PK-Pro.de incredible modelling products

PK Incredible Masking Putty

The easiest way to make hard or soft edged camouflage on models is by masking the area with a suitable material and spraying on the next color with the airbrush. We have all used materials like Silly Putty, or Blue Tack in the past, but PK-Pro.de has released their own Incredible Black Masking Putty, and we were happy to try it out. This stuff is no more difficult than using masking tape and/or Blue Tack, Silly Putty etc., but its unique properties distinguish it from those other mediums. It is specifically marketed to assist in airbrushing hard and soft line camouflage over the uneven surfaces typically found on aircraft and armor kits.

Inside a metallic tin there are 80gr of this black masking putty. Putty word may be misleading for some people. Masking medium perhaps is more appropriate. PK-PRO Incredible Masking Putty is a simple and intelligent masking material, which can be easily used for masking your models before brushing with the airbrush. It is oil based with silicon. It changes its behaviour depending on the force applied and adapts very well to the surface of the model. Although it has a solid appearance it is very flexible. With low force you can easily shape it. A ball made of Masking Putty would bounce like a rubber ball and breaks smooth when ripped apart. It does not stain, is free from grease, cannot dry out and is therefore an ideal medium to mask and airbrush patterns on your models. It can be reused many times. Equally useful to aircraft and military vehicles modellers, it can be formed to very thin rolled lines to follow camouflage patterns, far better than Blu-Tack or similar materials used so far. 80 grams is more than enough for any quarter scale kit (and most other kits, too), and we see no reason why it won’t last forever.

When you open the tin, you are greeted by a black pancake “dough” settled down nicely into the tin. Removing it, your fingers immediately sink slightly into the soft surface and it starts to sag, being quite flexible and workable. It feels slightly oily, but it leaves no residue behind at all – either on your fingers or on your models. If you pull slowly, you can stretch it just about forever. But give a quick tug and it snap breaks cleanly. It’s self-leveling. Wad it into a ball, drop it back in the tin and after some hours, it will have settled right back into the shape it originally was. If kept in the closed tin when not in use it will never dry out.

You can even pull it real thin and cut it (it cuts cleanly with a hobby knife or scissors) into little flecks for things like ambush or tiny mottle camouflage. Picking it up is easy – just dab it with a ball of putty and it comes right up (this stuff sticks to itself).

For a soft edge leave the edges rounded down. This can be achieved by just placing on the model rolls of the Masking Putty without further touching. If you want to achieve a sharp edge, then it is important that you use a metal tool handle to press gently the putty in place. The edge where the two colours come together will become sharp in the end. So, for hard-edged camo you just pull and flatten pieces of the putty on a sheet of glass and cut the masks roughly into shape with a hobby knife. Then you just pick them up and apply them to the model. A metal tool handle can be used to make any final needed adjustments by gently touching the edges. If you happen to cut your piece a little small just stretch it to fit the desired length. The self-leveling qualities are great here – in a couple minutes, the putty will snug down quite nicely over details such as rivet heads, hinges, panel lines, etc. For hard edges the key is to wait about 10 minutes, in order to let the putty settle down over the bumps and crevices on the surface of the model. You may use a tool to flatten any twists or rope-like sections, getting the top edge of the putty as close to the surface of the model as possible.

Once happy with the pattern, spray your paint. Remove the putty (it peels off very easily or can be lifted with more putty), and you have a nice clean pattern. And what about the paint sprayed on the putty itself you may ask. The answer is, once kneaded, the paint seems to vanish from the putty, and you just can’t tell that it had been used! The airbrushed paint seems to be absorbed right into the black medium, leaving the latter just as pristine and residue-free as it was before.

The same way you can apply it to create a soft-edged pattern. Just roll it into shapes like thin sausages or "worms" down to 3/32'' (2,5mm) diameter for 1/48 scale, apply it to the model and you can get a slightly feathered, soft edge, after airbrushing, taking care to find the suitable angle of your airbrush to the edge of the putty. For soft edges spray immediately as soon as you apply it on the surface and don’t leave it too long on the model, or it may self-settle into a different pattern than the one you intended.

