Micro Mask problems

[Swanningabout]

Is there some special trick to removing Microscale's Micro Mask? I'm building Revell's 1/72 Jagdpanther. The construction and painting went unusually well (Tamiya Japanese Navy grey for primer and then Tamiya dark yellow over all). Then I masked off the areas I wanted to keep as dark yellow and painted the rest tamiya red brown. But I'm having a hell of a time scraping off the micro mask. Can't get my fingernail underneath it, and even an exacto blade has difficulty with the task, while wrecking the paint job. What to do? Just about ready to put the whole thing under my boot.

 

[ScaleModelMadman]

Depends how thick the covering coat of paint is but...

try putting some micro mask on a q-tip, let it dry over night and then the next day, use it like a pencil eraser, it will sometimes help lift and roll it off.

If the paint is really thick though, you may have a hard time regardless.

HTH

 

[Swanningabout]

Thanks for the answer. It's not really the paint on top of the micro mask that is the problem. The micro mask seems to be very firmly stuck on the paint beneath it. When I do get some mask off, it doesn't harm the paint beneath, but just getting it off is the problem.

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Yeah ditto what Ken said...always found a pencil eraser the best for taking any of the various masking agents like that off.

 

[Swanningabout]

Finally got around to working on this kit again. I found the pencil eraser didn't work too well, but lifting the micro mask with scotch tape helped some. The rest I just have to use an exacto blade for and try to touch up the scratches. Maybe the problem is the paint the micro mask was going on was acrylic. Anyway, I might use the micro mask again, but only if I can do so in a way as to avoid getting it on fine details. That's were it's hardest to remove. It's easier on large areas of smooth plastic. I think I will try some kind of masking putty in the future first.