1:72 Junkers Ju-86 (Italeri)

Junkers Ju 86 - masks for the clear parts 1:72 (Omask, for Italeri kits)

A set of cut self-adhesive masks from Omask in 1:72 scale, intended for Junkers Ju 86 kits from Italeri. The manufacturer's catalog lists it among masks for clear parts and it is made of kabuki tape, so it is for masking the glazing, not for landing gear bay plugs and not for a camouflage pattern. It is NOT a kit: the aircraft model itself, paints and glue are not in the package.

Why the glazing is masked with a template

The Ju 86 has extensive, complex glazing with a great many thin frames, and this is exactly the part where a model most often goes wrong. Cutting tape by hand under a magnifier is slow, the frames come out unevenly wide and the knife easily scratches a clear part that cannot then be saved. A precisely cut kabuki tape mask gives the frames a crisp, straight and repeatable edge with no paint creeping under and at the same time protects the clear part from the knife and from paint. Kabuki tape is also flexible enough to follow gently curved surfaces.

The real subject

The Junkers Ju 86 was a German twin-engine aircraft of the mid-1930s, developed at the same time as a bomber and a transport machine, a dual role that was typical of German practice at the time. The most remarkable chapter of its career came later, with the high-altitude Ju 86P version: thanks to a pressurized cabin, a lengthened wing and supercharged diesel engines it operated at extreme altitudes above 12000 meters. The British had no answer to it for a long time and had to lighten Spitfires specially to reach it at all; one such modified machine finally shot down a Ju 86P over Egypt in 1942 at an altitude of about 14 kilometers.

How to use the masks

• First wash and degrease the glazing so that the tape takes hold, because a mask does not stick on fingerprints.
• Place the mask with tweezers and press the edges down firmly (with a toothpick, for instance) so that paint does not creep under them.
• Do not wrap the tape over the edge of the part, because a folded edge lifts and the frame comes out smeared.
• Remove the mask while the paint is fresh. From fully cured paint you will tear it off along with the finish.
• The mask is cut for a particular kit (Italeri), so it need not fit a Ju 86 from another manufacturer.

Who the set is for

• Modelers building the Italeri Ju 86 who do not want to spend an evening cutting tape.
• Those who want crisp, even cockpit frames with no paint creeping under.
• Anyone who has already managed to scratch a finished clear part with a knife.

It is not an aircraft model: the package contains painting masks only. The kit, paints and glue are not included.