Thank the lawd, the right terminolgy, PHANTOM FLAMES!
TurboS10, you could do it either way, the only difference will be the depth, by paintin over the base the flames will look like apart of the base. By spraying a coat of clear then the flames that will act as a deepening effect and make them stand out a bit more. It won't be that noticable, but thats what will happen. In my exsperience with fine line tape it doesn't leave any residue and neither does 3M tape, but if your still afraid of that they (3M) have a low adhesive tape specially made for use on base coats and any other new paint masking you need to do. I don't like it myself, but others love it.
HK
[ November 09, 2002: Message edited by: Halloweenking ]</p>
HK
[ November 09, 2002: Message edited by: Halloweenking ]</p>