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 am not a major mask user, but when it comes to kits that have a zillion fairly small panes and especially those where the frame lines are not super prominent, they are well worth the price. Interestingly, the amount of time it takes to apply these as opposed to putting down some tape, holding the transparency to the light, and cutting the tape is about the same. I guess this is because one does several panes at once with the cut method while with the mask they are one at a time.

This set is for the recent Airfix B-25B/C kit, one that meets the requirement of lots of small panes that will need masking. you will see a few 'line' masks and these are for areas with compound curves so you'll fill in much of the area with liquid masking. The set also comes with wheel masks giving you the option of either masking the wheel and painting the tire or masking the tire (you'll need liquid mask) and painting the wheel. There are masks for the landing lights and apparently the C/D planes did not have the under wing ID lights as no mask is provided as on the Hasegawa set. The set comes with full instructions as well.

Well worth picking up.

January 2019

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