Background

Of the many consumable items available to the modern-day modeler, pre-cut masking aids are perhaps one of the most useful types on the market. Originally targeting aircraft areas of interest, recent years have seen a tremendous proliferation into other genre – including military vehicles.

The Product

A recent and pleasant surprise was to see Hauler offer a masking set for Tamiya’s 1/48 scale US Staff Car kit. Having that model on the near-term build list, I just had to jump at the chance to try some Hauler masks for the first time. The set contains two sheets of finely cut, super-thin vinyl masks for glass areas and wheel hubs, and stencils for national insignia stars. A single sheet of placement diagrams is more than sufficient for applying the masks.

Application

Application of the masks was straightforward. All masks pressed smoothly onto the model surfaces, and did not pull up the acrylic paint, which was applied over enamel primer. Windshield masks covered fairly well, but left some unmasked space at the left and right outside edges of the windshield. A great feature was the tiny teardrop-shaped sections to cover the “glass” beneath the windshield wipers. Front side vent masks were pretty much dead-on in their fit and coverage. And, finally, the national insignia masks created perfect stencil outlines for the 4 stars on the vehicle body. Wheel hub masks appeared to fit perfectly, as well, although I neglected to use them in the midst of some painting in late-night “autopilot mode” in which I used a long-standing personal technique to do the hubs.

Recommendation

As one not fond of cutting masking tape to fit, I wholeheartedly recommend these masks for anyone building Tamiya’s 1/48 scale US Staff Car. A big time- and mistake-saver, the masks make final paint prep a virtual stress-free breeze.

Many thanks to the good folks at Hauler for the review sample, and to IPMS/USA for the opportunity to de-stress this build and share this review!