1:48 Hs-129B-2/3 double-sided painting mask for Takom

Clear Prop Models 1:48 Hs 129 B-2/B-3 — double-sided masking set (Takom)

This item is not a kit and not a model of an aircraft. It is a masking set from Clear Prop Models in 1:48 scale, intended for the kit of the German Henschel Hs 129 B-2 / B-3 attack aircraft from Takom. The masks are cut from flexible yellow masking paper (kabuki), which follows the shapes of the frames well and leaves no adhesive behind when peeled off. The set is double-sided — it contains parts for the outside and the inside of the glazing, so the interior color of the cockpit and the exterior camouflage can be sprayed separately and the frames then look right from both sides.

Why the Hs 129 in particular

The Hs 129 was a single-seat twin-engine attack aircraft of the Luftwaffe, deployed above all on the Eastern Front against armored vehicles. Its cockpit is famous for being heavily armored and extremely cramped, with small windows and massive frames — glazing of exactly that kind is very hard to mask with a brush. The B-2 version carried heavy gun armament in underslung pods, and the anti-tank B-3 a large-caliber cannon under the fuselage. A double-sided mask makes sense here: the frames are visible from the inside too and the difference in color inside and out shows.

Use

• Peel the parts straight off the sheet and stick them onto clean, degreased glazing; press the edges down with a toothpick or a blunt tip.
• Mask the inside first, spray the shade of the cockpit interior, then mask from the outside and go on with the primer and the camouflage.
• Apply the paint with an airbrush in thin coats — less paint means a sharper edge and less risk of it creeping under.
• Take the mask off shortly after the paint has dried, not days later; the tip of a scalpel or tweezers helps.
• Use the leftovers of the masking paper for masking small areas, wheels or camouflage transitions.

Who the set is for

For modelers who are building the Takom Hs 129 in 1:48 scale and want glazing with sharp, even frames without the laborious cutting of tape. The set shortens the most tedious part of the build considerably and lifts the final level of the model.

A masking set is only an accessory — it contains no model, no paints and no glue. The Hs 129 kit has to be obtained separately.