Eduard 1/48 Bf109G-6 Masks
By Jacob Russell
This mask set is for Zvezda's recent 1/48th scale Messerschmitt Bf109G-6 kit. It is made from Eduard's customary rice paper tape, and it consists of 30 elements. Besides the usual masks for the windscreen, opening and fixed canopy sections, you also get masks for the "Galland Panzer" internal canopy armor, the main wheels and the tail wheel.
I feel the need to rave a bit about the tail wheel masks. White walled tail wheels were not uncommon on Luftwaffe fighters. I believe they made their appearance in the African theatre and may have had static electricity discharging properties. Later in the War, they were just cool looking. German tail wheels were typically either natural metal or RLM 02 Grau (grey). If you use the masks carefully, you could first paint and mask the whitewall section, and then leave the masks on, and paint both the wheel and tire at the same time. How neat!
Zvezda's new Bf109G-6 faces stiff competition from the new Tamiya and Eduard G-6 kits, but it gives a good account of itself. It is accurate, well detailed, and competitively priced. The first aftermarket item I look for after I get a new kit is a canopy masking set, to simplify what is otherwise a thankless task. You get to grips faster with masks like this and so I recommend this set from Eduard, whom I would like to thank for the review sample.
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