what’s the process for spraying roundels? Is it something like spray a colour, mask it, spray the next colour etc? As it beats me how it’s done with such tidy, perfectly circular accuracy and all that! :confused:
Pretty much yes – but I think there are various ways and each painter will swear by his own method 😉
I prefer to set out the roundel* positions in pencil using a big tramel compass once the primer is on and then mask off the disc once you are 100% happy its in the right place. This has the advantage of allowing you to mark out and fiddle about on the primer rather than the finished top coat and also prevents build up of layers of paint (good news for next time you strip it off!). This method also allows you to mark out camouflage lines that intersect the roundels. Actually masking the disc is usually done (say for a Spitfire) using quarter inch Scotch lining tape and just following the line by hand and eye. The lads doing the Lanc are using a common commercial method using computer cut vinyl masks which is great and quicker so long as you are used to using them!
Once the main camou colours are sprayed on you then remove the masking paper discs to reveal nice neat primer circles in the correct places & all ready to receive the roundel colours. For say a C1 fuselage roundel, spray the Yellow and the white first and then you can reverse mask on to these to fill in the centre Red and the Blue, again (in my case) just hand applying lining tape. Getting the perfect neat curved edge with lining tape is basically down to experience. This method also applied to US ‘Star and Bar’ markings but there are then only two or three colours instead of four.
*If its a USAAF ‘Star & Bar’ I find it much easier to draw it out full size on masking paper, cut it out and then apply it to the airframe as a reverse mask.
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