Just finished the most nerve wracking thing I've ever done on a model. Thanks to Pheon's one-piece fuselage sash decal not coming close to fitting, I had to resort to masking and painting the white and red bands over the finished wood grain and nail head decals!
Fortunately, Pheon also provided separate badges. I later noticed one of the badges on the sash decal was printed reversed whereas the individual ones are correct. Several coats of Tamiya Clear Gloss, allowed to cure for a week, sealed the wood grain and nail heads so I figured masking with Tamiya tape would be low-risk. I used strips of their 3.0mm "tape for curves" to outline the bands then extended the masking with regular Tamiya tape and plastic wrap. Removing the tape went well until the last piece which lifted a small area of the wood right down to the bare plastic. There must have been some contaminant on the plastic, like finger oil, before the first coat of primer was applied.
But if it had to happen, it couldn't have happened in a better spot as it will be covered by the badge decal. Tamiya Clear was applied over the "wound" to seal it. After the band's paint has cured for a day or so, another gloss clear coat will be sprayed on prior to applying the badge decals.
Finally, here's a closeup of the tail showing the skid details. I wrapped the center portion with a strip of thin parchment paper, coated with white glue and Future, to replicate how the real one was wrapped with linen strips for reinforcement. The exposed part was given my usual oil paint wood grain treatment. The steel end cap was painted Vallejo Gun Metal.
Eric
