Dead Design 1/48 A6M Zero canopy and wheel masks

KIT #: VM48057
PRICE: $10 or so
REVIEWER: Scott Van Aken
NOTES: For the Hasegawa kit

This Dead Design offering is a welcome set of masks for what is probably the most built set of A6M kits; the Hasegawa offering. The set is usable on most of their kits from the A6M2 through the A6M5 series and probably works for the A6M7/8 limited kits as well. This is because the fuselage for all the variants is identical as is the greenhouse that sits atop it.

To give you an idea of what to expect in terms of instructions for all of their masks, I've provided the rather large image to the right. This shown not only the mask layout, but drawings that indicate just where everyone of them is applied. As you can see, it also includes the tail wheel.

When it comes to the main wheels, you have two options. One is to paint the hubs and apply a mask over those then paint the tires. The other is to paint the tires, then mask the section close to the hub and paint the hub. This latter option means you'll need to use liquid mask to cover the unprotected area of the tires to prevent overspray issues.

These are kabuki tape type of masks for those who would rather use that material. As with all the tape masks, one has to have good eyes and lighting to locate the masks so they can be picked out with a blade tip. I've used these in the past and they work as advertised saving a bit of time and a lot of frustration. Well worth picking up.

February 2022

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Thanks to Dead Design for the review sample. You can get yours at this link.

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