1:48 McDonnell Douglas A-12 Avenger - BASIC Kabuki Masks (for Modelcollect and Rocket Models Kits)

The triangle that never flew

The A-12 Avenger II attack machine was to replace the Intruder with the US Navy and to become the first carrier aircraft with a reduced radar signature. Its shape came out utterly untypical: an isosceles triangle with no tail surfaces, with the crew seated side by side and the weapons hidden inside the fuselage. It earned its nickname from the shape of a corn chip. The program, however, drowned in an overrun budget, in delays and in disputes about weight, so it was canceled in January 1991 before the first prototype got into the air. What was left were mock-ups, pieces of structure and a long legal aftermath. That is exactly why a model of this machine is one of the most interesting subjects a modeler can pick.

Masking a tailless shape

The cabin sits on a large triangular surface and the frame of the canopy runs an unusual course. The pre-cut masks of Japanese washi paper follow the outlines faithfully, hold on the curves and leave neither glue nor a pressure mark when they come off.

The scope and what it fits

The basic version takes care of the glazing. The line also offers a more detailed variant and above it a camouflage set for spraying the pattern. The outlines match the kits of two related manufacturers who have covered this subject in the given scale.

How to build the machine convincingly

Because no production example ever existed, the modeler has no photographs of the real aircraft and his artistic sense decides. It works well to keep to the logic of other low-observable machines: a uniform darker gray coat, a fine differentiation of the panels, a minimum of colored markings and a matte surface without sharp highlights. The sharp edges of the airframe will take being brought out with a thin line a shade lighter, which gives the shape legibility even in a photograph of the finished model.