Hey Dee

I was just masking some windows on a truck this afternoon with some micromask from Microscale. Worked very nice. 

Hi RIck, Nice truck and paint

Hi RIck,

Nice truck and paint job.

Is micromask thin like a decal? I look the product up. Thanks.

Thanks Dee

The truck isn't finished...just started today. I can't take credit for the paint job though, I masked the windows and shot a diluted mixture of dullcote and a little bit of antique white to knock the plastic shine off of it.

 Micromask is like a gooey blue paint that you brush on, let it dry then spray. They recommend an oil based paint for spraying. As soon as the paint is relatively solid you peel the masks off. Much easier than masking with tape.

not fun

Hi Dee, This is a job I hate to do. You can either cut tape and get it to fit by trial and error or brush on masking liquid trying to cut it to the line( around what ever obstacles might be on the window frames).or try to keep most of the weathering off the windows then clean them immediately after spraying. I usually opt for the last method and assume that train windows get a bit dirty too. Try to look inside the model to see how the windows are attached as you might be able to remove them. Also check to make sure you won't push them in if you apply too much pressure when masking or cleaning them, sometimes they are just lightly glued to the inside of the car......DaveB

Ooh! Sounds like great stuff,

Ooh! Sounds like great stuff, Rick.

I'm presuming it doesn't stain or leave a film to clean off the window after removing?

I had no issues

It lifted off like a piece of thin rubber. No residue that I could see.

@DaveB, Sure sounds like a

@DaveB,

Sure sounds like a challenge.

I took the windows out of one of my brass wood cabooses and weathered and sealed it, but never got around to putting new ones back in. I'm somewhat a procrastinator.

I also do some strange things, like putting a different paint scheme on the other side of the same model.

I tend to be finicky too. I just had to remove the non-prototype leaf on this brass model

and replace it with this one.

It was a good exercise in repainting an area and decaling.

A good way to deal with

A good way to deal with masking these windows is to combine rectangular pieces of tamiya yellow masking tape for all four sides, and circular ones cut using a steel template for the rounded corners. Every time i had to deal with complex aircraft canopies, that worked. I kept the liquid mask for filling in the area left in the center of a panel that has been masked with tape on all edges.

@Yannis, Thanks for the

@Yannis,

Thanks for the sharing your method. 

@Rick.

Thanks for letting me know of the result.

Avery Removable Labels

I have protected the windows on some HO smoothside passenger cars using various sizes of Avery removable labels. I have several sizes, I believe half by three quarter inch is the smallest. The radius of the label closely matches the radius of the window opening in many HO models.

https://tinyurl.com/y74cz6hr

Cut and fit as needed. I am also a fan of the Tamiya masking tape. Good stuff!

Hope that helps,

Cheers, Ed

@Ed, What a innovative idea.

@Ed,

What a innovative idea. I remember using those labels back in the 90s.