1:48 CW-22B Canopy (outside, inside) & Wheels Paint Mask for Dora Wings kits

Masking set 1:48 Curtiss-Wright CW-22B

It is not a kit but an accessory to building a model in 1:48 scale. The shapes of the set copy the division of the glazing and the outline of the wheels, so the cockpit frames and the hubs come about by spraying paint rather than with a decal. The name states that the set allows for the outer as well as the inner side of the cockpit. The rest of the work stays with you: clean the surface, seat the shapes and apply the paint.

A word about the real subject

The Curtiss-Wright CW-22B was a two-seat training and observation machine with a radial engine and strikingly long glazing over both seats. The version with the letter B was aimed at export and machines of this type appeared in Southeast Asia; in American naval service a related machine carried the designation SNC-1 Falcon. It is exactly the dense division of the cockpit that makes masking the most lengthy part of the build.

How to work with the set

Degrease the glazing before you start and let it dry thoroughly. Seat the individual shapes step by step so that they sit exactly on the edge of the frame, and first seal the transition with a thin coat of the interior shade. Then apply the covering color in several light coats; a heavy layer is drawn under the edge and leaves a step after removal. Leave the wheels for last, once the tire shade has dried. As soon as the coat has set, take the masks off with tweezers at a slight angle, not straight up.

Who the set is for

• modelers who want sharp frames without lengthy cutting of tape
• builders of interwar and early war machines in 1:48 scale
• anyone for whom masking a cockpit takes most of the joy out of a build
• collectors of American training and observation types of the late 1930s