1:32 F4U-1 Corsair Birdcage one-sided express fit mask for Tamiya

One-sided masking of the glazing of the F4U-1 Corsair Birdcage, 1:32

This item is not a model but an accessory for painting one. It contains templates shaped to the clear parts of the early version of the Corsair from the Tamiya kit. The one-sided designation from the name matches a version for the outer side of the glazing, that is, for the surface the customer sees most often once a model is finished.

Something about the machine

The Corsair came about as a carrier fighter of the US Navy and you will recognize it by the wing cranked into the shape of an inverted W. The earliest production examples had a cockpit set high and glazing broken up by a number of thin bars, after which they were nicknamed birdcage. A less experienced modeler can manage building this type in a wide scale today; what stays demanding is precisely the glazing.

What to watch out for

• Keep the clear parts protected from fingerprints right up to painting.
• Settle a template in one step; repeated shifting does it no good.
• Before the color shade, it pays to spray the edges with the base interior color.
• Apply thinly, so that no noticeable step forms at the edges.
• Once they are off, polish the glazing with a soft cloth so that it is perfectly clear.

Who it makes sense for

• For modelers for whom clean frames from outside are enough.
• For a build with a closed canopy, where the inner side is not visible.
• For everyone who loses the appetite for work when cutting tape.