1:48 F-106B Delta Dart canopy mask Trumpeter

The lengthened glazing of the two-seat Dart

Painting stencils for the clear parts of the F-106B version, which has longer and more broken-up glazing than the single-seat machine. Which kit it is intended for follows from the name of the item.

Two seats, full combat value

The two-seat version did not come about as a mere trainer. The instructor and the student sat one behind the other under a lengthened canopy and the aircraft kept its radar, its fire-control system and its armament in the fuselage bay, so it could go on alert if needed just like the single-seat machine. A substantially smaller series was built and partly for that reason it is a less usual subject among modelers. One example later served research, among other things in the study of lightning strikes.

What complicates masking

• Longer glazing means more frames and more places where the spraying can escape.
• A transverse frame runs between the two cockpits and has to be accurate horizontally.
• The curve of the canopy is smooth and straight tape cannot be laid on it without folds.
• The rear part of the glazing converges toward the fuselage and the shape changes quickly there.

Who the set suits most

Modelers who have chosen the less common two-seat variant and do not want to spoil it with smudged frames. Precisely cut shapes hold the line even where the glazing bulges. It will also be appreciated by anyone building a pair of the single-seat and the two-seat machine side by side who needs comparable spraying quality between them. It speeds the work up as well, because trying out how far a strip of tape reaches falls away.