One of the bug-a-boos of a lot of aircraft models for me is all that glass that needs to be masked in order to paint. I’ve read several tutorials and tried lots of methods, but it’s all tedious and with my skill level brings about at best mediocre results. Then along comes pre-cut masks and my life is changed.

Eduard’s mask sets are precisely die cut on the same sort of masking tape/paper that Tamiya produces. It yields a sturdy product that doesn’t tear easily and can bend and stretch some to get a perfect fit. The instructions consist of a map of the sheet of masks and a picture of the part to be masked with lines indicating what masks on the sheet go where on the part. You’ll need a new #11 blade to slip under a corner of the mask to get it off the backing paper, then either transfer it to the kit part with the Xacto or switch to tweezers, whichever you find most comfortable. The adhesive is somewhat forgiving in that if you place the mask lightly where it belongs, you can still slide it around a little to get a perfect fit. Some of the masks consist of two parts as they go over compound curves and some are just outlines that you have to fill in with liquid masking fluid either due to the shape or size of the area to be masked. When everything is in place, you should burnish down the edges with a tooth pick or some other such tool to avoid paint seeping under them. After painting, use that Xacto or toothpick to again slide under an edge or corner of the mask and remove it. The adhesive does not leave behind any residue.

One thing to watch for is that they do sets for many different kits of the same subject and even though you would think the masking for a Hasagawa B-17F should be the same as that for a Hobbycraft B-17F in the same scale ‘cause a B-17F is a B-17F, it’s not. There are minor differences in shape and parts break down that mean one mask set might not fit both kits. Make sure you get the mask set for the manufacturer of the kit you are making.

These sets make many projects possible for me and many other modelers that might never have been attempted before. They are not cheap, but then again how much is your labor and stress worth?

Thanks to Eduard for supplying the review sample and IPMS/USA for the chance to review it.