1:32 Ki-84 Hayate

A teardrop canopy and a cut-down decking

The Nakajima Ki-84 was among the most capable Japanese fighters of the end of the war and the Allies gave it the name Frank. Its designers took a step that the older types never got: they cut down the fuselage decking behind the cockpit and drew the canopy out into a teardrop shape that slid to the rear. The result was all-round vision that older machines with a raised decking could not offer.

Few frames, all the greater demands on the edge

The fewer dividing frames the glazing has, the longer the unbroken curves a mask has to cover, and the more easily a fold forms on them. Kabuki paper is an advantage here, because it can be drawn out into a curve without going wavy. The set contains a layer of parts for the outer and the inner face, so that even with the canopy slid back the frame shows cleanly from both viewpoints. With the four national insignia masks it is worth recalling that a sprayed Japanese disc holds on a matte finish far better than a decal.

• A cut for the teardrop sliding canopy in 1:32 scale
• The frames are masked from outside and from the interior side
• Four stencils for spraying the Japanese discs
• The paper carrier handles long unbroken curves
• Suitable for a build with the canopy slid back as well

Recommended procedure: mask, spray the base, then the covering shade and finally the insignia, so that the edges of the coats do not overlap. Lift the film with flat-jawed tweezers. Neither a kit nor clear parts are part of the delivery; this is purely an aid for spraying.