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 as 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.

Recently, I have been using these more and more when there are a fair number of panes involved and the Fi-156 is one of those aircraft. Especially in 1/72 scale where things can get rather small. Some wonder if they are really worth the cost and often they can be nearly the price of the kit, a situation I run into when dealing with smaller 1/72 offerings. Like any aftermarket item, it is something that everyone has to decide for yourself. One thing I have discovered is that finding these sets for older kits often requires some searching.

For bubble canopies and such, things like these sorts of things are really not needed by most modelers, but for multi-pane 'greenhouse' canopies, they can be very useful, especially if the frame lines are indistinct.

June 2020

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