1:48 Paint mask F-4J/S Phantom II (ZOUK.)

The Phantom II in the naval J and S versions

The F-4J represented the second generation of the carrier-based Phantom. It received the AWG-10 radar, able to pick up a target below the horizon, more powerful J79-GE-10 engines, strengthened landing gear for catapult launches and an enlarged tail surface area. It began reaching the squadrons of the US Navy and the US Marine Corps in 1966 and carried a large part of the combat load over Southeast Asia.

The letter S was carried by the same airframes after a deep rebuild in the 1970s. Combat flaps were added on the wing leading edge, which markedly improved the aircraft's agility in a turn, along with a strengthened structure and modernized electronics. With the Marine Corps these Phantoms stayed in service until 1992, a full twenty-six years from the first deliveries.

What the masks are for

The cut pieces match the shape of the dividing frames of the front and rear canopy sections and of the other glazed areas on the kit from the Japanese brand Zoukei-Mura in 1:48 scale. They replace the tedious tracing with adhesive tape, where the width of the frame easily wanders and the result then looks lopsided. It shows most on the long two-seat cockpit, where the eye compares any discrepancy at once.

Working with them is quick. A piece is transferred to the glass with tweezers, smoothed from the center out to the edges, and the area around it is covered with paper or crepe tape. Once the paint has dried the masks are removed and the framing is left with a sharp transition. This variant assumes spraying from the outside only. Paints and plastic parts are not included.