Ever have one of those days with a great kit?

[Bejay53]

I was this close to finishing a fujimi 1/72 A-6A. Call it careless, rushed...whatever.

I had done a flat coat on the top several days ago and went to do a semigloss on the bottom today. I figured I would mask the top of the fuselage with low tack masking tape. Semigloss went well until I removed the tape. Up came the decals with the tape! These decals were not from the kit either. They were a set for various iron hand aircraft. 

 

Put model down and slowly walk away. Deep breath’s, positive energy.....I hope it will not look as bad as I think it is when I go back and look later this week. I have been working this kit on and off for several months. 
The thing is, I really didn’t  need the tape. I could have blended it in.

[janneman36]

Yep, you think you are there and then you make the crucial mistake...

Been there seen it al and I would do it again...it’s in the genes 🧬😂 thankfully I can laugh about it nowadays...

 

good luck , Jan

[chrispisme]

Aaaargh!

[TheyJammedKenny!]

Sorry to hear this.  I've done it (trying to mask over clear-coated decals), too, even recently.  Having modeled without letup for 46 years, I consider it a classic "rookie" mistake, and that doesn't make the results any easier to take.  Your approach, as described, is perfectly valid.  

 

See what can be salvaged, though.  Don't throw away the offending masking tape!  Put it in a shallow dish of water and soak off the decal; it'll take about two days--so give it time.  

 

If that doesn't work, or you don't get satisfactory results reassembling the decals, get a new decal sheet and carefully remove the damaged decals using highly tacky tape.  This may require several tries.

 

Your advantage is that you are working on a model that has forgiving paint colors.  I've done it on bare-metal models--not fun.  Good luck!

 

Alex