Courageous Posted June 10, 2018 Share Posted June 10, 2018 Are these masks worth the money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azgaron Posted June 10, 2018 Share Posted June 10, 2018 Looking good! Håkan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted June 10, 2018 Author Share Posted June 10, 2018 10 hours ago, Courageous said: Are these masks worth the money? Well, that's kind of subjective. I did not use them yet (for the other two DH89s I used the Arctic Decals set), so I can't comment on quality and such. They look OK to me. Regarding price, again, subjective, depends on budget and preferences. When masks are available for any model, I buy them without hesitation, since they save me a lot of time and render a much neater job than my own masks. That time and pain saved allow me to concentrate on other aspects of the build (like adding, correct flaws and such). I post these accessories so other modelers know they are there, and they are spared the "looking around" time that I had to spend. I don't endorse anything, I just comment on what works and doesn't work for me, personally, and why. 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted June 10, 2018 Share Posted June 10, 2018 47 minutes ago, Moa said: When masks are available for any model, I buy them without hesitation, since they save me a lot of time and render a much neater job than my own masks. I am tempted to go down this route but have wondered on the masks accuracy when their could be a number of manufacturers kits where the canopies could be slightly different. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted June 10, 2018 Author Share Posted June 10, 2018 6 minutes ago, Courageous said: I am tempted to go down this route but have wondered on the masks accuracy when their could be a number of manufacturers kits where the canopies could be slightly different. Stuart In this case there is only one mold, used by Airfix and Heller. The Tasman upgrade has the same molds. Usually masks manufacturers specify the intended kit. Whatever the case, you can always ask before purchase, or look around on the Net to see reviews, which is always a good idea, since accuracy and quality and material may vary. Some are stickier than others, some are too stretchy, some are not as precise as they should be. Vinyl is a common material, but I personally favor the ones made from a sort of kabuki paper (like the Tamiya masking tape material). In any case, they require, as everything else in the hobby, proper handling, application and removal. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Ranger Posted June 10, 2018 Share Posted June 10, 2018 4 minutes ago, Moa said: Vinyl is a common material, but I personally favor the ones made from a sort of kabuki paper (like the Tamiya masking tape material). I'm told that vinyl masks have a shelf life and should be used within two weeks of their manufacture. Paper tape masks apparently do not suffer from this problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted June 10, 2018 Author Share Posted June 10, 2018 11 minutes ago, Space Ranger said: I'm told that vinyl masks have a shelf life and should be used within two weeks of their manufacture. Paper tape masks apparently do not suffer from this problem. Perhaps they are better when "fresh", but I have used them months after purchasing (and who knows when were they manufactured) to no perceptible damaging effect. That been said, plastics and adhesives degrade with time, but not sure they would have the shelf life of milk, tough. If the above were absolutely true, then we all sell and buy "expired" vinyl masks all the time, since hardly ever a mask may reach the model within two weeks of being manufactured. Besides, one thing is to produce (cut the masks on a plotter) the masks from vinyl stock, but who even knows when the vinyl sheet itself was made. Grey area, here, I am afraid. Personally, some that are thick give me more trouble than the ones that are perhaps old. And the ones that have a too strong or too weak adhesive are the worst. Unfortunately no single manufacturer produces all the subjects I want, so by necessity I had to buy from many, getting different types. Somewhat problematic for me were the ones included by Mikro-Mir with some of their kits, for example, regarding thickness, accuracy and adhesive (too much, too little and too much, respectively). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted June 10, 2018 Author Share Posted June 10, 2018 On the other hand (and to balance the criticism), the Eduard paper masks I used for the Caproni 310 civil, were superb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted June 12, 2018 Author Share Posted June 12, 2018 Pitot, Venturi, aileron actuators added. Decals will be next: 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azgaron Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 Looks very nice! Looking forward to decals! Håkan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted June 18, 2018 Author Share Posted June 18, 2018 The custom decal set arrived from Arctic Decals, hurray!: 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 I have a number of future builds that require either DIY or custom decals and I'm wondering about the average cost for a set of custom decals like this? Do you supply the artwork to them? Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 2 hours ago, Courageous said: I have a number of future builds that require either DIY or custom decals and I'm wondering about the average cost for a set of custom decals like this? Do you supply the artwork to them? Stuart Yes, I'm interested in that also. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azgaron Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 Looks like a nice set of custom decals! Håkan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted June 19, 2018 Author Share Posted June 19, 2018 The completed model was posted: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted June 19, 2018 Author Share Posted June 19, 2018 12 hours ago, Courageous said: I have a number of future builds that require either DIY or custom decals and I'm wondering about the average cost for a set of custom decals like this? Do you supply the artwork to them? Stuart Hi Stuart and Martin: You may contact him directly (since I am always a bit uncertain of posting policies, I am hesitant to post a direct link), just do a search for Arctic Decals and write to him about your project. He is busy, and one-off things may be seldom done, but try. Particulars may vary according to a given project. Cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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