1:48 F-89D/J Scorpion canopy frame paint mask Revell

Cockpit frames of the Northrop F-89 Scorpion in 1:48

A set for spraying the structure of the long two-seat glazing of the first American all-weather jet interceptor. The stencils are cut for the Revell kit, which the designation of the item also gives; a sister set for the same aircraft is aimed at a kit of different origin, so that detail is decisive for the choice.

A fighter that carried rockets instead of guns

The Scorpion was created shortly after the Second World War as a heavy interceptor with the pilot and the radar operator sitting one behind the other. The D version had no gun armament at all: instead it carried large pods at the wing tips holding dozens of unguided rockets along with fuel. The J version came about as a conversion and was adapted to carry an exceptionally powerful unguided missile hung under the wing. The silhouette with its low-set straight wing and tall tail is unmistakable.

A long cockpit with many bars

The glazing of the Scorpion is elongated, divided into two hinged sections and broken up by transverse bars, between which narrow side panes are left. Trimming tape by hand here takes longer than many a whole subassembly and the result tends to be irregular. Stencils hold the dimension and cut the work to a fraction.

Who it saves the most work for

• Builders of American postwar jets
• Those who work with long subdivided glazing
• Modelers building a Cold War machine in 1:48
• Those after an even width of all the bars