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

An agile veteran of the 1950s

The type the set belongs to was one of the most widespread jet machines of its day. A swept wing and a light airframe gave it the reputation of an aircraft that can deal even with markedly newer opponents in a turning fight, as long as the pilot keeps the fight at close range. The armament in the nose was gun armament and pointed below the nose, so it worked just as well against ground targets as against aircraft. Chinese production gave the machine a second life: the line ran long after the original Soviet pattern had left the front line, and export examples reached Asia and Africa. Many of them flew more hours than the original Soviet batches.

What the wider scope brings

Compared with the basic version this set covers more surfaces where working with tape would be laborious. It keeps the usual step the brand holds between the two levels across its whole range.

Recommended procedure

Mask the glazing only after the transparent parts have been polished and, if need be, dipped in gloss varnish; otherwise small scratches will be fixed under the mask. Press the paper down with a flat tool and run over the edge once more, so that thinned paint cannot get under it. Apply the paint from above and in thin layers. When the work is done, peel the mask off at a sharp angle while the paint has only flashed off.

The small things that decide

On a fighter with a short fuselage every inaccuracy around the cabin is conspicuous, because the viewer's eye goes exactly there. It therefore pays to check before painting whether the canopy seats without a gap, and to fill any gap before the mask goes on. Filler that has dried cannot be put right under the paper, and the paint will not flow in evenly there anyway.