Time for another correction! Again it was something that I did not notice at first. Based on the photographic record of Red 1, the position of the fuselage cross puts it very close to the red bottom with only a sliver of RLM76 light blue peaking through.
There is a noticeably bigger gap on my Red 1.
A suggestion was made to lower it but that would lower the top of the cross below the red "1" and I thought that it would look odd. Instead, I decided to create a slightly larger mask. If I could encompass the old cross entirely within the new mask, it would make the replacement MUCH easier to boot.
A new mask was produced using the Portrait 2 cutter. Test fitting the mask seemed to validate the solution.
A couple of small stencil details needed to be removed. The two data plates under the cross were really welded onto the model and I couldn't get them off. I rubbed them down with Micromesh to remove any visible edges.
I used a different paint order on these crosses. I did the white first, instead of the black.
Here is the new cross... the offending gap has been greatly reduced and the top of the cross is roughly in line with the top of the "1".
Fixed cross on the starboard side. This is the first instance where I experienced major paint lift upon removal of the mask but it should be a very easy fix.
I like the crosses better. Honestly, the gap between the cross and the red bottom didn't bother me much for some reason. However, the white in the old crosses was a bit soft and underdone, especially compared to the crispness of the "1". I think the new crosses are an improvement in that regard.