Hello all, I'm new to airbrushing, and new to Vallejo acrylics (I have spent the past 30 years brush-painting Polly-S, now Model Master Acrylics on 1/72 scale aircraft).
Did I just make a mistake airbrushing Vallejo Acrylic (Air), over Testors flat enamel? - The failure being that the Vallejo is being lifted off the Testors enamel, by the Testors masking tape I'm using.
The Story So Far:
The model is Revell's 1/32 Ju-88A-1, in grey plastic. After masking the canopies and degreasing the plastic, wearing nitrile gloves, ready for painting the whole aircraft, I decided to give it a first coat of grey to give me a even color to the whole model (in other words - the canopy areas are clear, with RLM Grau showing through - painted on the backside - making them darker than the surrounding gray plastic, and I didn't want this darker RLM Grau color to show through the Vallero paint I'd be using on the model).
The best match to the model's grey plastic was a spray can of Testors Lt.Gull flat enamel I had handy, and I sprayed it on in two light coats. That was 48 hours ago. This morning I began applying the German colors using Vallejo Acrylic (Air), and I happily and successfully airbrushed the Hellbllau on the bottom, in two light coats, waiting maybe an hour between coats - that was 8 hours ago...
With the full underside airbrushed with Vallejo Acry Hellblaul, I began masking the edge with Testor's masking tape, "low tack", to get ready to airbrush the topside with Grün (70).
When I tested the adhesion of the masking tape, it pulled about 60% of the Vallero Hellblau off the Testors Lt.Gull flat enamel.
Ugh!
I can think of some options:
- Wait til tomorrow morning, in case the Vallejo needs to be bone dry for better adhesion.
- Experiment with the tape - try a different kind, or abuse the adhesive to create and even lower 'tack' before using it.
- Switch from masking and airbrushing the Vallero, in favor of my usual forte: Hair Stick. Brush paint the topside with ModelMaster Acrylics without masking.. (but that splinter camo on a 1/32 will be hell).
Thanks for any suggestions.... I am enjoying learning to airbrush, but I'm also learning as I go.
Cheers,
- Art