1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-I 'Low-Back version'

Kawasaki Ki-100-I low-back painting masks 1:72 (Peewit)

Pre-cut painting masks in 1:72 scale for a model of the Kawasaki Ki-100-I in the low-back form. Naming the version matters here, because the machine also existed with a high back and the shape of the glazing differs between the two forms. The set is neither a kit nor part of one. The exact extent of the set is stated on the box.

The real subject

The Ki-100 came about by reworking the airframe of a fighter with a liquid-cooled inverted V12 engine for radial power. The low-back form has a cut-down rear fuselage and a teardrop canopy, which gives the pilot a view to the rear. For a model that means a markedly different outline of the rear fuselage than the high-back form, and a different division of the canopy frames as well.

Use and tips

A teardrop canopy is demanding to mask because it is curved in two directions. The mask therefore has to lie on a smooth and completely dry surface, or it will lift on the dome. A matte, coarsely grained surface holds a mask worse than smooth paint, because the edge touches only the tops of the grains and a capillary path for paint is left between them. If you have sprayed a matte primer, polish the area gently with a very fine abrasive before masking and remove the dust. Lay the mask on with tweezers, press it down on the dome by stages from the center toward the edges and do not stretch it anywhere by force, so that it is not pulled out of shape. Spray the paint in thin coats. Take the mask off as soon as the paint is freshly dry and pull it back at an angle over itself.

Who the set is for

• Modelers building the low-back Ki-100-I in 1:72 scale
• Collectors of Japanese fighters
• Builders who need a clean teardrop canopy with crisp frames
• Modelers who cannot get the frames painted in by hand at a small scale

The package contains masks only. A kit, paints and glue are not included, unless stated otherwise.