I use 3M vinyl lettering material to mask canopies. It’s very easy to work with, can be applied to curves, and is easy to burnish with a wooden cuticle shaper or cotton swab.

Best of all, after applying and burnishing the material to a canopy, you can gently heat it with a hair dryer on a low setting approximately 12″ above the model. The vinyl will shrink and conform tightly to the item. Now you can trim it away from the frame with a sharp No. 11 blade and airbrush the model.

I’ve used this material for canopies as well as for masking hard and soft-edged camouflage — soft edges can be obtained by using the vinyl without heating it. Best of all, you can probably get all you’ll ever need for free from a local sign shop; they usually throw out lots of scrap when they letter a vehicle.

Tip submitted by:
Jim BettencourtFairhaven, Massachusetts