1:48 OV-10A Bronco (ICM)

Masking set OV-10A Bronco, 1:48

Templates for spraying a model of the OV-10A Bronco observation and light attack aircraft in 1:48. The masks are stuck onto the glazed surfaces before painting, taken off after spraying, and the frames stay sharp. Neither a kit nor paints are part of the package. It is based on the dimensions of the ICM kit.

The cockpit that makes it worthwhile

The Bronco was designed for observation from low altitude, and its cockpit matches that: the glazing runs deep down and all the way around, so there are unusually many frames and they run in several directions. Masking such a cockpit by hand is slow, and the worst parts are the sharp corners where the strips of tape meet. It is there that most of the imperfections arise, and they then show on a finished model more than anything else, because the cockpit is the visual center of the aircraft.

The size of the item and the scale

Here the 1:48 scale plays in the modeler's favor. The frames are large enough for a finished mask to have a legible width and for the result to read as exact, but at the same time too small for cutting by hand. In 1:144 the same cockpit would be an area where the individual frames would practically merge; in 1:48, by contrast, they carry a large part of the impression of the model, so it pays to do them properly.

Recommended procedure

• Wash and degrease the glazing, so that the mask holds all the way around.
• Press the edges of the mask down, especially in the corners, where paint runs under most easily.
• Apply the color of the frames first, and only then the camouflage.
• Take the mask off shortly after the paint has dried.

Who the set is for

For the modeler who builds aircraft in 1:48 and wants the glazing clean without hours of work with tape and a knife, and for the builder whom a complicated cockpit has so far put off this subject.

This is an add-on to a plastic model. The base ICM kit, the paints and the glue are not included in the package.