1:32 P-47D Razorback

Why the insignia were repainted in the field

Markings were never finished once and for all. In the European theater the aircraft were given broad black and white stripes before the landings, which ran across the wing and fuselage right beside the star, and within a few weeks they were being washed off the upper surfaces again. Elsewhere the insignia was reduced, because it gave away the position from a distance, and elsewhere enlarged instead, so that friendly anti-aircraft gunners would recognize it in time. The overpainting therefore tended to be rough, with visible transitions and in a different shade from the original camouflage. Anyone building a Thunderbolt to a particular date researches not only the form of the insignia but also what was sprayed over it.

What a mask makes possible on top of that

A stencil allows exactly this layering: a sprayed insignia can be partly covered with further paint, sanded, weathered or left showing through a deposit of exhaust soot. With a decal such a procedure is fragile, because the film abrades unevenly under sanding. The set contains masking of the canopy from the outside and the inside plus three insignia masks.

Practical notes

• Plan the layering in advance; the overpainting is sprayed only once the insignia has dried.
• For a soft transition hold the nozzle further from the surface and lower the pressure.
• Lay the film onto dry, degreased paint; grease from your fingers will lift it.
• Touch up the sharp corners of the bars with a brush, as they are the most prone to bleeding.

The contents are masking material only, not a model or paints.