1:350 USS Battleship Missouri Deck Masking Sheet (For Very fire VF350003)

Masking sheet for the deck of the battleship Missouri 1:350 (Artwox Model)

This item is not a kit and it is not a veneer deck either. It is a sheet of self-adhesive masks pre-cut to the shape of the deck areas of one particular kit. You stick them on the deck, spray over them in a different shade and take the masks off, so that the boundary between the wooden and the metal part of the deck comes out sharp and accurate. The set is cut for one particular kit, Very Fire VF350003, so check before buying that this is the one you have.

Why pre-cut masks

The deck of a large battleship is complex. Around the barbettes, hatches, feet of superstructures and drainage channels, cutting masking tape by hand stretches into hours and the edge still never comes out as clean as a machine-cut shape. Pre-cut masks save that time and, above all, guarantee that the left and right sides of the deck come out symmetrical, which hand cutting regularly fails to achieve.

Masking tips

Let the base shade cure thoroughly before masking, a day for acrylics and longer for enamels. Fresh paint comes away with the mask. Lay the mask from one edge and press it down gradually so that no air is left underneath. Finish the edges with a blunt toothpick or a rounded wooden stick, as that is where paint most often creeps under. Spray at right angles and in thin coats. Spraying at an angle blows paint under the edge of the mask. Take the mask off while the last coat is still freshly dry, not after several days, when the paint has set over the edge and flakes off.

Who the set is for

• Modelers who want sharp transitions between a wooden and a metal deck.
• Those who do not want to spend evenings cutting tape to outlines.
• Builders who paint the deck with an airbrush.
• Exhibitors whose model is judged from a short distance.

The package contains masks only. The kit, paints and glue are not part of the delivery, unless stated otherwise.