1:48 P-36 MOHAWK

A prize that became the mainstay of the Finnish Air Force

When Germany occupied France and Norway, it got its hands on dozens of undamaged American fighters. It had no use for them, and so it sold them to Finland. There, during the Continuation War, they became one of the most successful machines of all: Finnish crews achieved a ratio of victories to losses that nobody would have expected from a type considered obsolete. The weakness lay somewhere other than in the air, namely in the constant hunt for spare parts from several different production batches.

Over the Burmese jungle as late as 1944

This aircraft lived a second long life in British colors over Burma and the Indian border. It was no longer suited to combat at altitude, but over the jungle its strength, long endurance and ability to operate from improvised strips proved themselves. It served there for reconnaissance and attacks on ground targets until more modern types delivered from Britain replaced it.

How the set makes the work easier

The die-cut film fits the frame of the canopy without measuring and trying. The outer layer protects the glass during spraying, the inner one makes sure the framing has color on the cockpit side as well. The insignia masks then make it possible to spray the round markings directly, so no film is left on the surface and the transition to matte paint has no glossy edge.

• Let the film rest for a moment after it is applied; the adhesive settles.
• Spray lightly several times rather than heavily once.
• After lifting it off, check the edge carefully against the light.