1:48 Mitsubishi F-4EJ & RF-4E Phantom II J.A.S.D.F. Sea Camouflage Paint Masks Set

Japanese Phantom camouflage over the sea

Mitsubishi built Phantoms for the Japanese Self-Defense Forces under license and some of them were completed in the reconnaissance form. Aircraft intended to watch the sea surface received a finish built on blue-gray tones, which is harder to spot over water than the usual green and brown blotches. The reconnaissance machines carried cameras in the forward fuselage and served unusually long, because for a long time no replacement could be found for them.

The scope of the set

The films capture the boundaries of the color fields of the naval scheme for both of the mentioned forms of the aircraft in 1:48 scale. Spraying through a mask has the advantage over a decal that the paint behaves the same way on the spine, on the wing and where the surface runs into the fin.

Building recommendation

• Lay down the lightest tone first, a darker one covers over it more easily than the other way round.
• Align the boundaries on the underside of the fuselage to the longitudinal axis, not to the panels.
• Do not stretch the film over the sharp bends at the air intakes, rather use shorter pieces.
• Have a blunt wooden stick ready before lifting the mask, metal tweezers scratch paint easily.

Reconnaissance Phantoms served in Japan until the end of the second decade of this century and their retirement closed one of the longest chapters of the whole type. A model in this finish therefore stands in the display case for the end of a long era. At the same time it is a scheme that differs from the commonly built American aircraft enough that it will not disappear among the other Phantoms in a collection.

The package contains cut masking films only; plastic parts and paints are not included.