A-Baum 352 Posted May 25, 2020 So I’m building a Manta Ray and I’m pretty sure this is the first Tamiya kit I’ve done that didn’t come with masking stickers for the cockpit. Will frog tape work? Not sure I have any real masking tape around but I have a ton of painting tape. any tips for getting the curves right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whahooo 465 Posted May 25, 2020 I would not recomend Paining Tape, it never worked for me. I alsways have "good" results with Tamiya Masking Tape. Get it, it do not cost very much and you can alwas use it. I hate to paint Lexan shells, but soon i have to paint my Nissan King Cab and my Renault R5 Turbo. i see myself trashing the Bodys, hating myself and give up RC Cars for years... If there just would be anybody to take over the Lexanpaintjob for me..... Today is was in my local hobby shop and said that i hate to paint lexan and he was arguing to me that Lexanjobs are simpler than Solid Body Jobs. I think Solid Bodys are much more simple than lexan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superluminal 3729 Posted May 25, 2020 Try and get some tamiya masking tape. Or at least good quality automotive masking tape. You can try diy shop alternatives but then you will only end up geting the tamiya stuff afterwards anyway when the paint bleeds through the cheaper stuff. I dont think most masking tapes are suitable for solvent based paints. For cockpits that dont come with masks use a marker pen to draw the outline of the canopy on the outside of the shell. It makes it easier to follow the outline for masking up the inside of the shell. For the curves you can get a flexible tamiya masking tape or use the regular tape and then use a scalpal to cut the tape carefully along the outline you have drawn on the outside of the shell. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matisse 1576 Posted May 25, 2020 I’ve used washi masking tape in the past, got it from Wilkos. It feels very similar to Tamiya tape and it was easy to cut clean lines with to shape the windows Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Howards 450 Posted May 25, 2020 2 hours ago, whahooo said: I would not recomend Paining Tape, it never worked for me. I alsways have "good" results with Tamiya Masking Tape. Get it, it do not cost very much and you can alwas use it. I hate to paint Lexan shells, but soon i have to paint my Nissan King Cab and my Renault R5 Turbo. i see myself trashing the Bodys, hating myself and give up RC Cars for years... If there just would be anybody to take over the Lexanpaintjob for me..... If you are in London I can do em - if you supply the paint. Keeps me busy in lockdown. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Problemchild 2149 Posted May 27, 2020 On 5/25/2020 at 5:31 PM, A-Baum said: So I’m building a Manta Ray and I’m pretty sure this is the first Tamiya kit I’ve done that didn’t come with masking stickers for the cockpit. Will frog tape work? Not sure I have any real masking tape around but I have a ton of painting tape. any tips for getting the curves right? I only use frog tape - lay it on then cut around the cockpit note on the mantaray that the masked area needs to extend past the cockpit glass (if you want it box art) JJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Problemchild 2149 Posted May 27, 2020 I went with a transluscent canopy and left the extended section out i went pearl white and masked the canopy, slat vents and the heat sink area. i then removed the masking (apart from the canopy) and backed in silver. then removed the canopy masking and went translucent pink JJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Problemchild 2149 Posted May 27, 2020 Slat vents are silver the biggest issue you will find is with the decals - the side areas are a nightmare and come in 3 pieces pm me if you’d like some advice JJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Problemchild 2149 Posted May 27, 2020 worth it though JJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A-Baum 352 Posted May 27, 2020 14 hours ago, Problemchild said: I only use frog tape - lay it on then cut around the cockpit note on the mantaray that the masked area needs to extend past the cockpit glass (if you want it box art) Ahhhh I just ordered some rolls of Tamiya masking tape in varying widths. That's ok. I will have this, the Top Force and a Novafox likely to do. I wonder why some kits (tt-02) come with masking stickers but they can't make it happen for the Manta Ray and some others. So you lay excess frog tape down and then trim the circular edges? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Problemchild 2149 Posted May 27, 2020 Yeah I do that i also use the tamiya 6mm for small bits but it’s not cheap whereas 2 50m rolls of frog tape on amazon was £6 delivered JJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A-Baum 352 Posted May 27, 2020 Do you use a hobby knife to score the frog take around the cockpit. I assume you have to be super careful not to score the Lexan body? I can build kits allllll day long but cutting out and painting bodies has always been a struggle for me. They usually come out ok but it's a process I don't really love too much. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lucasan 28 Posted May 27, 2020 Nice work Problemchild! Regarding masking tape, I had a roll of plastic based masking tape that worked like a charm, but sadly, my dog ate it! Does anyone know of a vinyl or plastic based masking tape? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Problemchild 2149 Posted May 27, 2020 I use a scalpel you don’t have to press hard I find trying to curve a piece of tape around some of the curves is almost impossible but that’s the only way I’ve even done it - happy to be put in my place JJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A-Baum 352 Posted May 28, 2020 17 hours ago, Problemchild said: I use a scalpel you don’t have to press hard I find trying to curve a piece of tape around some of the curves is almost impossible but that’s the only way I’ve even done it - happy to be put in my place JJ Yeah I struggle with curvy stickers and certainly could not get tape to curve. I'm gonna give it a shot today. Worst case I rip off the tape and start again but likely I'll wait for my 2mm, 6mm, and 10mm tape to show up and do it that way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Problemchild 2149 Posted May 28, 2020 1 hour ago, A-Baum said: Yeah I struggle with curvy stickers and certainly could not get tape to curve. I'm gonna give it a shot today. Worst case I rip off the tape and start again but likely I'll wait for my 2mm, 6mm, and 10mm tape to show up and do it that way. Good luck JJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites