THURSDAY TESTIMONIALS: Bittydesign Liquid Mask

0 May 4, 2017, 11:26 a.m.

Main Photo: THURSDAY TESTIMONIALS: Bittydesign Liquid Mask

By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com

Whether it's wheel nuts, wings, tools, tracks, trinkets and/or anything in between, the LiveRC staff gives their testimonial and review of each every Thursday morning!

When it comes to racing, I have always subscribed to the motto “look fast, go fast.” This is, of course, entirely untrue; it just makes me feel significantly better about my constant spending on freshly-painted bodies. I have taken a stab at painting my own car bodies in the past, but have had very little success. I’ve tried a variety of methods – vinyl stencils, masking tape, and liquid mask – none of which seemed to help. I decided to take another shot at it after receiving a text message from my good friend, Dylan Seiner, saying he would start R/C racing again – but only if I would help him paint a body. I dusted off the old airbrush, dug out his favorite colors, and went to work. The only thing I was missing was liquid mask, which was the method that provided me the most success in the past. As someone who buys whatever looks coolest, this round I picked me up a bottle of the Bittydesign Liquid Mask, which has, hands down, the most appealing bottle graphics on the market.

Bittydesign Liquid Mask
BDLM32 (32oz bottle), $30
www.bittydesign.net

Bittydesign is, in my opinion, among the most stylish companies in the industry. They have some of the best-looking paint jobs, the most striking logos and graphics, the most eye-catching representation, and some of the most attractive R/C apparel and accessories I’ve seen. The brand also offers an extensive line of bodies, which I personally can’t speak an opinion on – since they're quite rare in the United States, I have never actually seen one in person. While all of that is great, I know Bittydesign primarily for the paint jobs of the brand's founder, Stefano Rabitti, and that is why I chose to use the Bittydesign Liquid Mask – hoping that Stefano's had nothing to do with amazing artistic skills, but a magical liquid mask that would also provide me a stellar new paint job of my own.

Bittydesign Liquid Mask is available in two different size bottles; a 16-ounce bottle for $20 or a 32-ounce bottle for $30. The mask is a ready-to-use formula that requires no dilution, and is water-based - making it harmless and safe to use without fancy paint booths and high-power ventilation systems. The mask dries quickly with the help of a hair dryer or heat gun, making the paint process considerably faster than some other brands which require 24 hours of drying time. Bittydesign says the 32-ounce bottle is enough to mask up to 40 bodies for 1/8-scale buggies.

There are multiple ways to apply the liquid mask, but the cheapest is a trusty paint brush. If you have access to a paint sprayer, that is the recommended method, but if you find yourself in the garage without a clue – like I did – painting layers with a brush and a hair dryer will work just fine. The worst possible mistake you can make with any liquid mask is not applying it thickly enough. I used the brush to apply four coats, thoroughly drying each with my wife’s hairdryer before starting the next.

The Bittydesign mask applied very easily and, with the help of hot air, does in fact dry very quickly. Visually, the Bittydesign mask stands out from the crowd with its unique, pink color. After the mask was thoroughly dried, I began cutting out the design I had scribbled on the outside of the body. I began the tedious process using a fresh hobby knife blade and, to my surprise, the Bittydesign mask was very easy to work with. It was much easier for me to see the design, and where I had cut, than other brand masks I’ve used in the past.

The two biggest tests for me when reviewing liquid mask are how easily it peels off, and how crisp the lines are between colors.

With four coats, which is probably one coat of overkill, the Bittydesign Liquid Mask peels like a champ. It’s very easy to get ahold of, peels out all in one piece and, assuming you do a good job cutting through it (while taking care not to damage the Lexan), doesn’t peel up the surrounding areas of mask.

After the paint job was complete, I was in total shock at how well the mask prevented bleeds and sneaky paint from intruding into the other colors. Every line was as crisp as it could possibly be, with no signs of mask failure.

Pros:

Available in two different sizes
If stored correctly, will last up to several months on the shelf
Water based and not harmful to your health
No dilution or mixing required – open the bottle and apply
Dries very quickly with the help of hot air – tremendously speeding up the pain process
Cuts cleanly, peels easily, and leaves lines very crisp with no bleeds or paint intrusion

Cons:

Not as readily available in local hobby shops as some other brands.

Final word:
The Bittydesign Liquid Mask did not improve my painting abilities – apparently, that actually does require skill and talent, not just a good paint mask. It did, however, improve the overall painting experience and actually made the job relatively enjoyable. My hours of hard work was not ruined by leaky bleed lines, constant picking and peeling trying to remove the mask, or a squinting scavenger hunt trying to figure out what lines have or have not been cut. The Bittydesign Liquid Mask is easy to apply, makes easy-to-see cut lines, peels very easily, and provides a crisp, clean paint job. It worked so well that I decided to paint myself a new body in the process. Unfortunately, it is not as readily available in most local hobby shops as some other masks, but is available online through the American Bittydesign distributor AMainHobbies.com.