Painting the Berlin Brigade Chieftain with the WB Hobbies Mask Set - 1/35
It seems like a lifetime ago now that I did the build and paint review for the then newly released Chieftain Mk.10 from Takom in 1/35. The review can be found @ The Modelling News. As part of my journey in trying to recreate the iconic Berlin Brigade scheme I devised and produced my own paint mask set to make life a little easier. I ended up offering the set for sale through my old WB Hobbies website. For one reason or another I decided to close the old site and hence the mask set was no longer available.
I do from time to time still get people find me through facebook and ask for a set which I am happy to supply. The recurring message I received was the site was missed and a lot of people would like to see it back up and running… So here we are again. The site is up and the mask set is back on the market!
So, without further delay this is how to to achieve a result with the mask set. (Please excuse the scrappy workbench photos)
Priming and Pre-shade
After basic construction was complete the model was primer and pre-shaded. It’s important to keep the construction to a bare minimum to make the painting a little easier. Leaving the stowage baskets off as well as any brackets, lights, hooks and mounts will make help allow the vinyl mask to sit flatter on the model.
White Layer
A layer of thinned white is applied over the areas that would remain white on the finished model. It wouldn’t matter if I went into some of the other areas that would make up the other colours of the scheme. I didn’t however want tio try and preserve some of the pre-shading for when the other colours were applied.
Engine Deck
The engine deck of the model was now masked off with some Tamiya tape and painted with NATO Green (A.MIG084). Tonal variation was achieved by mixing the base colour with white, yellow and even Khaki.
Grey Blue
The Paint Mask is then applied in the appropriate positions over the model. It’s worth noting that the colour scheme supplied in the initial Takom boxing was incorrect (at least after the research I’d done…So the mask set has been adjusted to better match the actual scheme.
The first batch of masks is set in place to protect the white sections of the model. Grey Blue was now sprayed in the appropriate places. Care must be taken when laying the mask that it lays nicely through any angles on the model. It may be necessary to reinforce the mask with some small pieces of Blutac or masking tape.
NATO Brown
The second part of the mask set is now stuck in place and a coat of AMMO’s NATO Brown (A.MIG 085) is applied. Tonal variation is achieved by lightening this colour with Khaki and thinning the mix considerably with Mr. Color Levelling thinner. Again, masking tape is used to help settle the masks and ensure sharp results.
The Result
With the masks removed the result is quite impressive. It is highly likely you will need to do a few touch ups around the model, but the mask set will give you the foundation to build the scheme on.
The Foundations
With the baskets, lights and bits and pieces pre-painted and attached to the model, it is exciting to see the scheme come together. Trying to print it with everything attached would be near on impossible…
Like when doing any masking work, ensure your model is prepared and primed properly prior to starting the paintwork. Also, ensure your subsequent paint layers are thoroughly dry and cured.
Paint mask set for the Urban Camouflage paint scheme of the Berlin Brigade - Specifically for the Chieftain in 1/35 scale. This is a large set and comes on two sheets. The masks are top cut on a self adhesive vinyl sheet and will help you recreate the paint scheme.
