1:48 Shenyang J-5 - BASIC Kabuki Masks (for Kinetic Kits)

The Chinese road to a jet fighter of their own

The Shenyang J-5 was the first jet combat aircraft built in China. It came about under license from the Soviet MiG-17F, the version with an afterburner, and the assembly line at Shenyang started up in the mid-1950s. Until then the People's Liberation Army Air Force had flown imported equipment exclusively, so this was a decisive step in building a home aviation industry. The machine had a swept wing, three guns in the nose and a reputation as an exceptionally agile opponent in close combat. It was exported further under a different designation and stayed in service in the colors of a number of states for decades, with some users until the close of the twentieth century.

Paper that bends exactly where it should

The masks are machine-cut from thin Japanese paper. It follows the curve of the canopy and the small radii of the frames without creasing, and it does not lift the finish when it comes off. On a cockpit sitting high above the fuselage spine that matters more than it seems.

Range and use

The form marked as basic concentrates on the glazing, that is, on what holds a build up most. The extended variant from the same range goes into greater detail. The outlines match the particular kit in 1:48 scale by Kinetic.

A finish that suits it

Most machines of this type flew in bare metal with panels in slightly different shades, which for a modeler is at once the handsomest and the most demanding option. A polished metal look calls for a perfectly smooth surface, so sanding and polishing take more time than the spraying itself. Masked glazing helps twice over here: it protects the clear parts from metallic pigment, which otherwise lodges in every scratch and can no longer be polished out.