Montex Super Mask
1/32 Fw 190D-9 'Galland Circus'

One of the mixed blessings of scale modeling is decal technology. Through the art of waterslide or dry transfer media, you can re-create the colors and markings of any aircraft that interests the decal makers. Hopefully they'll make something of interest to you too.

At scales of 1/32 or greater however, larger decals can be quite a pain, especially over complex surfaces. After drowning the decal in setting solution and hoping for the best, you still may end up with silvering under the clear transparencies of the decal, ruining all of your hard work. At least silvering is one phenomenon not present with dry transfers, the limitation here is limited subject and scale availability.

So what's the solution? Do it the way the aircraft mechanics do it in 1:1 scale! Masks.

Montex Plastic Model Club produces a growing line of paint masks to tackle subjects that have been largely ignored by the decal world. In this release, they've produced a set of masks for the Hasegawa 1/32 Fw 190D-9. Like the decal makers, they've included profiles and masks for two particular aircraft:

• Fw 190D-9, Red 13, JV 44, May 1945, as flown by Oblt Klaus Faber
• Fw 190D-9, Red 1, JV 44, April 1945, as flown by Lt Heinz Sachsenberg

The Doras from JV 44 are without a doubt the most colorful Fw 190Ds ever flown by the Luftwaffe but these were not an offensive unit whose colors were designed to strike fear into the hearth of Allied aviators. These aircraft were tasked to protect the German airfields from Allied fighters looking for an opportunity to down another German threat - the Me 262.

The Me 262 was vulnerable to enemy guns after it had slowed to airfield approach speeds after expending its fuel and ammunition against other allied targets. Allied fighters would routinely lurk nearby an Me 262 base looking for an easy kill. These Doras' jobs were to clear the skies of Allied intruders so that their jet-powered comrades could safely take-off and return home.

So what does this mission have to do with the red and white undersides? The Doras weren't the only forces protecting the airfields. The Germans employed extensive multi-caliber air defense gun positions and these gunners tended to honor the standard practice of all air defense personnel - shoot first and let God determine 'friend or foe'. The red and white stripes under the Doras were to aid the air defense gunners in identifying their own fighters before trying to dispatch them off to meet God. Remember that the Me 262s didn't fly a threatening profile, so they didn't need the special colors. The Doras, on the other hand, were chasing low-level intruders or being chased by these intruders at high speeds over the top of these air defense guns.

This stencil set provides the national markings, Werks numbers, aircraft numbers, squadron insignia, distinctive slogans, wing walkway stripes, and spinner spirals as masks. The stripes under the fuselage are left to you and your favorite striping tape.

One other nice touch in this set is not one, but TWO sets of canopy masks. Why? This set allows you to paint that huge canopy and windscreen like the real aircraft - outside colors on the outside, inside colors on the inside! This set takes the detailing of your model to the next step. The whole part is masked and finished inside and out. I recently overheard one master modeler comment that you don't want to paint the canopies from the inside as the color mis-match would be visible from different viewing angles. This is true if you paint the interior of the canopy frame RLM 66 and the exterior the appropriate exterior color only. The trick here is to paint the inside AND outside of the canopy RLM 66, then apply the appropriate exterior color on the outside of the canopy. Then you'll see the right colors from any perspective.

Whether you choose to replicate these particular Fw 190D-9 'Galland Circus's or not, these masks will give you the freedom from decal woes and the flexibility to create your own subjects. In the end, you'll have a beautiful model with no decals applied anywhere to the kit and therefore no decal silvering to deal with.

Highly recommended! You can purchase this set online from Design & Marketing International.

My sincere thanks to Design & Marketing International for this review sample!