1:32 SPITFIRE VIII

A canopy slid back changes the whole view

The hood of the Spitfire opened by sliding to the rear along a pair of guide rails on the sides of the fuselage. When the model is finished with the cockpit open, which is the most common choice in 1:32, a number of areas come into the field of view that would otherwise stay hidden: the inner face of the moving section, the rear edge of the windscreen and the rim of the fixed rear part, over which the moving hood runs in its extreme position.

Why it cannot be done without an inner set

A hood slid back shows the viewer both of its faces at once. One looks outwards, the other is reflected in the glazing behind it. If the frame is painted only on the outside, that gives itself away immediately and the finished model looks as if the canopy were cut out of clear film. The set therefore allows for both surfaces and the order is fixed: the inside first, then the outside, and only then the paint.

Details around the rails

The rails along which the hood travels lie right by the edge of the glazing and it is easy to overspray them when the camouflage goes on. It pays to cover them with a narrow offcut of film left over from the sheet. The box further contains two national insignia stencils, with which the roundels are applied in paint. Decals are not part of this item.

How long to leave the mask in place

The film is removed shortly after the paint has flashed off, when the finish is already coherent but not yet fully cured. Once it has dried completely, the edge of the spray peels away easily together with the stencil and the repair then means respraying the whole part.