Who better to review new masking sets than someone who deals in graphics & masking for a living? Clayton Ockerby certainly knows his stuff. Today he casts his eye over the new "Armor Range" from Belgian company 1 Man Army. See what he thought in his review...
From: 1ManArmy
1/35th scale
RRP: £19 - £22
Product link on the 1Man Army Website
1 Man Army – Armour range
A few months ago, Gary Wickham reviewed the paint masks sets from Belgium-based company called "1 Man Army". The masks were for 32nd scale aircraft and were a comprehensive set of airframe stencils and markings for various subjects from the WWII era. I actually trialled those sets myself, and to say I was impressed at the level of detail is an understatement. I was blown away. 1 Man Army has been able to perfect the cutting process and create paint masks with a level of detail that has never been seen in the industry.
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Whilst I was impressed with the aircraft range, I can’t hide my armour bias and had hoped they may branch into the field of armour at some point. I am pleased to announce the wait is over as I hold the sample sets in my hand today.
There are 11 sets in the initial release and all have been created to use with 1/35 scale armour. The sets cater to most of the major modelling subjects.
The Wehrmacht sets cover the major Division emblems, the basic single colour versions of the Balkenkreuz and Turret numbers in varying styles and sizes.
The US Armour sets cover Generic US ‘Late’ Serial numbers as well as various Stars and US markings.
The Soviet set concentrates on various turret numbers and star markings.
The secret to achieving a successful result is to spray the paint in fine layers and build the coverage up slowly. I can personally vouch for the results and am so impressed with the level of fine detail that has been achieved with these sets. They are simply a game-changer.
Using the masks
Whilst the masks are not sold for multiple use, I have been able to successfully use the same mask a number of times.
Some close-up detail of the sets with a (normal sized) pencil to show scale...
Masking and spraying your models markings will always give a superior result. It’s as simple as that. The major benefit is they can be chipped and weathered in a more authentic way, as well as avoiding potential decal silvering and visible carrier film. Issue with cutting masks in the past has been the limitation of how fine they could be cut, but as mentioned earlier, 1 Man Army has cracked the code and opened up a whole new world for the armour modeller.
These types of paint masks really lend themselves to armour modelling, and I have no doubt that once you try them, you will be hooked as I am.
The sets will be available soon, so be sure to keep an eye out for them. Even better, take a look at the website - www.1manarmy.be to check out the entire range and keep up to date with availability.
Highly Recommended!
Clayton Ockerby
Thanks to the people at 1ManArmy for sending these two sheets to Clayton to review for you
1ManArmy do not sell directly but distribute their products through a network of partners/retailers worldwide, including many of the better known online retailers such as Hannants and Aviation Megastore
You can see more of Clayton's work on his Facebook page - Workbench Hobbies
