets you spray the deck areas in a different shade from the surrounding parts and keep a clean transition between them. The shapes are derived from the parts of the Trumpeter 06712 plastic kit, so check before buying that this is the one you are building.

Where the mask fits into the painting sequence

The most direct route is to spray the deck shade as the first coat. Only once it has cured is the mask stuck on to cover the deck, and only then come the shades of the hull and superstructures. The order can be reversed, but the mask then lies on a darker color and any creep shows far more. Decide before you start spraying; putting a deck area right afterwards in 1:700 scale is extra work that is easily avoided.

Usage tips

Spray at low pressure and direct the flow from the mask into the area, not against the edge. Hold the airbrush at right angles; a flow at an angle gets under the edge even where the mask otherwise holds. Keep the coats thin and let them set between passes. If paint does creep under, make the correction with a fine brush right after the mask comes off, while the surroundings are fresh and the shades level out with no visible transition. Traces of adhesive on the plastic come off with a cotton bud dampened in alcohol.

Who the set is for

• Modelers who solve the deck with paint rather than with a veneer covering.
• Airbrush users who care about cleanly separated areas.
• Builders of small-scale ships, where a hand-drawn line does not look good.
• Those who do not want to spend an evening cutting masks from tape.

The set is not a model on its own. The paints, glue and plastic kit are not included in the package.