1:35 SdKfz 250 - Dragon

1:35 Sd.Kfz. 250 wheel masking set for the Dragon kit

An accessory, not a model. The masks stick onto the individual wheels and separate the rubber or dark band from the face of the rim. The set is cut for the parts from the 1:35 scale Sd.Kfz. 250 kit by Dragon; with wheels from a different mold, check the match beforehand by holding them together dry.

Why a mask pays off on a vehicle with many small wheels

A half-track vehicle carries a row of small-diameter road wheels in its running gear, plus front steering wheels of a different size. On small wheels every inaccuracy is multiplied: the smaller the diameter, the larger the share of the surface taken up even by a slightly wandering line, and the tremor of a hand that would be lost on a big wheel produces a visible wave here. Lining by hand also takes almost as long on each small wheel as on a large one, so the total time grows with their number. A mask gets around that problem — the border is set by the shape of the cutout rather than by your hand, and every wheel looks the same. Do not forget that wheels of different diameters have their own cutouts in the set; compare them with the parts before sticking anything down, so you do not use a mask meant for another size.

Recommended procedure

Leave the wheels on the sprue or spike them on a toothpick, so you can turn them without touching fresh paint. Once the mask is on, run a skewer around the edge so no air pocket is left anywhere. Spray several thin coats — one heavy coat bleeds under more easily than three light ones. Remove the mask by its edge, not from the middle.

Who the set is for

• Builders of half-track vehicles in 1:35 scale
• Modelers put off by lining a larger number of small wheels
• Those who want every wheel to look identical
• Builders who paint with an airbrush and want a sharp edge with no touch-ups

This is a masking accessory, not a kit. Paints, thinner and the target kit are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.