1:48 Polikarpov I-16 Type 10

Peewit 1:48 Polikarpov I-16 Type 10, masking set

A masking set from the brand Peewit for a model of the Soviet Polikarpov I-16 fighter in the Type 10 version in 1:48 scale. It is not a kit and it holds no parts of a model either: the masks are used while painting, so that the spray stops exactly on the boundary the modeler sets. The name of the set gives only the type and version of the subject, which is how this brand usually writes it; the exact scope of the package is listed on the box.

The real subject

The Polikarpov I-16 was the first production fighter monoplane in the world to combine a cantilever wing with retractable landing gear. Its stubby fuselage with a radial engine in the nose earned it the nicknames Rata and Ishak, depending on who flew against it or in it. The machine made its name in the Spanish Civil War, fought over Khalkhin Gol and in the first months of the German attack on the Soviet Union. The Type 10 version had an open cockpit instead of the earlier sliding canopy and four ShKAS machine guns, two of them in the wing.

How to use the masks

• Degrease the surface of the model and let it dry out completely.
• Lay the masks down with tweezers and press the edges home with a blunt tool.
• On a smaller fighter, mask the small pieces one at a time so that the edges do not overlap.
• Lay the paint on in thin coats so that it does not run under the edge.
• Take the masks off shortly after spraying, not once the paint has hardened.

Who the set is for

It suits modelers who build interwar and early-war Soviet fighters and want crisp transitions without cutting tape by hand. On the I-16 accurate masking pays off twice over, because the model is small and every inaccuracy stands out on it.