1:48 Fw 190 D9

Glass that was meant to stop a bullet

Behind the pilot's head this fighter carried an armored headrest and in the windscreen frame a thick laminated pane whose transparency was noticeably worse than that of the other glass. On a model that shows in the fact that the center panel of the windscreen frame should not be crystal clear; a light hint of green or bluish paint applied from inside gives it the credibility bare clear plastic does not have. Modelers often forget that difference, even though on the real aircraft it was obvious at first glance.

How many surfaces are actually masked

The framing divides into the windscreen part and the sliding canopy. In all that means four vertical lines and several longitudinal rails, which for 1:48 scale is relatively little and the work can be done quickly. Even so the set encloses film in two versions, for the outer and for the inner side of the glass. The reason is the depth of the canopy, thanks to which the whole opposite framing is visible when seen from the side.

Box contents

• film for the outer and the inner framing of the glazing
• one mask for the national insignia
• two metal muzzles for the onboard machine guns
• the fit is based on the Tamiya kit

Apply the paint on the frames first in the interior shade and only then in the exterior finish. The transition between the two shades then lies exactly on the edge of the frame, as it did on the real machine. Lift the film off with flat-jawed tweezers, pulling it back over itself at a sharp angle, not straight up; a vertical pull will tear the paint off the edge and the resulting notch can then be repaired only with a hand brush. It is advisable to glue the armored headrest behind the pilot's head in only after unmasking.