Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Estes Saturn 1B, #7251 Build, Part 18, Tunnel Mask & Capsule Tower Paint

The Antennas have raised vertical yellow bars. I wasn't sure about masking these, they would be a bear to hand paint. I figured I'd try to Scotch tape mask them

Scotch tape is set on a plexiglass, black Sharpie lines are drawn down the strips. The black edges are needed to see the clear tape on the surface borders. 

Before applying the marked clear tape to the model, wipe off any excess ink with a paper towel so it won't transfer onto your fingers or the model.  



This took some time and quite a few tape strips.
After the black tape was set down, brown masking tape covered the outside areas. 

Before painting, the edges were pressed down using a Q-tip.






These really turned out well, one of my favorite parts of the build.
When masking on a smooth surface, the edges come out sharp and clean.
The Command Module and tower were spray painted Gloss White separately. This is too be sure I get paint on the top of the command  module. If the tower were glued on, the paint wouldn't get under the struts.

The tunnels were also sprayed gloss white. The entire model will get a shot of clear flat after the decals are applied.

Build time:
Prep Tunnels, Tower & Antennas: 25 minutes
Mask & Paint Antennas: 45 minutes
Total build time so far: 12 hours, 5 minutes

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