Thanks for the support folks. After a rather inept day yesterday, just couldn't get in the mood to model but today decided to tackle the masking of the Aermacchi. My dilemma has been the white decals which if placed over the dark of the main midnight blue, it would depending on the quality of the white decal, possibly dull the white. A white on blue test of the decals provided this to be so though the loss of bright white was quite noticeable.
This is what has prompted me to try and spray a white background for the main decals so that I can mask of the area before applying the midnight blue.
I have been racking my brains on how to do this accurately initially thinking a freehand spraying of the colours and not use the decals but this was disastrous as evident in earlier posts.
But today I had what I consider a flash of brilliance. I will use the decal but first a quick spray with a white colour where the main decals will go and over this somehow secure a template of the decals so that I can spray away with the dark colour.
Here is how I have approached it starting with the decal sheet.
Trace the outline of the main decals and place the tracing over a sheet of reasonably stiff paper. Here I have already started cutting the tracings and the paper out .
One of the cut templates made from the tracing.
Next I took a strip of masking tape and placed it sticky side down and then took the template and placed it over the tape secured by a smear of UHU. I then cut out the template shape from the masking tape.
The shaped masking was then stuck to the model in the area where the multi coloured decal will sit.
Using this method for the main decals, the model was masked off ready for the midnight blue to be applied. With luck all will work well and when the mask is removed the white area should be just the right size to accommodate the decals. For those wondering why the blue tape, this along with the belly tape will be removed and once the blue is masked, sprayed with aluminium.
HOPE IT WORKS