1:48 P-47D-20

Eduard 1:48 P-47D-20 masking set

This is a modeling accessory, not a kit. The package contains a sheet of self-adhesive masks that are machine-cut to their final shape: just lift them off the backing with tweezers and stick them on. Eduard makes its aircraft masks from Japanese-made yellow kabuki tape. It has low tack, holds even on a smooth clear surface, paint does not creep under it, and after spraying it can be removed with no risk of pulling off the dried coat or of leaving adhesive behind.

Use

• The shapes of the masks follow the framing of the canopy, so the border between the sprayed frame and the clear area comes out crisp, with no tracing and cutting of tape directly on the part.
• It removes the riskiest step in painting glazing: every hesitation with a knife on a clear part leaves a scratch that can no longer be put right.
• Press the lifted mask into the corners of the frames with a toothpick, then spray the interior color of the frames first and only after that the upper camouflage.
• Take the mask off only once the paint has dried: lift a corner with the tip of a scalpel or with tweezers and pull it away at an angle, not straight up.
• Kabuki tape can be shaped gently along its whole length, so it sits even on slightly curved glazing.

The real subject

The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was an American heavy fighter with a radial engine, which its crews called Jug for its bulky fuselage. It stood out for its toughness, its heavy machine gun armament and its high-altitude performance; toward the end of the war it also did a great deal of work attacking ground targets. The D-20 version still belongs among the razorbacks, the machines with a raised fuselage spine behind the cockpit, that is before the bubble canopy was introduced. That matters for masks: a cut for the razorback does not fit the version with the bubble canopy, and the other way round.

Who it is for

For the modeler who is building the P-47D-20 in 1:48 scale and wants the glazing to come out right the first time the masks are removed. Because the masks are tied to the shape of a specific clear part, check which kit this set is intended for: Eduard issues P-47D-20 masks in versions for different kit manufacturers.

It is not a model. The kit, paints and glue are not included in the package.