1:48 Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon Camouflage Paint Masks set

A Chinese dragon of the fifth generation

The Chengdu J-20 is the first combat aircraft with reduced observability to have been created outside the United States and Russia. It first flew in January 2011, entered service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force in 2017 and since then the numbers built have been rising quickly. The combination of canard surfaces at the front and a large delta wing at the rear is unique among machines of this class and makes the silhouette instantly recognizable. It carries its weapons in internal bays, so that the surface stays smooth.

Box contents

The package consists of pieces of self-adhesive film corresponding to the fields of the camouflage finish in 1:48 scale. The modeler lays a piece onto a dried base coat, presses the edges down and oversprays the rest of the area with the second shade. The pattern thus comes out the same on both halves of the machine, which freehand is almost unattainable.

The surface has to be prepared

Anyone using photo-etched accessories on the same model should think about what surrounds them. A photo-etched plate stuck on from the outside forms a step a few hundredths of a millimeter high and film cannot be pressed down over such a step. A narrow strip then appears under the edge through which the paint bleeds. The solution is to seat the photo-etched parts earlier, fill the seam and sand the area down, and only then reach for the film. The order is therefore unambiguous: metal first, then gluing, sanding and masking at the very end.

Who it will serve

The set saves time for anyone who wants both sides of the aircraft symmetrical and the edges of the fields clean. It is useful even when the builder decides to modify the pattern slightly and does not use some of the pieces.