1:48 O-2A Skymaster BASIC Kabuki Masks For Revell 03819

Kabuki masks for the 1:48 O-2A Skymaster, BASIC level

A kabuki tape masking set for a 1:48 model of the O-2A observation aircraft. The set is cut for the Revell 03819 kit, and the kit matters here: the manufacturer also makes further masking sets for the same subject and scale that target other kits, and without naming the kit they could not be told apart. BASIC is the level of the set, which is the basic coverage, and a wider variant exists as well.

The real subject

The Cessna O-2A Skymaster is a twin-engine aircraft with an unusual push-pull arrangement of its powerplant, one engine with a propeller at the front and the second at the rear, with the tail surfaces carried on a pair of booms. It came about as the military version of a civil machine and served mainly for observation and forward air control. The cockpit glazing is extensive and divided into several windows with both straight and curved edges, and that is what makes it a model where masking by hand takes longer than the spraying itself.

Use and tips

Apply the masks to a degreased and cured surface and press them down around the edge with a toothpick. On divided glazing work window by window and keep checking that the part sits inside the engraved frame, because the border can still be shifted until spraying starts. Spray the cockpit frames with the interior color first and only then with the outer shade, otherwise the wrong undercoat shows from inside. Remove the mask shortly after it has dried, at a shallow angle.

Who the set is for

• Builders of the particular Revell O-2A kit in 1:48 scale.
• Modelers who do not fancy cutting masks for divided glazing by hand.
• Those for whom the basic coverage is enough and who do not need the wider variant.
• Beginners, for whom the cockpit glazing is the hardest part of painting.

The masks are a painting aid. The kit and the paints are not included in the package.