Luckily I did a test on a scrap piece of plastic - grey primer (thoroughly cured enamel primer), same Tamiya yellow as before, Vallejo gloss varnish. I masked a section with standard Tamiya masking tape for testing. When I pulled it off 2-3 days later, all the shine from the gloss coat was gone.
I rubbed the paint with turpentine to make sure it’s not just finely distributed adhesive residue, but that was not the case.
So I wonder, is this normal? Does Tamiya masking tape ruin gloss coats? So far, Vallejo varnishes were my trusted, tough, resistant do-it-all clear coats which never caused problems (except for their new matt varnish, but that´s a different story).
My ideas are:
- I think I sprayed the varnish shortly after the yellow paint and let it cure 2 days before applying the tape, which I left on for a day or two. Will a drying time of a week or month between the steps make a difference?
- Is there a different tape that won’t ruin gloss coats but can still produce clearly defined edges? Will Vallejo tape work better on a Vallejo varnish?
- Should I switch to another gloss coat, maybe even lacquers/enamels (Tamiya LP-09, for example)? Do Tamiya gloss coats and Tamiya tape get along with each other?
Of course I’ll do more testing before continuing work on the actual models, but I’d be very grateful for any hints and shared experiences!
