1:48 MiG-29UB ADVANCED kabuki masks

New Ware 1:48 MiG-29UB, masking set at the ADVANCED level

A masking set from the brand New Ware for a model of the two-seat MiG-29UB in 1:48 scale. It serves for painting a finished model, not for building it, and the masks mark off the areas that are to stay unsprayed. The ADVANCED designation is the middle of the three levels by which the brand tells the extent of its sets apart, alongside BASIC and EXPERT. What exactly the package holds is stated by the manufacturer on the packaging.

The real subject

The MiG-29 is a twin-engine frontal fighter with markedly separated engine nacelles and with intakes that closed while taxiing against picking up foreign objects. The UB version is the two-seat training variant with two cockpits one behind the other under a lengthened canopy; unlike the combat machines it lacks the main airborne radar, so it serves for flying training and for converting onto the type. Machines of this variant flew with a number of air forces from Eastern Europe to Asia, and in many countries they stayed in service considerably longer than originally planned.

How to use the masks

• First get the dust and grease off the glazing and the surrounding surfaces.
• Move the masks with tweezers and press the edges home with a blunt tool.
• Mask the long canopy of the two-seat cockpit section by section.
• Lay the paint on in several light coats rather than one heavy one.
• After spraying, take the masks off before the coat has fully hardened.

Who the set is for

It will be appreciated by builders of modern fighters who want the lengthened glazing of the two-seat version handled accurately and without slow tape cutting. It also comes in handy when a modeler plans a bolder color scheme, where every inaccurate edge would show.