1:48 Fouga Magister CM.170 - IAF camo and canopy

A butterfly tail over Sinai

The French Fouga CM.170 Magister was among the first jets built straight as a trainer rather than as a conversion of a combat type. Its recognition feature remained the V tail, thanks to which it is unmissable even among dozens of other silhouettes. The Israeli Air Force took to the type so much that it built it under license under the name Tzukit, and in June 1967 it sent the trainers with stores slung under them against ground targets. For a few days a quiet school aircraft thus became a ground-attack machine.

Contents and principle

The package is aimed at two different tasks at once. The first part matches the shape of the camouflage fields of the Israeli finish, the second follows the frames of the glazing. The glass is covered, the aircraft is sprayed as a whole, and once the masks are removed the frames are left in the same shade as the surrounding skin. It is precisely this detail that usually decides whether a finished model looks like a scaled-down machine or like glued plastic.

What skill it calls for

Covering the glazing is more demanding than the area of a wing. The parts are small, they have to seat into a curve and the pressing down is done with a blunt point rather than with a fingernail. Anyone who does not fancy the framing can reach for a decal frame, but that wrinkles easily on a curved canopy and the gloss of the carrier film shows through. Spraying removes the problem entirely, in exchange for a slower procedure.

Before you start building

The glazing is degreased before application and the mask is laid onto a dry, clean surface. Neither the kit nor paints are in the package.