1:48 B-26F Marauder TFace canopy frame paint mask (inside & outside)

Masking the B-26F glazing from both sides

The Martin B-26 Marauder earned a reputation as a machine that forgives little. High wing loading made it a fast medium bomber, but landing demanded a precise hand and the crews rechristened it among themselves with unflattering nicknames. The B-26F version answered that complaint with a rebuilt wing: the incidence angle grew by three and a half degrees, the nose came up earlier during the takeoff run and the touchdown speed dropped. It was paid for with several kilometers per hour off the maximum, which the command considered a trade worth making.

The glazing of this aircraft gives you a hard time during the build. The bombardier's glazed nose, the long canopy over the pilot's compartment and the side windows all have a dense network of frames and each one has to be separated sharply from the surface of the glass. In the package there are pieces cut from kabuki paper which match the framing in shape and hold even on a slightly convex surface. The letter T in the set's designation refers to the masks being enclosed for both sides of the glazing, so that the inside of the cabin can get the interior shade and the outside the airframe color.

The procedure is simple, it just calls for calm. A piece is lifted off the sheet with tweezers, laid on the glass and the edges are pressed down with a wooden stick. The paint is applied in thin coats so that it does not creep under the edge, and the paper is lifted off while the lacquer has not yet fully cured. The result is a frame with a sharp transition that does not have to be evened out with a brush.

It pays to save the remaining margins of the sheet. Narrow strips of the same paper serve when dividing two camouflage shades or when taping over finished areas that are not to receive any further spraying. They last several months in an envelope without losing their tack.