1:48 A6M2 Rufe

A seaplane that watched over anchorages

Converting a carrier fighter into a float machine was a stopgap solution and it lasted to the end of the war. The fuselage hardly changed, the armament stayed in the wing and above the engine; only the vertical tail surface had to grow in order to balance the side effect of the large float under the fuselage. Pilots valued the fact that the machine would take a wave and lift off the water even after a short run. They paid for that with roughly a fifth of the top speed against the land version, which put it at a disadvantage in a fight. It served with units scattered across the islands, where building a runway took weeks whereas water was at hand at once.

A cut figured for a different kit

Every masking film is made to a particular plastic model, and fitted to a box from another maker it shows at once: a piece either fails to reach the groove of the frame or overhangs it by a margin. Lay all the pieces on dry before painting, then, best on a part not yet glued in and held against the light. A deviation shows up as a pale strip along the frame.

Adjusting a mask that does not fit

An overhang is dealt with directly on the part. Press the film down and guide a new blade along the groove with minimal pressure, so that the edge stays in the channel and does not run into the clear area. A missing edge, on the other hand, is made up with a strip cut from the margin of the sheet; it is of the same material and holds just as well. Anyone unsure leaves the frame a hair narrower and evens it out with a fine brush once the film is lifted.

Composition of the set

The cockpit cover is masked from two faces, outside and inside, and two sets of masks for the national insignia are enclosed. This is an accessory to a kit in 1:48 scale; the model itself, paints and thinner are not in the box.