Estes Cosmic Interceptor Build, Part 31, Masking The Nose Cone Tip

At this point the very tip is covered in black paint.

Another Sharpie marked Scotch tape arc was cut.

This mask is a bit tricky with the recessed lines going around the nose cone. Be sure the tape edge is sealed all the way around.

After masking, the tip was sprayed white to give the bright red a good, light background. 

The red was sprayed after the white had dried for about 10 minutes. Remember - Recoat within an hour or after 48 hours. (Using Ace Premium Enamel)

The paint was pulled and the mask was almost perfect.

A little touchup was done with a fine point Sharpie.
 

This shows why the instructions suggest painting the tube ring off the engine mount. It would be difficult to mask otherwise.

Again, the separately painted intake assembly slid into the taper cut tube. No glue yet, just slid in place as an example.

Estes Cosmic Interceptor Build, Part 30, Masking The Nose Cone Tip

Here's the nose cone tip paint suggestion - 

Black with a red tip.

I'll paint the black all the way forward, then come back and paint the red.

I have a clear plexiglass cutting board to cut the Scotch tape.

That texture underneath is my new countertop.

It took five tries to get the right arc. I kept going smaller with each try. Wipe a paper towel over the ink to pick up the excess.  

A smooth arc is cut through the middle of the thick pen line.

The tape arc is wrapped around the tip. The tricky part is masking around the recess line.

Masking tape goes over the low end.

Paper is wrapped around the base of the nose cone.

Black is sprayed. 

The tape is pulled.

I got a decent mask but there was two small dots of lifted paint.

I'll show the fix in an upcoming post.

Estes Cosmic Interceptor Build, Part 16, Filler/Primer On The Balsa Parts

Here's all the parts taped down to scrap cardboard for a shot of filler/primer.

Notice the thin masking tape strips over the gluing area slots on the Q pieces. There is tape over the glue tabs on the T pieces.

With the S braces dry fitted, this will mask the gluing contact areas.  

After the filler/primer shot,

the glue tabs have no spray.

The wing showing the clear glue areas for the S braces.

The end tip Q pieces had a measured strip of masking tape over the gluing area.

The open CWF strip isn't sealed and glue can be absorbed. The gray filler/primer seals the rest of the balsa.

Estes Mini Scale Combo Pak, #0874, Tomahawk & Exocet, Build, Part 16, Exocet Paint & Decals

Earlier in the build I questioned why there two tubes joined by a coupler. As it turns out, the upper tube on the Exocet is the color separation line between the orange and black paint!

It's a simple mask, body tube color separations usually come out very clean. The upper body was covered.

The Scotch tape mask left a very clean line.

Only two decals, centered between the upper fins. 

The same decal is on the other side.

These decals are old, but held up very well when transferred. They just needed a longer soak time.

Estes Sandpiper, Kit #1389, Part 16, Painting The Nose Cone Tip

One way to mask a nose cone tip - 

Set down a strip of clear Scotch tape.

Draw a curve with a wide point Sharpie. Let dry, wipe off excess ink with a paper towel.

Cut a smooth arc through the middle of the ink line.

The winglets are masked of with strait pieces of tape.

Cut the curved tape in half into shorter segments.

The curve allows you to lay the tape line in a "straight" line.

The lower half of the nose cone is masked off with brown paper tape.

Here's the finished nose cone.

Scotch tape masks will give a good line if your surfaces are smooth (no fillet bubbles or balsa grain) and the tape is sealing the edges.

Micro-Maxx Estes Fat Boy, Part 7, Mask & Paint

After filler/primer and sanding - 

The model was slid down a painting wand for white undercoats.

The engine mount hasn't been glued in yet so the rocket can slip onto the 18mm motor casing attached to the painting wand. 

On the left, 

Sharpie inked Scotch tape is run down the root edge joints. The leading edge masks are "rounded" by using multiple small pieces of tape.

Before cutting the Sharpie marked tape, wipe off the excess Sharpie ink with a paper towel so no ink gets transferred onto the model.

On the right,

The rest of the body above the fins is taped and blocked with a cut plastic grocery bag.

The fins after the masking tapes were pulled -

I found a picture of the Semroc FAT BOY online and used those colors.

The fins were painted light blue. I had to make a trip to Ace hardware for this "one-time use" color. The nose cone is off the model to be painted gloss red.

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 42, Painting The Details

The raised, thick cardstock rectangles should have been painted the darker gray and then glued on the model. 

These aren't difficult to mask now, it's just some extra work that could have been avoided if I'd planned ahead!

The rectangles were outlined with Sharpie inked Scotch tape.

Brown tape widened the mask,

Plastic grocery bags covered the rest of the model.

With the masks removed there is very little touchup needed.

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 41, Painting The Impulse Engine Details

I'm not good at hand painting. This light gray impulse engine has straight lines and plenty of curves. I decided to mask and spray.

Here's the top - using many small piece of Sharpie marked Scotch tape.

The view from the bottom.

