1:48 Henschel Hs 129 B - TFace Masks Set for Takom

Covering the glazing of an attack aircraft on both sides

The Henschel Hs 129 was a machine built for a single purpose: to attack ground targets and survive fire from below. The pilot sat in an armored tub and looked out through windows of thick glass, which were so small that the sight had to be moved outside onto the fuselage. It is exactly this unusual shape of the cabin that makes the aircraft a rewarding real subject and at the same time places it among the models where masking the glazing is the hardest step of the build.

The double-sided form means that the pieces are stuck on from the outside as well as from the inside. The inner side tends to be neglected during a build, although a viewer looks through the clear parts just as the pilot did: a frame oversprayed from the inside betrays haste at once. The material is a thin paper tape with a slightly rubbery adhesive, which follows a curve and leaves no trace once removed.

• Cut masks for the glazing of the aircraft in 1:48 scale
• They cover the outer as well as the inner side of the clear parts
• Made for a particular edition of the kit from Takom

Fitting them goes easily when you first wash and degrease the parts, because tape does not hold on a greasy surface. Press it into the corners with a toothpick, go over it with a thin layer of the interior color and only then paint the outside. Remove the mask while the paint has only just dried, not after several days, when the edge has already hardened. The remaining narrow strips of tape come in useful on the undercarriage covers and the exit openings, where masking is as difficult as on the cabin. The small window in the side of the armored tub deserves particular attention: it is deeply recessed and it is exactly there that the paint most often runs under, if the piece does not seat all the way around.