Font question about Prototype Venom serial

[John R]

Whilst making decals for my prototype Venom using a downloaded RAF font I noticed a difference between the '2' in the font, which looks like the '2' I just typed, and the '2' in the photo. Did De Havilland have their own font? I noticed that the figure '2' was different between the first DH 110, WG240, and the first navalised version XF828 which had a '2' like the one in the RAF font I was using. Does anybody know where I can find a font with a '2' like the DH version?

I know you will think that this puts me in the 'rivet counter' category but it is just the product of a curious mind (very curious!) and the feeling that there is probably someone out there who knows the answer.

Two 2 by johnrieley, on Flickr

[Seahawk]

The "RAF" font you have downloaded is the post-war style.  During WW2 and for some time after there was no standard style, let alone "font" for serials, with variations apparent between manufacturers, especially in 2s and 5s.  They tend though to be angular than the post-war style.  What you need is the Ventura black 8" serial sheet, available in both 1/72 and 1/48, which caters for a lot of those variations in styles and will keep you going for years.  Reasonably priced and last time I looked, available (post-free!) from Hannants.

Edited August 18, 2017 by Seahawk

[John R]

Thank you. I suspected that it might be something like that. I will not need the decal sheet. I managed to scan a decal of the right shaped '2' and with help from photoshop I now have something good enough to use. Hopefully the result will appear in RFI in the not too distant future.

[John R]

For anyone interested the result is here

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235025668-de-havilland-venom-first-prototype-172-modified-aeroclub/&tab=comments#comment-2800925

John

[Timmas]

Hi John

 

If it helps, I imagine de Havilland used a signwriter for those jobs and those guys had a fabulous knack for creating lettering that could be beautiful or functonal, depending on the end use. They often didn't follow 'fonts' as such, but simply drew letters and figures from memory. The example you've shown looks like just such an example because of the figure 1. Most fonts have a small diagonal stroke that comes down from the top of the vertical, as in this one

 

1

 

I've managed to get somewhere near it here although I haven't spent long on it (the lower version just indicates the vector points that surround the numerals). It's not 100% correct but it's reasonably close. You can take a screenshot from it, reduce and use it if you don't want to buy a whole sheet of stencils :-)

 

Edited August 25, 2017 by Timmas
correcting a couple of typos

[John R]

I think the '2' on the a/c has a bit more of a 'knee' at the bottom left hand corner than your version but thank you for trying. My solution was to scan a copy of a decal for a DH 110 'WG 240', assuming that the '2' was some sort of DH standard, and tweak that in Photoshop. The model is now decalled and complete and unless the decals fall off it is 'game over' as far as I am concerned.

John

[Timmas]

Hi John, yes you're right about the 2. None of it is 100% accurate as it was only a quick rendering. Glad you got it sorted though.