1:48 B5N1/2 Kate

Dead Design masks for the Nakajima B5N1/2 Kate in 1:48 scale

A set of precisely cut self-adhesive masks from the Slovak manufacturer Dead Design, intended for masking the glazed areas of a model of the Japanese carrier-borne aircraft Nakajima B5N (Allied designation Kate) in 1:48 scale. It is not an airplane model but a masking accessory that markedly speeds up and sharpens the painting of the cabin canopy.

The real subject

The Nakajima B5N was the standard carrier-borne torpedo and level bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy at the beginning of the Second World War. The three-seat machine with its long glazed cabin operated from aircraft carriers and took part in all the key operations in the Pacific. Its long, many-piece cabin canopy with dozens of frames is one of the most laborious areas when building a model, and that is exactly where the masks save hours of work compared with going round the frames by hand with a brush.

How to work with the masks

You lift the individual masks off the backing sheet with tweezers, lay them on the matching pane of the canopy and press the edges lightly down. Once the frame color has been sprayed (usually the interior color first, then the external camouflage), you carefully take the masks off; beneath them a clean, sharply bounded area of glass remains. The thin lines of the frames then come out straight and with no creep.

Who the set is for

• Modelers building the Nakajima B5N in 1:48 scale
• Everyone who wants clean canopy frames without going round them by hand
• Users of an airbrush and of a brush alike
• Builders of Japanese carrier aviation of the Second World War

This is a masking accessory: the airplane kit itself, paints and glue are not included in the package.