1:48 A6M3 Reisen/Zero model 22 In&Out canopy masks

A6M3 Reisen (Zero) model 22 canopy masks in 1:48 scale

A set of pre-cut self-adhesive masks that cover the clear cockpit part while the framing is sprayed. They are applied to the areas that are to stay transparent, so the paint settles on the framing only. This form is intended for the outer and the inner face of the glazing, which is the difference from the basic single-sided version.

Why mask on both sides

The cockpit of the Zero is long, fully glazed and easy to see into when the canopy is slid back. If the frame is sprayed only from outside, it stays the color of the clear plastic on the inside and the illusion falls apart. With masks for both faces the inner framing can be sprayed in the interior shade and the outer in camouflage, so the canopy looks right from both points of view.

A procedure that has proved itself

First wash the clear part in lukewarm water with detergent and let it dry completely. Lay the mask on dry with tweezers and press the edges down with a blunt stick, so that no air bubble is left under them. Spray in thin coats; a heavy coat creeps under the edge. Lift the mask off shortly after the paint has dried, pulling at an angle across the edge of the frame, not perpendicular to the surface.

The real subject

The A6M3 model 22 was a variant of the Mitsubishi A6M carrier fighter with the Sakae 21 engine and with a return to the long wing with rounded tips that the preceding model 32 lacked. It served in the second half of the war in the Pacific, among other places with units operating from land bases.

Who the set is for

• modelers who build the Zero with the cockpit canopy slid back
• everyone who cannot get the cockpit framing traced with a brush
• a build where the interior is to be visible and has to be right from inside as well
• airbrush painting, where a crisp frame edge shows at first glance