1:32 Westland Wessex HC.2

The real subject

The Westland Wessex is a British helicopter derived from the American Sikorsky S-58 type, in which turboshaft power replaced the original piston engine. Its marks are the high nose with the engine section above it and the crew cabin seated up over the cargo compartment. The HC.2 form served with the Royal Air Force as a transport machine. The glazing of the cabin and the windows in the sides of the fuselage are large in 1:32 scale and every uneven edge of a frame shows on them.

What the set contains

Pre-cut masking templates for a model of the Wessex HC.2 in 1:32 scale. The material is kabuki type paper tape: it adheres only mildly, bears shaping over a curve and leaves no adhesive on the paint once lifted off. The cutting of tape with a knife along the individual frames thus falls away, which shows at once on a helicopter with such a number of windows. What exactly the set covers is stated in the maker's instructions.

How to work with the masks

• Try the fit of a template dry before you start spraying.
• Stick them onto perfectly dry paint and always before spraying, not after it.
• Lay large templates from the center toward the edges so that no wave forms under them.
• Spray perpendicular to the surface and in several thin coats; a heavy application runs under the edge.
• Lift the masks off shortly after the paint has flashed off and pull them at an angle across the edge.

Who it is for

For modelers who build helicopters in a large scale and want the window frames straight along their whole length. The kit itself, the paints and glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.