1:48 A5M2b Claude

The Dead Design 1:48 A5M2b Claude mask set

An accessory to building a model, not a kit. The masks are machine die-cut in self-adhesive film exactly to the shape of the parts in 1:48 scale. They are stuck onto the glazing, sprayed over with paint and removed once dry. The result is straight, sharply bounded frames of a kind that cannot be achieved with a hand-held brush.

The real subject

The Mitsubishi A5M2b was one of the production versions of the carrier fighter monoplane that the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service introduced in the second half of the 1930s. Characteristic are the fixed landing gear with teardrop wheel covers, the elliptical wing and the radial engine. Part of the A5M2b production received a closed cockpit canopy, which did not prove itself in service and was dropped on the later machines. That is precisely why the extent of the glazing differs on models of this version, and precisely die-cut masks make the work markedly simpler.

Use step by step

• Clear the glazed part of grease and fingerprints, or the film will not adhere.
• Take the mask off the backing with tweezers or the point of a knife and settle it dry, without stretching.
• Run over the edges with a soft tool, so that they bed down everywhere.
• Apply the paint with an airbrush in thin coats; a heavy coat will peel off along with the edge when the mask is removed.
• The recommended procedure is the interior paint, then the base and finally the exterior shade.
• Take the mask off while the paint has only just dried.

Who the set is for

• builders of Japanese prewar and wartime aircraft in 1:48 scale
• modelers who are bothered by uneven cockpit frames
• those who want to save time cutting tape
• competition builds with the emphasis on the cleanness of detail

In the package there are only the masks. The kit, paints and glue are not included in it.