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1/72 German Maltese cross decals?


AndrewCJ50

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Dear Colleagues

 

I haven't built a biplane in decades but have now acquired a 1/72 Roden Gotha.  Given their infamous decal reputation, is their an aftermarket company who do large German Maltese crosses that might fit this kit?

 

Thanks

 

Andrew

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I had one problem when I built a Roden 1/72 SE5a back in 2004 and had some of the decals break apart but since then I've never had any problems with Roden decals. They tend to be thin so it pays to be careful with smaller sized ones and not to over soak in water, however I'd be surprised if the crosses give you any bother whatsoever. In fact they should bed down very nicely if applied carefully and a lick of Micro Sol.

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2 hours ago, Smithy said:

I had one problem when I built a Roden 1/72 SE5a back in 2004 and had some of the decals break apart but since then I've never had any problems with Roden decals. They tend to be thin so it pays to be careful with smaller sized ones and not to over soak in water, however I'd be surprised if the crosses give you any bother whatsoever. In fact they should bed down very nicely if applied carefully and a lick of Micro Sol.

The Gotha series was amongst the first of Roden's releases, and back then the decals could be very iffy. I've built the G.III and all the decals splite despite a couple of coats of Microscale decal solution. With later kits I'd say suck it and see, but for a Gotha I think Andrew is right to be cautious. But because the decal robustness from that period varied wildly from kit to kit, it's worth trying the decal solution before seeking alternatives. If they do fail, then you could try Pegasus crosses, now marketed by Freightdog. https://www.freightdogmodels.co.uk/military-products/military-decals/1-72-scale/pegasus/pegasus-1-72-german-wwi-national-markings-vol-i.html .

Also Almark, at Hannants. These are probably on continous carrier film and need cutting out. You'll also have to paint the white background field yourself, but that shouldn't be a problem. https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AKA29

 

Can't guarantee these are big enough, but worth a look.

Oh, just checked - Hannants have a reasonably priced Techmod sheet with all markings for a choice of 6 Gothas, You don't say which one you have, but these are for G.IVs. Nonetheless, the national markings should be the same size. https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/TM72129

 

Careful removing the fine parts from the runners, the struts particularly. They're very prone to snapping.

 

Paul.

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13 hours ago, Paul Thompson said:

The Gotha series was amongst the first of Roden's releases, and back then the decals could be very iffy.

 

If Andrew's kit was actually one of those manufactured back then and therefore with decals dating from the early/mid 00s as well I too would suggest caution.

 

But if (as is perhaps more likely) it was manufactured within the last few years then the decals should be fine. The big problem with Roden's decals (the shattering in water, etc) dates from roughly a decade and a half ago and was rectified a long time ago now.

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There are quite a few sets that have been issued over the years, Pegasus are still available. Techmod also did a Gotha IV set, there's one on Ebay at the moment.

 

Ian

 

 

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