Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I'm planning on starting an Iron Warriors army soon, and we all know the most important thing about them:

Caution stripes.

I painted up a test figure yesterday, and I found my brush control isn't good enough to get really straight lines to make nice, even looking caution stripes. I can do alright on something flat or small like a kneepad, but the big shoulder pads are really tough for me to get good stripes on. I know I can use masking tape and the like to make neat caution stripes on larger models, but that doesn't really work for something as small as a Space Marine shoulder pad. So here are my questions:

Is there anything similar to masking tape I can use to get really straight lines on the shoulderpads? Alternately, does any company (likely third party) produce shoulder pads with molded caution stripes already on the pads?

My other idea would be to sculpt my own stripes onto CSM shoulder pads, then try to recast them, but I'm not terribly good at that sort of thing. I won't rule it out though.

Thanks for your help!

I always suggest masking tape. You can cut it in nice convenient angles and roll from there. Smooth and keeps a crisp look.

draw them on first with a pencil.
For one model I actually made a 45degre set-square but I don't think it would work on the shoulder pads.

Masking tape is the thing. It comes in 3 sizes normalle. From the medium one you can cut small stripes you can fit on a shoulder pad to protect the yellow base coating.

I have never painted Iron Warriors but I have watched my friend Eric paint them and Run them for that fact. He just free handed on the stripes and they turned out quite well.

But I think the Making/Painters tape would be a little tedious, but it would make for VERY crisp looking lines. If you are going for Table Quality, I think Penciling like bubber suggested would work fine.

Or, you could use like a paint pen, or a Sharpie could work, if you paint on the yellow first and then use the Paint Pen or the Sharpie for the black.

@ bubber: great model!!

First up; yellow, thin layers: layer over layer, over layer, over layer of them.. tedious, I know.
After that I suggest using a thin marker to outline the edges and fill that with a fine detail brush.

my only issue with using masking tape is that around the edged it will bleed, and make the edges not nearly as crisp as you think they would turn out. I would just say work on your brush control and paint them by hand.

Bleeding with masking tape? O_O How did that happened to you?

And the markers, perhaps I had bad luck, but when I drew the great company on my wolves with markers, it faded a little as I applied the barnish (of course, I couldn't find it in spray here, so I brushed it)

Tamiya make masking tape that is for models that is what you want.

http://www.tamiyausa.com/search.php?q=masking+tape&image.x=33&image.y=8

Two ideas:

Custom decals: I've used these extensively, so I can say they do work nicely. They are a pain on the curved surface of a shoulderpad, tho. You might consider making some black strips and then just laying those on the pad, one at a time, sliding them to the right spot, and trimming off excess.

Make a stamp: You could also try making a stamp out of something spongy, and then roll a nice straight line out on the pad, then touch it up later. A spongy bar is what I have in mind.

I've done the caution stripes with masking tape or painter's tape (the blue stuff that isnt as adhesive so you don't pull up anything when removing it). I think the sponge idea for making a stamp would probably work pretty well too, but you would still need to make sure you stamp it on at the same angle/spacing everytime. With tape you can put the tape down and see how it will turn out without putting on any paint.

Free hand is definitely possible but takes practice to get right and make it not look ridiculous. I have terribly shaky hands so I usually opt for some help via tape to insure I don't have to redo them later.

I managed to dig up some 1/8 inch masking tape, which I think should work. I'll let you know how it works soon.
Thanks!

If masking tape fails, why not just use a straight edge to guide your freehand. I have played around with one in the past and Ive never disliked the results.

If your stripes are ok in small areas and you can mask off larger areas, then I would say just don't add the stripes to the inbetween areas. Like maybe, instead of the stripes on the round part of the shoulder pad, just paint that dark red or something and use an IW decal emblem, then paint small stripes for the trim