The thin mask border coverage is widened using brown tape.

Press a Q-tip around the edges to (hopefully) seal them.

A plastic grocery bag covered the rest.

After the tape was pulled - 

As expected, there was touchups.

The final look came out okay.
 

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 40, Repainting The Propulsion Caps

I'll be bouncing around two different builds for a bit -

Here's the instruction illustration, the shaded area designated "dark gray". The caps are actually a lighter gray.

I first tried Ace Machinery Gray, but it was too dark!

I repainted it using Ace Light Gray. Now it is much closer to the color shown in the original T.V. model displayed at the Smithsonian.

Those raised rear rectangles (see the instruction drawing above) should have been painted off the model to avoid another mask.

The elevator was hand painted light gray.

The port side running light was painted red. I don't have any green paint so the starboard side light will have to wait.

Estes USS Enterprise #1275, Part 39, Painting The Propulsion Caps

Painting the propulsion caps is a bit tricky. 

On the rim are three raised dots. I decided to mask these, leaving them along with the shoulder ring, a light gray.

This picture shows a marked Scotch tape mask "dot". The next picture shows how it was cut.

To mask the raised dots, I marked a strip of Scotch tape with a wide Sharpie. Wipe off the excess ink with a paper towel.

When punched, you will be left with a perfect circle. Lift it off the dot and hold it on your knife tip.

Place the dot onto the cap while still on your knife tip.

The sides were masked with brown masking tape. Normally I'd use Scotch tape for the mask, but the shoulders of the cap is tapered and Scotch tape doesn't flex. Both brown and blue masking tapes have a little "give".

The back caps were masked using marked Scotch tape.

Here's the caps after the tape was pulled.

That gray might be a little too dark.

The dome color suggestions are copper, bronze or bright orange. I went with Rusto copper.

Estes Mini Arcas, #2441, Part 17, Pulling The Tape!

The mask was pretty clean, 

There was some small bleeds under the corners.

Instead of scraping - 

Try pushing the little paint overspray tics back into the red. 

I use a pocket knife, it's not as sharp as a hobby knife. Too sharp a knife might cut in and chip out the white paint underneath.

Here's the cleanup results up until now.

I'll follow with some white touchups. 

Ace Premium enamel is sprayed into a cup and applied with a brush. Applied light and carefully, the Ace paint mixes and "melds" into the paint already on the model.

Estes Mini Arcas, #2441, Part 16, Taping The Mask

I wasn't looking forward to this mask - 

The rear "peaks" have outside mask lines. The first angled tape strip is set down. Below it you can see the pencil line for the next piece.

The upper peaks are inside masks with rounded sides.

The curve was cut with small scissors. That curve on the left side almost works like a hinge, allowing you to set the tape at a few different angles until the tip meets at the top.

The top and bottom pieces are in place.

The open center is covered with brown masking tape.

I tried wrapping some grocer bag plastic around the fins but the peaks of the lower red masks were in the way.

Brown masking tape covered all the fin area.

Estes Mini Arcas, #2441, Part 15, Complex Mask

The kit supplies a wrap around masking guide. It's printed on 20 lb. stock, it's a bit floppy.

Center one of the long stripes between two fins. Check back and forth with the other side and be sure the top is even with the end of the body tube.

It took a few minutes to get everything in line. Sight down between the fins from the rear.

Tape down the guide with small pieces of tape, leaving the "V" ends open for pencil tracing.

Trace around the guide using a soft, sharp pencil.

Any pencil lines that remain after spraying the red can be easily erased.

Estes Time Warp Build, #7321, Part 14, Fin Mask Fix?

The black fin was masked off by rolling a strip of tape over the rounded leading edge.

I attempt to "blend" in more sprayed yellow paint.

Notice the tape around the brushed and sanded white undercoat is "floating", not stuck to the surface. This makes a smoother merge of the surfaces.

You have to be sure to spray directly over and not from the sides. You don't want yellow spray on the black fins. 

Here's the touched up fin after pulling the tape and bag mask.

There is a slight discoloration of the over sprayed yellow.

Not perfect, but better than it was!

Estes Time Warp Build, #7321, Part 13, Fin Masking

Most of the masks turned out well after the tape was lifted. 

There were some scraping back of the black to round the leading edges.

Whoops! I had some black bleed around one fin leading edge.

The black was scraped off for a touchup.

White paint was touched up for a light undercoat. Yellow is a translucent color and needs white underneath.

It took three applications of the white. 

Light sanding between coats filled the depression left from the scraping.

Estes Time Warp Build, #7321, Part 12, Fin Masking

This was a tough mask!

The tip shield fins are yellow on the face and backs. The picture on the left shows the Scotch tape border outlines. The tape strip ends overlap on the outside face.

On the right, the leading edge is accomplished by many pieces of Scotch tape making up the round shape. 

Here's the competed mask ready for the black paint. 

The larger areas are covered with brown masking tape.

This is one of those: "Cross your fingers and hope for the best!"