1:48 Bristol F.2B

A two-seater that behaved like a fighter

The Bristol F.2B came about as a reconnaissance and observation aircraft with a pilot and a gunner, but the crews soon found that it could attack as fiercely as a single-seat fighter. A strong engine, a sturdy structure and two fields of fire made it a type opponents kept away from. It stayed in service for an exceptionally long time, with some units for a good decade after the fighting ended.

A large wing area and a marking across a joint

Here the roundel sits on the upper as well as the lower surface of the flying surfaces, and at the span of the subject it takes up a substantial part of the wing chord. That has a practical consequence: the marking often touches the edge of an aileron or runs across the joint between parts. A decal will not lie over a break like that without a wrinkle, whereas sprayed paint follows the shape perfectly and does not bridge the joint. In 1:48 the difference shows even without a magnifier, which is the main reason masks are worth it on biplanes.

• A two-seat combat machine of British aviation in 1917 and 1918
• Two films for the roundels of the upper and the lower flying surface
• No glazing mask, as both the pilot's and the gunner's positions are open
• Adapted to the parts supplied by Roden
• The self-adhesive material conforms to the curve of the fabric

Recommended procedure: treat the area with varnish, let it cure overnight and lay the mask only on a completely dry surface. It is good to run a wooden stick along the edges so that the film seats over a rib as well. Keep the spraying light and repeat it rather than laying it on heavily; one heavy coat builds a ridge at the edge that stays palpable once the mask is off.