1:48 Tachikawa Ki-74-II KAI - EXPERT Kabuki Masks (for Modelcollect Kits)

A long-range reconnaissance aircraft with a pressurized cabin

The machine the set is intended for was one of the most ambitious Japanese projects of the close of the war. The designers were counting on long range, a high working altitude and a pressurized space for the crew, so that the aircraft would pass over its target out of reach of the defenses. The combination of supercharged engines and a very slender wing was unusual by Japanese standards and a number of solutions were still being tuned as the work went on. The reworked form with the Roman numeral II and the suffix KAI came about after the experience with the first prototypes. Series production got going only on a token scale.

The wider scope of masking

This version goes beyond the basic set: besides the glazing it also takes in the other surfaces that are normally covered during painting, and so it saves time on the details where tape is at its most awkward. It follows the step the brand keeps between the two levels across the whole line.

A procedure that has proved itself

First stick the mask onto a dry, degreased surface and press it down with a wooden toothpick, not with your fingernail. Spray the paint in thin layers; a heavy coat will run under the edge. As soon as the last layer has flashed off, carefully peel the mask away at a sharp angle toward yourself. If the paint dries completely, there is a danger that the edge of the coat will come away with the tape.

What to watch out for with large spans

A slender, long wing means a large unbroken area on the model, on which every unevenness and every uneven coat shows. It pays to spray from the root toward the wingtip in overlapping passes and to watch the distance of the nozzle, so that the shade does not gather darker at the edges. The masks meanwhile stay in place even after several layers.