1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4/7 Mask

Masking set 1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 and E-7

Pre-cut masks for painting the glazing of a model of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter in the E-4 and E-7 versions in 1:72 scale. The package contains masking pieces, not a kit: the model, paints and glue are not part of it.

The real subject

The E version, known among modelers as the Emil, has an angular canopy with pronounced framing and a fixed windscreen. The E-7 standard differs from the E-4 above all in the preparation of the fuselage for carrying a drop tank or another store. It is precisely the dense framing of the canopy that is a puzzle in 1:72 scale: once scaled down, the individual sections are only tenths of a millimeter wide and a cut by hand can hardly be repeated twice the same.

Spraying tips

• Wash and degrease the glazing before masking and wipe the dust off with a damp cloth.
• Move the pieces on the tip of a scalpel; with fingers they stretch easily.
• Spray the frames first with the cockpit shade, then with the outer camouflage.
• Lay the paint on in thin coats: in the small scale every coat shows twice as much.
• Take the masks off as soon as the paint is dry to the touch and has gone matte.
• Fix any run-in with a toothpick whose tip is sanded down and moistened with thinner.

Who the set is for

• Modelers who build Second World War fighters in 1:72 scale.
• Those who want even framing of the kind a cut by hand cannot give in this scale.
• Builders with an airbrush who want to save time on the most laborious part of a model.

This is an accessory for painting, not a model. The kit, paints and glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.