1:72 RF-101A/C Voodoo Canopy Mask (Valom)

The glazing of the reconnaissance Voodoo in 1:72 scale

The set deals with the most sensitive place in building a jet fighter with a long canopy: the clean division between the clear area and the framing. The shape is based on the RF-101A and RF-101C reconnaissance versions, which differed from the fighter form mainly in the nose with camera windows.

What the McDonnell RF-101 was

The Voodoo came about in the middle of the 1950s as a heavy escort fighter for the strategic air force, but it enjoyed its greatest fame in photographic reconnaissance. A pair of J57 engines made it the first supersonic photographic machine in the American inventory. It flew over Cuba during the missile crisis of 1962 and later over Southeast Asia, where it relied on passing through the target area before the air defenses could get their bearings.

A procedure that has proved itself

First degrease the clear parts and let them dry out properly. Spray the frames in the interior shade first and only then in the top color of the fuselage, so that the cockpit looks convincing seen from inside as well. A light veil of clear coat along the edges limits pigment running under an edge. Photo-reconnaissance machines tended to have a polished metal surface, on which every inaccuracy is visible from a distance.

Who the set is useful for

• builders of American reconnaissance jet aircraft
• those interested in Cold War equipment in a small scale
• everyone who wants sharp frames without outlining with a brush
• collectors of accessories for aircraft in seventy-second scale

The set is supplied on its own; neither the plastic kit nor paints are part of the package.