I had serious problems with masking when painting the rims and tires on Italeri’s 1/72 scale XB-70. The model required one metallic shade for the rims, aluminum for the sidewalls because the rubber was impregnated with aluminum, and black for the tread section on the outside section of each tire. The Valkyrie has deep recessed wheel detail that would require a lot of liquid mask to fill, and I always damaged the paint trying to remove masking materials.

What I needed was a substance that would level itself, form a sealed barrier to prevent paint bleeding, and come off the surface easily without affecting the paint when being removed.

Believe it or not, I found the answer in the most unlikely material: Krusteaz pancake batter. After mixing some of the powder with water to the consistency of yogurt, I picked a little up with a round toothpick and dropped it in the center of the wheel. It leveled to the lip of the rim without running over onto the tire. It hardened in 24 hours, formed a crust and sealed perfectly. I sprayed lacquer onto the masked wheel and it turned out perfect. I removed the hardened batter by putting a few pinholes in the batter and soaking it in hot tap water. The batter left no residue.

Tip submitted by:
Dennis CermakFraser, Michigan