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Hi guys !

I am finishing to build my brand new Baneblade, and I would to paint it in "two tone camo" : a base of black and stripes of grey.

I have in mind to undercoat in black, then use masking tape to protect the parts I want to remain black, and paint it with a grey paint can.

Has anybody try this technique ? Have you something else to suggest ?

Thanks a lot !

I haven't tried it myself, but other experience would recommend to use really low tack tape and make sure the base coat is properly dry before applying the tape. Don't want to pull the base coat off

Yeah you should most certainly invest in some proper painters tape if you plan on using this method of painting.

I haven't tried it myself, but has anyone used blutac to do masking?

It seems to me to be a perfect material for it, can be worked in to crevices (I remember the couple of attempts I had at masking with painters tape getting in to crevices was hard and paint tended to get in under the tape) and it's typically easy to remove without also removing paint.

Actually, silly putty works wonders. There are several articles out there on using it.

I have done this technique on my ADL/Quad gun and a Leman Russ battle tank. It can workout quite well but you have to do some work for it to turn out decent. For example, it can take a while with painter's tape (I used blue one) to get the type of shape you want for the camo pattern. I found it at times quite frustrating to do round patterns. Also I would stay away from any tape to cover the areas as all the bolts and rivets makes it hard for the tape to get a good seal. Tape works mostly on flat surfaces. I would try a sticky putty instead of tape.

Tamiya makes a very low tack tape. Make suer you let the previous coat of paint dry before you put your tape down.

I did this for a friend who wanted an Arctic paintjob for his IG army.

I painted the darkest blue and let it dry. I made a print sheet out of blue painters tape on wax paper and printed out camo shapes. I cut those out and placed them in different spots to create the camo effect. I painted a stripes of enchanted blue and wolf gray over that. after it all dried, i peeled off the tape and it was a pretty good look that he liked well. I painted using an airbrush so this would be a little more difficult for you here.

In your case I would do the black, then freehand mask the gray stripes for a softer effect. What that means is you make a template that you hold out with your hand and spray using it to block the overspray, but it still oversprays a little to blend the edges softly, otherwise if you use tape, its a hard edge.

There are some good camo type tutorials out there on youtube, I would suggest paying less attention to what they are doing and more on HOW they are doing it. Broaden your search from just minis to camo in general and you will see some results from people painting everything from truks to airsoft guns (its how I got my idea)

thanks for your advises ! Gonna check the different tutos on Dakka and Youtube.

Blu Tack works well if you want slightly fuzzy edges like real spray painted camouflage. If you want a hard edged splinter or dazzle kind of pattern, then use masking tape. Make sure to rub down the edges well and remove the tape as soon as possible once the paint is fully dry. (Don't leave it weeks, anyway.)

I managed to get this with the tape and spray method. You can see where I screwed up against some of the raised details.
If I were to do it again I would probably use thinner tape and cover the whole thing in tape and then remove every other for proper spacing. I'd then also try to mask the areas around the raised bits better.

It can be done if you want straight edges, just be prepared for faff and clean up. No clean up for me though, yellow on black? Nope!

Masking tape peeling up prior paint layers can be a real issue - I might even suggest a coat of varnish, beyond letting the paint cure before you mask over it, just to be sure. You can also decrease the tack of tape by sticking it to other surfaces before applying it to your model (some folks use their forehead, I'd use my cutting mat, painting table, etc. instead).

Paint creeping under the edge is another common issue which has two main remedies: First, use a knife/razor blade and a straight edge to cut a new, clean edge on the tape - not only will this be necessary for curves, if using wide tape, it will also help sharpen up straight sections, as the tape's stock edge is often a bit "fuzzy." Second, be sure to burnish your edges down. There are special tools available, but even a fingernail or the back of a small metal spoon will help you get a good seal against paint bleeding.