1:72 A-4B/P Skyhawk Canopy Mask (Airfix)

The Skyhawk A-4B/P in 1:72, masking the cockpit

Stencils for the glazing of the light Douglas Skyhawk carrier attack aircraft in the A-4B and A-4P versions. They cover the small sliding canopy and the windscreen, where the frames are the hardest to cut.

A small attack aircraft with a long career

The Skyhawk was designed by the team around Ed Heinemann as a deliberately simple and light machine that fits onto a ship's elevator without folding the wing. The A-4B version received improved navigation equipment and an in-flight refueling probe. The A-4P designation was carried by machines derived from this version, which the Argentine Air Force took over and operated for decades. The low weight made it possible to carry a considerable load of weapons even when taking off from the decks of smaller ships. The type became one of the longest deployed combat aircraft of the postwar era.

Masking a small canopy

• Carry small shapes on the point of a scalpel, not with your fingers.
• After applying, check against the light whether a gap is arising anywhere.
• Spray the frames in the cockpit color first, then in the outer shade.
• Warming with a hair dryer on a low setting speeds the removal up.
• Remove traces of the adhesive layer with a cloth and a little alcohol.

Suitable above all for

Ideal for modelers who build carrier aircraft and run into the limits of handwork in small scales. It is especially useful on machines with a glossy white underside, where every bit of paint running under tape draws attention at once.