1:32 TBD-1 Devastator double-sided express fit mask for Trumpeter

Double-sided painting mask for the TBD-1 Devastator in 1:32 scale

The mask is self-adhesive and cut to shape in advance and is applied straight onto the clear part. The designation double-sided means that masking both the outer and the inner face of the glazing is provided for. On the Devastator that makes exceptional sense: the cockpit is long, divided into several sections and during a build it is often left slid open, so it can be seen into. A masked interior makes it possible to spray the frames in the interior shade from inside and in camouflage from outside, so that they look right from both points of view. The cut is designed for the Trumpeter kit.

The real subject

The Douglas TBD-1 Devastator was an American carrier torpedo aircraft introduced in the second half of the 1930s. It was an all-metal cantilever low-wing machine, progressive for its day, with an enclosed cockpit and folding wings for parking in the hangar of an aircraft carrier. The crew of three sat under long glazing. At the start of the war the type was already obsolete in performance and, after the heavy losses of the torpedo squadrons in 1942, it was withdrawn from combat units.

The painting procedure

First wash the clear part in lukewarm water with detergent and let it dry. Apply the inner masks, spray the frames from inside in the interior shade, and only then mask from outside and spray the primer and the camouflage coat. Lay the paint on in several thin coats; a heavy coat is forced under the edge of the mask. Lift the mask off while the varnish is freshly dry, not after several days, when the bond tends to be hard.

Who the mask is for

• For modelers building the TBD-1 Devastator in 1:32 scale
• For builders who leave the cockpit open or slid back
• For those who want the frames clean when seen from inside too
• For collectors of American carrier aircraft