1:48 A-6A/E Intruder Canopy Mask (Hobby Boss)

From the A-6A to the A-6E in one set of stencils

Masks for the outer cockpit frames of the A-6 Intruder attack aircraft in 1:48 scale. The shape follows the canopy of the Hobby Boss kit, which the name gives.

Two faces of one airframe

The original A-6A carried a complex valve-based navigation and attack system. For its day it could work wonders, but it was so unreliable that maintenance spent more hours on it than on the rest of the aircraft. The A-6E version exchanged it for solid-state equipment with a single multi-purpose radar and reliability rose so far that the machine managed accurate releases even in complete darkness. The airframe stayed practically unchanged. The recognition mark of later examples is mainly the sensor turret under the nose and revised nozzles.

Before you reach for the airbrush

First glue the glazing in with a product that does not fog. Super glue can cloud a clear part irreversibly and there is no saving it. Lay the stencils on only once the joint is perfectly dry. Leave filling around the frame until later; it is far easier to work on a covered surface than on bare glass. Sand the seam from the glazing toward the fuselage, so that the grit does not reach the edge of the frame. And if you do manage to fog the glass, try polishing it with a paste before you carry on; sometimes that brings the transparency back, and at other times it is quicker to reach for a replacement part.

Who the set is for

• for builders of both main sub-versions of the Intruder
• for builds with the cockpit closed
• where there is filling and sanding around the glazing
• for a quick preparation before the camouflage spraying