Stripes white film 0,8mm

Two materials in one width

Eight tenths of a millimeter is made in two forms, once as yellow paper and once as white film. The difference is not in the width but in how the carrier behaves on a shape. Choosing between them is therefore a matter of the surface the strip is going onto, not of taste or habit.

A film carrier can be stretched slightly on a curve without rippling. That lets it wrap a wing leading edge, run around a turret collar or follow the rounded transition between the side and the roof of a cab. In the same place a paper strip would start to fan out on the outer side and the edge would stop being straight.

The white color of the carrier has a practical reason. On a dark base the strip is clearly visible, and held against the light it shows even a slight lifting of the edge. At the same time a light surface makes it easier to see how much paint really got under the edge, so you know whether any touching up is needed.

In scale terms: in 1:35 the strip matches a stripe 2.8 cm wide on the real thing, in 1:48 just under four centimeters and in 1:72 almost six. On vehicle models that is the typical width of the trim around a national insignia, and on aircraft the outline of control surfaces or the boundary between the fields of a camouflage pattern.

A practical note: keep the sheet in its packaging and take only as much off it as you are using right now. Uncovered strips pick up dust over time and their tack drops. A cut-off remainder can be put back on the backing and used later, provided you do not touch it on the adhesive side. The adhesive will then keep working even after several months in a drawer.