SPA Modeler

That's great Clint! Do you know any vector-based drawing programs? Like AutoCAD or Coreldraw or Illustrator? That is probably the easiest way to create custom masks. I'm a civil engineer so I'm very familiar with AutoCAD and use it to create masks and export them to DXF format, which the Silhouette can read. If you want to scan a decal sheet and cut a mask based on that decal sheet, you need a Silhouette PixScan. I haven't used one but it seems pretty easy to use. It's a matt with registration marks around the edges so that it can digitize images that are placed on it.

https://youtu.be/O5tWP658N1o

I have a PixScan mat. The one I have is large and awkward. Won’t fit the scan bed I have, either. You can scan decals, select any portion, tell it to trace it (either outer edge or everything) and then cut it. The PixScan lets you place something on it, take a clear picture, open that, load the PixScan with the desires item still in place, trace and cut out that item...fo example, if you have scanned and printed a decal sheet.

Since I don't have PixScan, my process is a bit more involved. I scan the decal sheet and import the scan into Autocad where I manually trace over the decal scan to establish the cut lines for my masks. This line drawing is then exported as a DXF file, which I can open in the Silhouette software. It does not import the file at the right scale so I have to manually size the mask. To ensure accuracy, I usually place boxes around each mask at 1" or 0.5" increments so I can stretch mask file to the exact size.

There is a small online community for scale model mask makers where you can share mask files...
https://www.scalemodelpaintmasks.com/

Thank you guys for the info I will check out that site

My first attempt at weathering the drop tanks using two-layer chipping. RLM 76 Light Blue over Silver was chipped first and then the black overall chipped again. Not very happy with the results but I'll leave it alone for now and revisit later.

Looks weathered to me! My only question would be this...did drop tanks have enough reuse to get really beat up? I have no clue.

Realistically, in the service life of a Luftwaffe night fighter 262, probably not. The actual service life was weeks to months at most. Add in the fuel shortages that plagued the Luftwaffe at the end of the war... Lastly there is the consideration of what drop tanks are... DROP tanks. They are jettisoned if any maneuvering combat is to be performed, and new tanks replaces those expended. But they do look good.

Great question, Lyle! Not an expert but from what I've seen in my references, the wear on Luftwaffe drop tanks varied greatly. Some exhibited heavy wear and some did not. If possible, I try to match what is known about that particular aircraft. For example on Bf109's, it was common for the drop tank to catch a lot of oil/fuel from the engine and many drop tanks on Bf109's have that characteristic staining on the top front. Drop tank wear is not unusual since these things were designed to be re-used and based on the type of war that the Luftwaffe was fighting in 44/45, the air battles were happening over German territory and the drop tanks COULD be recovered and re-used.

Luckily, there are multiple photos of Red 10 and one can discern the wear patterns on the drop tanks. As you can see, the black paint is almost completely worn off the top fronts of the tanks. The amount of wear exhibited Red 10's drop tanks had me questioning the quality of the black paint applied to the drop tanks versus the airframes. Was it perhaps a lower quality, distemper type of black, prone to wear? This led to my technique of using two-layer chipping. Perhaps the black was wearing off to reveal not just bare metal but the preceding camo color, which might be Light Blue RLM 76.






My first attempt did not quite capture the look of the wear that I see in the photos. I'm not going to be exact but I think I can get it closer.

Most excellent! Those are intriguing picture.