Apart from its elegant proportions (it’s one of those aircraft that somehow just look “right”), one of the obvious attractions of the Siebel Si 204D is its classic "greenhouse" canopy.

Of course, that cuts both ways, because it means plenty of masking for modellers, so Eduard have produced a set of die-cut washi-tape painting masks for Special Hobby's recent 1:48 new-tool kit to save the chore of cutting what are some quite complex shapes by hand.

In fact, they've released two sets - a standard one that provides masks for the exterior of the canopy, the fuselage windows and the wheels, plus a "TFace" set that includes all those and adds a set of interior masks for the canopy.

Why would you want to mask the inside of a closed canopy? The simple fact is, if you don’t and you look closely, you can see where the inner surface of a kit's canopy reflects light unrealistically where the framework should be.

Masking the inside obviously means roughly twice the work - but it is worthwhile on a subject where the effort will show - and the extensive glazing on the Si 204 makes it a classic candidate.

Obviously, the TFACE set is more expensive than its simpler counterpart, but it's actually only a modest price increase over the standard set:

EX660 - Standard Set - £7.55
EX661 - TFace Set - £9.90

For the extra couple of quid, I'd personally recommend the full set as very good value if you want to go the proverbial "extra mile".

The set's instructions are clearly produced and leave no doubt as to which mask goes where, so it's really just a question of patience. The washi tape that Eduard is the ideal medium for following complex contours and allows easy re-positioning - and it peels of cleanly without leaving any residue - but you'll also need some liquid mask (not supplied) for the centre of some of the panels.

Conclusion

Die-cut painting masks are arguably something of a modelling luxury, because you can obviously cut your own, but they are undoubtedly a huge time-saver on a subject like this - you’re looking at the better part of 40 masks for the exterior glazing alone.

If you’re well-organised and careful, you could use the masks on more than one model - and while the Si 204 isn’t perhaps something that many of us will be more than one of, it could be a handy factor if you’re a member of a modelling club.

I’d definitely recommend these - if only as a sanity saver.

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