1:35 Paint Masks For Mil Mi-8/Mi-17 Hip Helicopter - Canopy And Wheels (trumpeter)

The real subject

The Mi-8 belongs among the most widespread helicopters in the world. It carries cargo and people, flies in military as well as civilian colors and still serves in many countries today. The designation Mi-17 is carried by a later development version of the same machine. The cabin is richly glazed; besides the front panels it has side windows and vision panels in the doors, so masking takes a lot of time before painting.

What the set contains

The package holds cut masks for the cabin glazing and for the landing gear wheels in 1:35 scale. The shapes follow the Trumpeter kit, so the frames fit its transparent parts without trimming. The wheel mask separates the rim from the tire, so you spray both one after the other and do not have to go over the boundary with a brush.

Building and painting tips

First wash the transparent parts with lukewarm water and let them dry. Lay the mask on, line it up with the frame and run a toothpick along the edge so that it does not stand off anywhere. Spray the frames first in the interior shade and, once that has dried, in the exterior finish. Take the mask off as soon as the layer is dry to the touch; the edge then stays sharp and the paint does not come away with it. On the door vision panels check that the mask does not overhang the frame into the area of the glass; rather shorten any excess with a sharp blade than bend it.

Who it is for

The set suits anyone who is building a large helicopter and does not want to spend the evening cutting tape for every window separately. The contents are the masks only; the model, the paints and the glue are not part of them, unless stated otherwise.