1:48 Kawanishi N1K1-j Shiden undercarriage bay paint masks

The real subject

The Kawanishi N1K1-J Shiden was a land-based fighter of the Imperial Japanese Navy created by converting the Kyofu floatplane. The wing stayed in the middle of the fuselage, so it had to be given an unusually long main landing gear that shortened as it retracted. The Allies knew the aircraft under the code name George.

What the set contains

Masks for the landing gear bay spaces in 1:48 scale. They cover the openings of the bays while the surrounding surfaces are sprayed, so that no overspray gets into them and the edge between the paint of the bay and the surface finish stays crisp. Compare the shapes with the model you are building.

Building and painting tips

• Paint the bays first and let them dry, and only then fit the masks.
• Press the edges down with a toothpick all the way around, so that the paint cannot creep inside the bay.
• Spray in thin coats; the transition at the edge then stays thin and clean.
• Lift the mask off with tweezers at a shallow angle shortly after the last coat has set.
• The same masks also come in useful for the final varnishing, when the bay is not to go matte.

Who it is for

The set suits the modeler who does not want to cover the bays with hand-cut tape and who wants a clean color transition on the complicated shape of the Shiden landing gear spaces. It is a stand-alone masking set; the model, the paints and the glue are not supplied with it, unless stated otherwise.