1:48 Fairey Barracuda wheel bay plugs (for Trumpeter)

Omask 1:48 Fairey Barracuda - landing gear bay plugs (for the Trumpeter kit)

A set of flexible foam plugs for masking the landing gear bays while the model is being painted. This is not a kit and not a part of the aircraft: it is a modeling accessory that saves time and nerves. The landing gear bay is a deep, intricate cavity that the modeler paints and details first. Once the outside of the model is being sprayed, the bay has to be perfectly covered, otherwise the finished interior is ruined by overspray. Lining the cavity with tape and stuffing cotton into it is tedious and still does not seal properly.

The plug is simply inserted into the bay, the foam compresses and seals the edges by itself, so paint cannot creep underneath. It is not held by glue: once the paint has dried it is simply pulled out. Compared with hard 3D-printed covers, foam forgives small inaccuracies and does not have to fit to hundredths of a millimeter.

Use

• First paint and detail the landing gear bays and let them dry thoroughly.
• Press the plugs into the bays so that they line up with the outline of the opening.
• Spray the model: primer, camouflage and varnishes; the foam will prevent both overspray and paint creeping in.
• Once dry, take the plugs out carefully with tweezers. The bay stays clean and untouched.
• Intended exclusively for the Fairey Barracuda 1:48 kit by Trumpeter: the shape copies the bays of this particular kit and will not fit a model by another manufacturer.

Who it is for

For anyone building the Trumpeter Barracuda in 1:48 scale who does not want to spend an evening masking. The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo and dive bomber of the Fleet Air Arm, notorious for its unusual, angular appearance and its high-set tail surfaces. Among other things it became famous for the raid on the German battleship Tirpitz in 1944. The intricate landing gear bays are precisely the places where careful masking shows most on a finished model.

This is not a kit: the package contains no plastic parts of the model. The model itself, paints and glue are not included. Protect the foam from solvents and follow the usual rules when painting: ventilate and use respiratory protection.