I'm using my Puma as a test-bed for a new (to me) technique. It involves using physical therapy putty to mask the demarcation lines on camouflage. In theory, very similar to blu-tack or silly putty, except the "theraputty" is far more malleable.
Here's some point's I've jotted down while using it at a club build night and later on my second attempt using the Puma:
- The tan / pink putty is very malleable. I found it a little too runny and mixed it around 50:50 with silly putty (which I find a little on the firm side). This got it to a consistency I liked. I have not tried the yellow putty yet, but I suspect it might be good to go right out of the tub
- The subject was fairly complex, a LAV-TUA. This had numerous indents and 'crevasses' which would be a challenge with regular firm bluetack
- I wanted to try a 3-tone approximation of a NATO inspired pattern. I was able to get this done in around 2 hours. That is about 6 hours less than when I free hand. However, BIG however, I did rush the laying down of the putty. I expect if you really wanted to duplicated a NATO 3-tone, that the application of the putty would take much, much longer
- with that point above in mind, the putty is well suited for broad band cammo schemes. Think 1970's Canadian 3-tone, or Danish or UK Army BAOR Green & black hard edge. It would also be good for aircraft, where they have much smoother / flatter surfaces than AFV.
- the putty can be teased into a very fine point. This gave me the idea that it could be used for 4-colour USA MERDC pattern, especially the hard-edged black and tan shadow & highlight aspect of the scheme. One could even do those small areas in hard edge using putty, and then the main 2-colours using a soft edge transition.
- putty is rolled into sausages about 1/8-1/4" diameter. The narrower you go, the more intricate the cammo pattern
- have a pair of scissors to cut the sausages with, they work better than pulling it apart, which can create fine strings (pulling gently creates fine threads, pulling sharply seems to 'shock' the putty and its snaps off)
- best way to remove it after painting is to 'dab' the putty blobs back on to itself. Go easy, as it can (and did) pull off a PE screen when I got to vigorous with the removal
- remember to fully mask the area, as the extra time spent doing this will be saved when you don't have to touch up overspray
- that's about all I can think of for now. Like all new techniques, it going to take some time to get it right. My results were not as good as I could have done free hand, but, it shows enough promise that I will for sure use this in the future, it is much easier than using masking tape.
Short follow up: I opened the mixed tub of tan theraputty and the silly putty, and they have completely separated. The thicker silly putty formed a layer on top of the thereaputty (less dense I guess). They really do behave like fluids.
And another follow up: Last night I used the yellow putty to mask a 3-tone scheme to mimic that used by Canada in the 70-80’s. I adapted a pattern used on the M-109. The putty is much better suited to the gentle flowing bands of this style.
I used the technique of thin sausages as borders and then I pressed the putty flat into sheets to mask the middle of the colour I wanted to preserve. I would not recommend doing this:
- it uses a lot of putty and makes the model heavier and more awkward to handle whilst painting
- the ‘sheet’ putty bonds with the ‘edge’ putty, and once you have 2 colours masked off, this creates a significant sticking force to the model; I pulled off one PE screen, a mirror, and a grab handle when I removed the putty
Instead, I would go with sausages for the borders, and fill the middle area with paper (not tape – I think). Paper should be able to bond well enough with the putty to stop any overspray
As with any mask, use as light a coat of paint as possible, or you will create a built-up paint ridge at the border.
I found that rolling a small ball of the putty, after removing, and dabbing it along the edges of the camo border helped push the colour back down (lower the ridge) and removed a very slight sheen.
Lastly, I believe this masking needs to be done in a single paint session. The reason is that it is still a fluid and the mask, if left for a few hours, will start to ‘flow’ down the model. That being said, I was able to fully mask and paint a German Puma AFV with 3 – colours in 3 hours.
Happy modeling!
Graeme