SPA Modeler

Floki wrote:Nice looking masks. I've been wanting to get a machine to make my own masks but don't know where to begin. What cutter to get, programs to use etc.

The Silhouette Portrait cutter is what I have. Looks like there is a new version now. More expensive. Hobby Lonny has them, I think. There are dozens of tutorials online, too. Comes with their design software and handles sheets 12” wide.

It can do far more than I use it for. You can scan in things such as John has done, you can bring in jpeg roles etc. so much it can do.

Best feature is the above...you can import your files and fonts.

I have the Silhouette Portrait 2. It's a pretty cool gadget that is very useful for scale modeling. It's essentially a 2-D printer and cuts shapes with a knife. The main use in modeling is to make adhesive masks. You can make the same type of masks that Montex sells using the same masking material (Oramask 810). There are different ways to export files that the Portrait can use. If you know any vector drawing program such as AutoCAD, Illustrator or Corel, you can make a line drawing, save it as a DXF file and the Portrait will cut it out. I'm very familiar with AutoCAD so it is very easy for me to scan decal sheets, trace them in AutoCAD and then cut them with the Portrait. You can also scan photos/drawings and have the Portrait trace them for you but I'm not familiar with that process since I use AutoCAD. As Lyle mentioned, there are lots of tutorials on Youtube available. I no longer use decals for large markings as painted markings are far superior. Although data stencils are beyond the resolution of the cutting knife, you can get usable masks for numbers as small as a 1/4 inch or so.

The Werk Number of my 1/32 Me 262 was painted using a custom mask as was the hard-edged mottle pattern on the tail.

Thank you Lyle and John I will do some searching on YouTube on the portrait 2.

I've gotten a coat of primer on the Ta152. It's light and therefore uneven but it is just a check on all of the surface fixes and to see if I need to re-do any panel lines and rivets before I start painting.




One area needs some attention... a seam has come apart and there is an unsightly joint to fill and clean.

You know I never realized how big the wings are on that thing. Wow.

That blue paint is outstanding, John. It may be on the thin side but for a repurposed prototype I would imagine spotty paint would be appropriate! The seam fills turned out really well! Also based on this



How will you airbrush the fine and tiny green mottle? What size tip and pressure? In this area I really am most curious how that will be achieved. I suppose I must be patient. Thank you for all of your posts and superb skills. Be well!

There are several YouTube videos on how to do mottling with an airbrush. There is even one you can do WITHOUT using an airbrush:



Hope this helps...

Thanks for the comments and video link! In some ways, The Matrix has come true but instead of downloading info through a telephone, you watch Youtube videos. Do I know how I'm going to make those fine mottles? Not YET!

That's grey primer (Mr Surfacer 1200) on the model not, RLM 76 by the way. Still working up to the painting stage. In the meantime, I thought I'd work on the Henri Daehne prop.

I've decided to group the prop into some sub-assemblies. The prop blades have been glued into the individual blade mounts. The cannon mounting plate has been glued onto the prop hub, trapping the brass prop axle within.


I've scanned the Eagle Cal Ta152H decal sheet and have prepared four spiral masks. The first two were used just to work out how the mask best fit onto the unpainted spinner.


When I thought I had that figured out, I painted the spinner white and applied the mask. It didn't go on as easily as I expected until I figured out to take advantage of the flex of the Oramask 810 material to pull the mask into the correct position.


The black (Tamiya Black thinned with Mr Leveling Thinner) gave me a funky reaction that I had not seen before. The paint seemed to pool on the areas where the mask had been... some unseen leftover adhesive?


So that effort was scrubbed off using iso alcohol. The second time around worked very nicely and I got a clean spiral right off the bat.


In the meantime, the prop blades were being painted. I used a sandy brown as a base coat since the Ta152H had a wooden prop. Hairspray was used to do a little bit of chipping on the blades.


The painted blades were given a couple of layers of salt fading to roughen them up a little.



I still need to weather the spinner but prop painting is essentially finished.
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Henri Daehen knows how to make a killer looking prop add in your painting ability and you're left with a very impressive final assembly. The salt fading came out perfect on the blades.

That's a model for itself.