1:48 F-4E AUP Phantom II Hellenic Air Force Camouflage Paint Masks Set

A veteran whose life the Greeks extended

The Hellenic Air Force received its Phantoms back in the 1970s and, instead of retiring them, sent them through an extensive upgrade. The machines designated by the abbreviation AUP received a new radar, a modern cockpit and the ability to carry guided weapons, and they served in the front line long after the same type had finished its career elsewhere. It is precisely this combination of an old airframe and new avionics that makes the version a popular subject.

A wavy line nobody wants to cut twice

The camouflage of this machine has a softly wavy boundary that runs along the whole length of the fuselage and passes onto the wings and the stabilizers. Anyone making it themselves first has to trace the curve from a drawing, transfer it onto masking tape and cut it in a single stroke, because every place where the knife rejoins shows up as a tooth after spraying. On the two-seat cockpit the boundary also continues across the glazing and has to agree even when the canopy is closed. Ready-made stencils eliminate this most unpleasant part of the build and only the spraying itself is left.

What to watch out for

Lay the film on from the rear forward and in places of double curvature warm it with hot air, so that it gives in to the shape. Apply the paint perpendicular to the edge, not along it, otherwise the stream of air will lift the edge. Once finished, let the model rest at least a day and only then varnish it.

• The wavy boundary solved in advance
• The boundary follows on across the cockpit glazing
• One continuous cut instead of joined-up sections