1:48 F-105 Thunderchief undercarriage wheel bay paint mask

The real subject

The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an American single-seat fighter-bomber of the 1950s best remembered for its service over Vietnam. For its day it was an unusually large and heavy combat aircraft with a bomb bay in the fuselage, and that showed on the landing gear as well: sturdy legs, large wheels and deep bays into which you can see well on a model.

What the masks are for

The inside of the landing gear bays and the gear legs usually have a different shade from the surrounding surfaces, and the boundary between them should be crisp. Building such a shape out of tape means cutting tiny segments and hoping that paint does not creep under. The masks have the shape cut out in advance for the particular place, so they hold the edge where it belongs and shorten the work to a few minutes. They do the same service in the opposite direction: they protect a finished coat inside the bay from overspray off the surrounding surface, which would be hard to remove from there.

How they are used

The masks are stuck down before spraying, never after. Clear the surface of dust and grease first, otherwise the mask will not hold and paint will get under it. Press the edges down firmly, best with a toothpick or a blunt wooden stick. Apply the paint in thin coats; a heavy coat builds a ridge on the edge that stays there once the mask is off. Remove the masks soon after the paint has dried, with tweezers and at an angle away from the edge, so that the coat does not tear.

Who it is for

For modelers who want the landing gear sprayed cleanly and do not want to spend more time on masking than on painting. The kit, paints and glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.