Vindicator #2 and #3 - Day 4

Nothing ground breaking today.  Though I guess being able to recreate the dozer blade from vindicator #1 a couple more times is pretty neat.

Since I had all this black paint I had thinned down for the hazard stripes, I used the opportunity to take care of one of the little details.  So one less thing to forget about later on when I'm up to my ass in the detailing.

Not quite done yet.

Sooo.... I guess that's it for the day.  Hmmm...  I haven't really been all that educational with this Vindicator project.  Back during the Tyberos run, I had all this little tips and tricks to share.  So let's see if I can't inject a little of that back into the mix:

Notes on Masking Tape
Over the years, as I've increasingly incorporated an airbrush into my work, I've also come to rely on masking tape quite a bit.  But even something as simple as putting tape over areas you don't want paint on is not without its pitfalls.  So here are a few of things I've learned:

1) Any kind of low tackiness tape is not only worth the money, but absolutely necessary. You can get a role of some blue stuff at the hardware store or even get the fancy branded stuff from the model shop.  Whatever ya want.  The biggest benefit here is that your a whole lot less likely to tear of the paint on accident.

2) It's not usually a good idea to leave the masking tape sticking to the model for long periods of time - unless you can help it.  This is related to number one a tiny bit, but another, more important reason is that the longer you leave the tape on (we're talkin' days here), the more likely you are to leave some stickiness behind when you remove the tape.  Easy to fix, but irritating.

3)  Always double check your masking tape before you spray.  Pay special attention to corners, around details and any irregular surfaces.  The tape will tend to pull away from these areas and can really ruin your day when little bits of over spray make their way past your expert pattern.

Knowledge!