All in all, a great stuff that performs extremely well for masking duties. This stuff although it seems to be similar to other blue or white colored mediums, has no relation to Blu-Tack and to our opinion is far better than this or similar materials. This stuff will also last a great deal longer. After many months of using it’s still just as soft and pliable as it was when we got it. So it is definitely the better overall value. And the PK-Pro Incredible putty is certainly much easier to work into complex shapes or to snug down over details than tape would be – and it will not lift the underlying layer of paint.

A final note about residue concern: If you have already used different kinds of putty to make camo masks, you will have noticed that they all have one thing in common: Sometimes they tend to leave a weird film on the paint that slightly distorts the colour underneath the putty, usually requiring some kind of paint touch-ups. This putty leaves no residue at all and does come off really "clean".

Incredible Masking Putty is really fun to work with and highly recommended! Watch this space because a second in depth review will follow after painting a PZL P11 1/72 model, using the Incredible Black Putty by Giannis Asimakos...

You can find it on line here:

https://www.pk-pro.de/PK-Incredible-Masking-Putty-80g_1

TS Plastic Fineline Masking Tape (6mm)

Another great PK-Pro.de product is TS Plastic Fineline Masking Tape (6mm).

A tape ideally suited to assist in paint jobs/masking at painting various straight and oval shapes, cutting off elements, etc. It adheres well to different surfaces and does not leave marks after removal. It is resistant to solvents and it comes in rolls 55 m long and widths of: 3 mm, 6 mm, 9 mm and 12 mm.

We tested a 6mm roll and we found it extremely useful for everyday modeling masking duties. It is far superior than the simple beige/yellow colored paper made masking mediums and follows almost any curve if suitably cut in the right width: smaller width for small difficult/complex curves and larger width for large curves. 6mm is excellent all-around width and if needed you can cut it as narrow as you like by using a flexible steel ruler on a glass surface or cutting mat. By applying stronger pressure by our thumb we managed to force the tape to conform to fairly sharp and complex curves. Any small lifts can be pressed down to be flat again by gently rubbing your thumbnail over.

This tape is thinner than most yellow Kabuki or Tamiya type masking mediums and will adhere better and stronger to painted surfaces without ruining them.

For camouflages with hard edges this tape is a must but after experimenting with it you will find many other relevant uses like masking canopies frames, wheels, etc. We highly recommend it!

Technical data: Description: thin linear contour masking tape resistant to high temperatures (1 hour for -30 + 130 °C), Carrier: thermally stabilised, film without cadmium, Total thickness: 0.13 mm, Resistance to UV radiation: limited, Resistance to weather conditions: limited, Colour: green, Core diameter: 76 mm.

You can order it online here:

https://www.pk-pro.de/TS-Plastic-Fineline-Tape-6mm-55m

PK - Pro Punch Miniature Leaf Set No.1, 2 & 3

PK-Punches are perfect to create a large number of miniature leaves in a short time. The leaves created are suitable for use in scales 1/35, 1/32, 1/43, 1/48 and 1/50 (corresponding to 54, 32 and 28 mm miniatures). PK-Punches can be used with different types of materials such as natural leaves, plain paper, thin cardboard or thin plasticard.

To achieve a natural result the use of natural dried leaves in various colors is recommended. In order to maintain the natural color of the leaves the following procedure is recommended: First let the leaves dry in a book or a stack of papers. Change the papers regularly to prevent rotting. Once the leaves are dry, you can produce any amount leaves for your miniatures bases or diorama. In order to fix the leaves wood glue (PVA Glue) or superglue is recommended. After gluing the leaves small correction work can be done with acrylic paint. After final gluing them in place we recommend the use of a transparent varnish or fixativ in order to prevent the leaves from decaying, being damaged or lost. Water based acrylic varnishes in matt, gloss or satin finish are most suitable for this purpose.

We tested these mini punches using simple A4 copier paper and the results were fantastic. A fast produce of a large quantities of leaves! You can paint your paper anyway you like before punching it or you may choose to paint your leaves individually after gluing them in place. In any case your diorama will look fantastic and very realistic. Punches No. 1, 2 and 3 differ regarding the shape of the leaves. By buying all three you can achieve the most realistic mix. We highly recommend this tools to diorama and armor lovers. They belong to this unique kind of tools you wonder how you ever lived without them!

You can order them online here:

https://www.pk-pro.de/PK-Punch-Miniature-Leaf-Punch-No-1-4xLeaves-Mix

You will find many other interesting modelling products and tools browsing the PK-Pro.de website. Give it a try now and you will not regret it!