My fellow R/Cers have always asked me why I never use any paint masks with my paint jobs..I've always had the thought that it was 'my paint job' and was something I created by myself..
All of my previous paint jobs have been done with tape and in the case of my last one(Alfa Romeo), liquid mask..
I didn't want some lame graphic designed by someone else..I wanted all my graphics to be unique..

I've been watching these paint masks being developed by XXX Main for some time now..Their products are getting more and more unique as time goes by.
Granted, anyone can buy them but when I'm thinking of a certain design and XXXMain just happens to have some really cool flames (for instance) that fit my needs I thought I would give it a try

So, it's off to my Local Hobby Shop Hobby Hobby
They carry a huge selection and everything I need for my super cool (I think it is anyways) flame job.
Some flames..Some checkers..I'm all set.
You'll notice that I also got some custom vinyl lettering done as well..I'm not really supposed to advertize this, but because they worked so well and are a true test of the 'bleedless' quality of these products I couldn't not mention them..
Its not something that anybody can get but I'm sure if you contact your local 'sign making' outfit they'll be able to help you out

I'm not going to go into too much detail of the 'how to's' of body painting..I think I've covered that enough times in previous reviews to give the general idea..

For complete in depth instructions please visit this link:Maskz

With XXXMain Paint Maskz you get a solid sheet of vinyl with patterns cut in the particular designs..
They are pretty easy to use..
You decide what you need of the patterns to 'mask' the areas to be painted..
Then you remove any vinyl not needed..
You then place and rub down a transfer sheet on the remaining mask material
Simply list it off the sheet and place on your body in the desired location..
You will find that with the larger things like flames, you don't really need the transfer sheets and its actually easier to transfer them and place them without the transfer sheets.
The checkers can be done with the transfer sheets to keep things lined up properly
I found it was easier to peel them off one at a time and place them on the body freehand with these as well..Its kind of hard to place the transfer sheets in to all the nooks and crannys especially when you are trying to cover a fairly large area

I was pretty concerned with paint bleeding under the masking..Especially with such small details involved..I've learned over the years how to cover up simple bleeds with well placed decals and some automotive pinstriping..You never noticed did you??
But when it comes to very fine flames and lettering you can't really cover up those type of mistakes
Being slightly paranoid is probably a good thing..
Make sure you use a hard flat edge(credit card??) to rub out any signs of light under the masking..
You'll see what I mean by this as I'm sure you have with any other kind of masking used in the past.

The transfer tape used with these masks is very 'low tack'..You will find it takes some work to get the vinyl to lift off it's sheet..
Especially with the smaller areas..
This is normal though..The transfer sheet has to be low tack so that it releases the vinyl well when you are applying it to your body..Just take your time and make sure the transfer sheet lifts all the required vinyl off of it's sheet..

I decided to use a spray can for the black paint..It's so much easier to cover large major colors with a spray can..
After I finished the last coat it became obvious that this was working well..You can see clearly that not a drop of paint has bled under any masking..

Now for the second big test
Actually removing the first batch of masking..Removing all that is required to move on to the red paint..
Taking time to seal all edges has really payed off..
I am shocked at how crisp all the lines are..
Even the letters which are pretty detailed have very crisp clean edges..The only thing I did have a little trouble with was the black paint ended up being a little thick..And therefore had a tendancy to want to lift off in places with the masking..More the fault of user error than product error..
So you may want to keep that in mind..Try to go a little lighter on the base/main colour..Its a bit of a balancing act getting it just right though..
I'm sure experience will pay off in my case.

XXX Main Maskz did great for me.
I'd recommend them in a second.
Try them out on your next 6 color paint job

The rest of the job was pretty much uneventful..All the masking came off as crisp as the previous

Order your XXXMain Maskz Today Ordering

Reviewed By: The R/C Guy