1:35 Wheels Paint Masks Set IDF Nagmachon APC For HobbyBoss

From a Centurion to a heavy carrier

The Nagmachon belongs to the family of Israeli armored vehicles created by rebuilding worn-out British Centurions. The turret came off and in its place rose a tall armored superstructure with side vision ports, from which the squad being carried can fire from a protected position. The later build was given a fully enclosed cabin, which came to be nicknamed the Doghouse for its shape. The machine was built for a single purpose: to survive the blast of a charge under the belly and bring the crew back. It served in southern Lebanon and later on patrol duty in densely populated areas, where mines were taken for granted.

The scope of the stencils

The package covers the discs of the road wheels. The film has a cut-out center matching the metal part of the wheel, so once it is applied only the band that is to get a different shade from the rubber tire band is left exposed. The cut is based on the parts of the kit mentioned, so the diameters fit with no further trimming. The result is a colored ring of the same width on every disc, which few achieve with a brush. On a vehicle that stands on twelve wheels, that is the difference between an hour of concentrated work and two minutes.

Where builders go wrong

The usual slip happens before the film is even unwrapped: the discs are glued onto the axles and the masking is done afterward. But on this chassis the wheels sit close together and barely a few millimeters are left between the outer and inner edge. Tweezers will not reach into the gap and nobody can press the edge of the film down there properly. Paint the wheels loose, therefore, unmounted, best of all spiked on a wooden stick, and seat them on the chassis right at the end.