1:72 F-104 Starfighter undercarriage wheel bay paint mask Hasegawa

The real subject

The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a fighter that looks like a rocket with a cockpit. It has a long and slender fuselage, while the wing is unusually short, thin and with a leading edge so sharp that it was covered with protective strips on the ground. The elevator sits at the top of the fin. The machine served in many countries and in many versions, from the fighter to the fighter-bomber.

What the set offers

The masks cover the openings of the landing gear bays so that no paint drift gets into them while the outer surfaces are sprayed. The inside of a bay thus stays in the shade you gave it and the edge of an opening stays sharp. The cut matches the shapes of the bays on the Starfighter kits from Hasegawa in 1:72 scale.

• Landing gear bay masks for the F-104 Starfighter
• 1:72 scale, a cut for the Hasegawa kits
• They protect the inside of the bays from paint drift
• They replace stuffing the bays with paper or modeling putty
• Applied before the outer surfaces are sprayed and taken off once it is sprayed

How to work with the masks

Spray the inside of the bays first and let it dry properly. Then degrease the surface around an opening, seat the mask and press the edges down with a blunt toothpick, so that paint does not run under them. Spray the outer surfaces thinly and in several passes. Take the mask off shortly after spraying, while the finish has not hardened completely, pulling it back over itself at a sharp angle. The Starfighter came out in many versions and there is a whole range of kits, so lay the mask on dry before applying it and check that the shape fits.

Who it is for

For modelers who build jet aircraft in 1:72 scale and want the landing gear bays clean with no lengthy masking with tape. The kit, paints and glue are not part of the package, unless stated otherwise.