1:700 HMS Aurora 1945 Deck Masking Sheet for Flyhawk kit 1127

A masking template 1:700 for the deck of the light cruiser HMS Aurora 1945

A sheet of self-adhesive masking film with shapes pre-cut to the deck areas of one particular kit. It is an aid for painting, not a wooden deck. A cruiser is substantially smaller than a battleship and in 1:700 scale its deck areas are narrow and full of cut-outs, which is exactly the situation where a template pays off most. The kit the shapes are cut for is named with the product, so please check the match in advance.

Why a mask and not a brush

Tracing the boundary of a deck with a brush by hand always looks a little shaky on a small cruiser. The line is of uneven thickness, the paint clings to the edges and blots form between the planks. Masking tape, in turn, will not hold a complex shape in this scale: in every cut-out it has to be snipped and the joints then let paint through. A pre-cut template solves both at once, because the edge is cut by machine and in one piece.

How to achieve a clean edge

Spray the deck in the shade of wood and let the paint cure thoroughly. Lay the mask on, check the fit and press the edges down with a blunt tool so that no air gap is left anywhere. Then spray the steel areas in thin coats perpendicular to the surface. If you want certainty, first spray the edge alone with a thin coat of the deck color: any seepage will be in the same shade and will not show. Take the mask off shortly after the paint has set.

Who the mask is for

• Builders of smaller surface ships, where a line by hand is hard to hold
• Modelers with an airbrush who want crisp transitions
• Those looking for a simpler route to a good-looking deck than wood veneer
• Modelers building the release of the model, the Flyhawk 1127

This is neither a kit nor a wooden deck. Neither paints nor the base model are included in the package.