1:48 Gloster Gladiator Mk I

The last biplane in front-line fighter service

The Gloster Gladiator joined the squadrons of the Royal Air Force in 1937 and was the last British biplane fighter to reach production service. It still flew through the first months of the war: over Norway, over the Greek mountains and over besieged Malta, where a handful of machines passed into legend. Against monoplanes it stood no chance, but as a transitional type between two eras it is a rewarding subject for the modeler.

1:48 is the band where an inner mask still makes sense

The package carries two canopy masks, one for the outer and one for the inner face of the glazing, and three national insignia masks with them. It is that second, inner mask that matters here. Even in this scale the clear part has a noticeable thickness and an unpainted frame shows through it when seen from outside. In larger scales that strip is impossible to miss, in smaller ones it disappears, and 1:48 lies exactly on the edge where the extra work is still repaid.

• Subject: a British biplane fighter of the second half of the 1930s
• Contents: two glazing masks and three national insignia masks
• The masks are cut to measure for a particular kit, not universal tape
• The insignia masks are sprayed in paint, so decal silvering is avoided
• Suited to the kit by Merit in the scale given

The self-adhesive film follows the shape of the frames and the boundaries of the insignia. Degrease the part before applying it and press the mask down around its perimeter so that paint does not run under the edge. Spray in thin coats and lift the film while the paint is fresh.