1:48 F-16C Fighting Falcon wheels and canopy paint mask outside only (for Tamiya 61101 kit)

The single-seat C version and its production blocks

The letter C in the designation belongs to single-seat machines of the newer production generation, which began to be delivered in the middle of the 1980s. The individual batches differ substantially: some blocks carry an engine from General Electric, others from Pratt and Whitney, further ones brought night navigation and targeting pods, and the last large group specialized in the suppression of ground air defenses.

Outwardly these differences show in small details, such as the shape of the rear fuselage, a dorsal fairing or the presence of a pair of angular sensors on the sides of the front section. For a modeler that means the color schemes and the equipment can be combined into great variety, and that across Europe, Asia and America.

This set allows for the shape of the moldings from Tamiya, whose canopy has a thickness and a radius of curvature of its own. The mask therefore seats without stretching, which with film would end in rippling and in the end in paint running under it. Alongside the glazing there are also covers for the main and nose landing gear wheels on the sheet.

The procedure is simple: clean the clear part, offer the shape up, press it down with a soft tool and paint. Once dry, the masks are removed and under them stays a precise boundary of the kind that is hard to achieve with tape cut freehand.

Store the sheet on a flat surface and away from heat, because a rippled sheet separates from its backing with difficulty. Take the individual shapes out only at the moment you want to offer them up, so that dust from the work surface does not catch on the adhesive side. Leave the remaining pieces on the carrier film until the end of the work.