1:48 F-4EJ Kai J.A.S.D.F. 3WG 50th Anniversary Paint Mask Set

Half a century of the Third Wing of the Japanese Self-Defense Force

Japan took delivery of Phantoms in the 1960s and built part of them under license at home. The upgrade to the Kai standard brought a new radar, reworked avionics and the ability to carry antiship missiles, so the type stayed in service substantially longer than with most other users. Unit anniversaries are traditionally celebrated in Japan with a striking finish on one chosen airframe, and it is exactly such a ceremonial coat that this set transfers onto a model.

What the set solves

Anniversary schemes tend to be made up of large areas, wedges and bands, which are hard to transfer across the rounded spine of the Phantom with a decal. Cut film gets around that problem, because the pattern is sprayed directly into the paint and no translucent film is left anywhere.

Step by step

• The base coat has to be smooth, otherwise paint gets under the edge of the mask.
• Lay the pattern down from the largest parts to the small ones; it is easier to keep both halves symmetrical.
• Apply the more saturated tones lightly in several passes, as thick coats form a ridge at the edge.
• Protect the exposed parts with paper, so that the atomized mist does not reach them.

Japanese ceremonial finishes have the reputation of being the boldest in the world and collectors reach for them for exactly that reason. Building an aircraft like that is above all an exercise in patience while layering the colors, because assembling the airframe tends to be the easier part of the work. The reward is a machine that in a display case immediately draws the eye even of a visitor who otherwise takes no interest in aviation.

The package consists only of masking film; do not look for plastic parts or paint shades in it.