1:72 L-159T mask

A two-seat version for training and for combat tasks

When it turned out that the armed forces would not use all the single-seat machines ordered, the idea arose of rebuilding some of the airframes back to a two-seat layout. That is how the variant with the letter T came about, in which a second space for an instructor returned behind the pilot's seat. The cabin grew longer, took on a tandem layout and with it a markedly different shape of canopy, one that runs across a large part of the spine of the fuselage.

The conversion gave the aircraft a second reason to exist. They serve to train pilots preparing for supersonic equipment, and at the same time they kept their ability to carry armament, so on exercises they also appear in a combat role. For a modeler it is an interesting subject, because the difference from its single-seat sibling is clear at first glance.

Masking a long canopy

It is exactly the extended glazing that causes the greatest trouble when painting. The frame has many bars and their width changes along its length, so lining by hand usually ends up uneven. Cut films do away with that part of the work.

First lay the cut-outs on the part dry and check that they agree with the shape of the molding. Only then stick them down, press them with a blunt point and spray at a right angle to the surface, not at an angle under the edge. Once they are off, all that is left is to check the corners of the bars, where paint sometimes clings to an edge. Because of its long glazing, a finished two-seat machine has quite a different silhouette from its single-seat sibling, and standing side by side that difference shows best, which is why collectors of Czech equipment buy the pair at once.