Painting around canopies?

[Mack]

I bought a RAH-66 Comanche model which I'm looking forward to building but I'm wondering what the best way to paint the canopy is? I don't have an airbrush so it will be by hand, I guess just mask it up? How do you mask a canopy presicely?

[Mr. Badwrench]

Many people use Bare Metal Foil to mask canopies. It is low tack, very thin, and they say it conforms to curves easily. I use Parafilm-M. It is also low tack, conforms to curves like magic, and once you get the knack of it, works like a charm. Plus it's a heck of a lot cheaper than BMF.

Since you are painting the canopy by hand, it is not really necessary to mask it. Use a fine brush, #0 or smaller, and use plenty of light. Don't worry when you get paint outside the lines, into the clear areas, (and you will). Whenever that happens, clean the brush and dip it in thinner, (whatever you are thinning your paint with, water, turpenoid, paint thinner, whatever). Carefully brush away the offending paint, cleaning the brush every couple strokes. Makes painting small fiddly areas a lot easier.

[TER-OR]

cellophane tape works well for canopies, too. It's not good for most masking needs, but it works well for this. Snug it down good and tight, then paint. The thicker tapes are easier to remove.