1/35 WW1 Mk.IV "beute tank" cross/text paint masks?

[EpicPlastic]

Dear all,

 

I'm currently building a 1/35 scale Takom Mk.IV WW1 tank, male version and plan to paint/decal it as a vehicle captured by the Germans.

In the kit there is only 1 decal option for this, for a tank with the name "Heinz".

Are there any paint masks and/or decal sets out there for other such vehicles?

 

Secondly, when i was applying the German cros decals on the kit, i noticed that it is quite difficult to have these decals settle as there are many bolts/nuts on the surfaces where you have to put them.

I've used plenty of decal sol/set to try to get them in place, but still this doesn't work to my satisfaction. Mind you, the sol/set fluid does its work, but when the decals fold around the bolts/nuts, the whole cross isn't straight anymore.

This made me wonder if there are any 1/35 scale WW1 German cross paintmasks on the market?

 

Any help or info on the above would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[Kingsman]

DN Models have a paint mask set for the crosses.  But you will have the same problem with the surface detail, if not worse, as the mask is much thicker than a decal and each cross mask has 3 pieces.  https://dnmodels.com/product/paint-masks-beutepanzer-wwi-male/

 

On my beute MkIV I used Peddinghaus decals but had the same problems you had.  In a couple of places the decals split over rivets and I painted over them.  At one point I considered shaving off the rivets and replacing them after the decal had set.  That is probably the most foolproof option but needs precision to keep the rivets straight and even.

[EpicPlastic]

53 minutes ago, Das Abteilung said:

At one point I considered shaving off the rivets and replacing them after the decal had set.  That is probably the most foolproof option but needs precision to keep the rivets straight and even.

That sounds like the solution indeed and now that you mention it => i noticed that Takom has molded extra rivets on the sprue frames and i already wondered why they were there as they are not mentioned in the manual. So maybe they're just for that: replacing rivets after you've cut some away for applying decals. I will definatly give this a try with my next beute Mk.IV.

 

For the moment i've been fiddling with the decals and lots of decal set/sol and carving up the decals in little pieces, and although not perfect, i'm happy enough with the current result. Since i've already made a couple of small mistakes with this build, i'll just consider this model of "Heinz" i'm building as my general rehersal before i start with the next one.

 

Thanks very much indeed for your reply, the link to the masking set and the idea regarding the rivets!

[Kingsman]

Plenty of mud on it.  Covers a multitude of sins!

 

The problems with rivets shaved off sprues are several.  First, slicing them off evenly.  Second, they will naturally curl slightly from the wedge effect of the blade.  Third, the carpet monster will eat them all.  Fourth, the ones the carpet monster doesn't eat will ping into dark corners for the spiders to find.  Fifth, you'll be gluing them to decal not plastic so there might be a durability issue.

 

I was thinking of the old Grandt Line moulded rivets, which had tails you could insert into drilled holes.  Easier to handle and much more secure.  Shave off before painting and drill in the centre of where the rivet used to be. You should be able to see the holes through the decal afterwards

 

But sadly Grandt Line is now closed and residual stock very hard to find, although I understand another US company took over the moulds. The good news is that a similar product can be found here: https://ngtrains.com/shop/product-category/detail-parts/nbw-rivets/.  The bad news is that I understand from the proprietor that obtaining new stock has been difficult with COVID and all sizes currently seem to be OOS.  And he's been ill.

 

Masterclub do a range of 'tailed' resin rivets in various shapes and sizes, but not cheap.

[Bozothenutter]

for the decals use a hairdrier on the low/low setting to get them to conform.

[EpicPlastic]

A bit of a late reply / thanks from my part, but i appreciate your tip @Bozothenutter.

I'll try that too on my next build of the Mk.IV as i have purchased another one!