1 Man Army 1/32 SBD-5 Dauntless Mask Set First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

1 Man Army is a new company from Belgium that has created in interesting system of masks to replicate airframe stenciling, national markings, and some distinctive markings for a given subject. As you'd expect, these masks are cut from sheets of low-tack 'Kubuki' yellow tape sheets, but several things distinguish these masks from other brands. First, the masks appear to be dye-cut, but with a system that cuts with finer precision than I've seen before. Take a look:

 

Second, this set comes with a high-quality instruction booklet that provides placement instructions for the stencils:

And third, a 'standard' handbook on how to use these masks is included:

 

In addition to the airframe stencils and national markings, this mask set also provides masks to replicate three specific aircraft: SBD-5, 36; SBD-5, 14; and SBD-5, 8.

I've used paint masks in the past and I've had mixed results, but once you get the technique right for using them, you'll find your paint schemes becoming more realistic, as you don't have silvered decals or markings that don't match the surrounding weathering as you have using decals.

Check their website for subject availability, and they currently only produce 1/32 scale subjects, though they plan to expand into 1/48 scale stencil mask sets starting next year. At present, only a few retailers have them in stock, but that list is growing so check their website for where to shop as well.

My sincere thanks to 1 Man Army for this review sample!