1:32 Ki-44 SHOKI

The color of the frames from inside changes the whole impression

Japanese cockpits were painted in a shade that differed noticeably from the outer camouflage. On Nakajima machines it was a greenish tone that absorbed reflections inside the cockpit, while the fuselage decking carried dark green and the sides often bare metal or a light finish. The edge where those two colors meet lies exactly on the profile of the glazing frame. A model that has this edge looks different from a model whose frames are a single color, and the difference is apparent even in a photograph taken from a distance.

What a two-sided mask does about it

The set carries shapes for the outer and the inner surface. The inner part is applied before the cockpit is closed up, sprayed with the interior color, and only then is the canopy closed and the outer mask with the camouflage shade goes on. The result is a frame that has a different color on each side, exactly as the real aircraft had. Without that step the builder would have to settle on a single color and sacrifice one of the sides.

Box contents

Two canopy masks and two insignia motifs are stated, which are sprayed instead of using a decal. Sprayed paint has no rim of carrier film and does not have to be given a clear coat to make an edge disappear.

When it pays off most

Two-sided masking makes the most sense on a model with the canopy slid back. An open cockpit is the first place a viewer looks, and there the frame shows both in section and from the inner face. With a closed cockpit you can save the effort, except that even there daylight comes through the glass and an unpainted frame creates a light line around the whole perimeter.

• The box contains neither a kit, nor clear parts, nor paints.
• The shapes are ready-cut; cutting to a paper template falls away.