An extremely popular aftermarket item has been canopy masks. These have been produced by a number of manufacturers over the years, but the ones that seem to be the most popular are those by Eduard.

Masks have been made from a variety of products including thick and thin vinyl as well as from kabuki paper (basically the same stuff as Tamiya tape, but not quite a thick). Some masks only cover the outlines of the clear part. This is very much the case when it comes to bits with large compound curves such as you see on F-86s and MiG-29s as no material will properly stick to convoluted surfaces like that. In those cases, you fill in the rest with your favorite tape or with liquid masking solutions.

I did not used to be a major mask user and still am not when it comes to most 'bubble' canopy kits or those with well pronounced frames. However, there are kits, like this one from Hasegawa where the frame lines are very indistinct when trying to see them through Tamiya tape. Yes, I probably could use clear tape, but I really don't like cleaning up after removing it as they leave residue on the canopy. So I have been using masks.

This set is for the Hasegawa P-40N in 1/72 which has very indistinct frame lines. Undoubtedly due to tens of thousands of pressings over the decades, though in truth, even on older kits they are difficult to see. In addition to the canopy frames, Eduard generally provides wheel masks which helps quite a bit when it comes to painting the wheels. Not the tail wheel, but just the main wheels, which is fine with me.

May 2020

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