1:48 Fw 190A-8

A sliding canopy and an armored front

The cockpit of the Focke-Wulf is among the best-resolved glazing of its day. The canopy slid to the rear along rails, the front pane was armored and the pilot sat high with a good view over a short nose. On the A-8 version additional armor also went under the headrest, so the rear section of the glazing gained a different outline from the older forms. It is precisely in this area that a model gives itself away most easily if the frames are skimped.

Box contents

Inside lie a pair of films for the clear glazing, one for its outer face and the other for the face turned into the cockpit, and with them a pair of masks for the markings. On a sliding canopy the inner face pays off above all when the cockpit is built open. The section slid back is then visible from below and from above and an untreated inner face of the frames gives the shortcut away at once.

When to lift the film

Timing decides whether the edge stays crisp. Taking the mask off right after spraying is tempting, but paint that has not dried follows the film and the edge goes wavy. Leaving it on the model for days and weeks is the worse mistake: a cured finish forms a firm bridge around the edge and the mask, as it comes away, tears off a thread of paint along with a piece of the surface. The best window is on the order of a few hours, when the surface is dry to the touch but not yet fully cured. The film is taken off slowly and back over itself, not straight upwards. When the edge is thick, run the tip of a scalpel along it before lifting, so that the bridge is broken before the pull takes hold of it.