1:48 Mistel 1 WWII German Composite Aircraft.BASIC kabuki

The real subject

The Mistel was a German composite combination of two aircraft of the Second World War: the lower machine carried a charge in its nose and flew without a crew, while the upper fighter was joined to it by struts and had a pilot. He guided the whole combination onto the target, released the lower machine and returned himself. The Mistel 1 form combined a Junkers Ju 88 bomber below with a single-seat Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter above. A model of such a combination is unusual in shape alone, and the result depends among other things on clean outlining of the glazed areas, of which there are more here than on a single aircraft.

What the set offers

These are painting masks cut from kabuki paper, that is from a thin self-adhesive paper tape. It conforms to curved surfaces and once lifted off leaves no adhesive residue on the finish. The BASIC designation marks out the basic extent against the wider levels of the same range. Which areas the set covers and which kit it is cut for are given in the manufacturer's instructions; the kit is not stated here.

Masking tips

• stick the masks onto a clean, dry surface before spraying
• move a part with tweezers and press the edge down with a blunt tool so that paint does not run under it
• spray perpendicular to the surface and in thin coats
• lift the mask off as soon as the paint has set, as it tears the edge off a fully cured coat
• cover the remaining areas with strips of tape or with masking fluid

Terms of supply

A set of masks is supplied. The kit, paints, masking fluid and glue are not included in the delivery, unless stated otherwise.