WW2 Squadron Code decals

[aerodes]

Hi all. Wasn't sure where to post this one. Just started preping to build an Italeri 1:72 Sunderlaand Mk I. I've got the Warbirds publication and decided to go for aircraft N9025 DQ-Y of 288 Squadron when based at RAF Invergordon. Personal link to this location. OK so even before I set off adivice needed. Obvioulsy no matng decals in Italeri kit but scaling up the size from those provided they would have been 45" for the squadron code (in sea grey) and 8"-9" for aircraft code N9025 in white.  Looks like I'm going to have buy decal sheets of individual letters or print my own on decal paper (?????).

From Sxcalemates site - Carpena have a set advertised for WW2 bombers 1936-47 either grey or medium sea grey. These however are 48". Difference may be be becasue one size for Bomber Command and other size for Coastal Command???? Only 45" ones come in white.

Struggling to find the smaller aircraft code letters at WW 2 standard in white.

Lettraset kit M15 is RAF WW 2 but I can't find a scaled letter size referenced.

 

Any hlep would be appreciated.

Rgds

[FinnAndersen]

When printing your own only you have two options:

a) Print on clear sheets. This does only works with dark colours

b) Print on white sheets: You will have to cut out the letters in order not to have the white background.

 

So, I'd recommend decal sheets, but generic sets are rare and sets that cover your size even rarer. 

 

There was a thread recently more or less on the same subject, which could be an inspiration  

 

Rgds

Finn

[Work In Progress]

1 hour ago, aerodes said:

 8"-9" for aircraft code N9025 in white. 

Serials are eight inch rather than nine. In some unusual cases they are four inch and even more rarely six, but nine inch serials aren't a thing.

What you want for serials - really the only game in town, unless you feel like drawing them yourself in white ink with a mapping pen - is https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/X72158

They are strictly speaking post-war so some of the letter forms are a bit different but probably closer than you will get them by hand so if it were me I'd look the other way and just use the post-war ones.

 

Letraset effectively died out as an economically viable technology in the 1990s, which is a shame as laying down white Letraset over colour was a significant craft pleasure. You could also use Letraset as masks, if you didn;t have the right colour. If you had e.g. black and wanted white, spray white, rub down the black lettering onto it, spray the top coat, and when it's all dry use sellotape to rip off the Letraset revealing the undercoat. Happy days, those were. Even if you can find any antique Letraset aircraft sets 25 or 30 years on, I am not sure I would rely on them being usable today.

 

The D, Q and Y in 1/72 are big enough that I would just blow up whatever I can find by way of profiles or decal sheets in other scales on a copier, and then carefully cut out the letters over Frisk film in layers, use those as masks. Personally I would, as with Letraset, undercoat white and use the letter positives as masks before shooting the dark camo colour over the letters. Using the weeded negatives as masks is also possible but harder if the letter you want is light coloured against darker background. Using the letter forms to mask off a letter-coloured undercoat means you are not doing the always-tricky "white/pale paint over a dark colour" which tends to lead to excessive numbers of coats, and paint creeping under the masks.

Edited November 15, 2019 by Work In Progress

[andyf117]

The notes accompanying Modeldecal Sheet 111 (and 112) which jointly provide Light Slate Grey serials and codes for Coastal Command aircraft makes reference to AMOs and APs, and only lists 48" as a specified code letters and numerals size, not 45" - this applies to both Medium Sea Grey and LSG. As mentioned above, serials would have been the standard 8"...

 

There's a suitable Modeldecal sheet currently on eBay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Modeldecal-53-decals-transfers-Raf-ww2-code-letters-Medium-Sea-Grey-30-48-1-72/233329108986?hash=item36537fa7fa:g:EokAAOSwfQVda9lC

 

And for the serial, this Xtradecal sheet has optional styles for various letters and numerals:

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/X32022

Edited November 15, 2019 by andyf117

[Giorgio N]

Wartime 8" serial numbers may be made with this sheet:

 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/VA7282

 

I say may because I'm not sure if the fonts included will fit your aircraft, I've used a similar sheet from Ventura but in Medium Sea Grey and I managed to find letters and numbers good enough for a Spitfire, but I'm not familiar with the style used on the Sunderland.

 

Regarding the codes, as others have said 45" sounds a bit unusual. If they actually are 45", one option could be checking for the availability of 1/48 30" codes, these would be the same size as 1/72 45" codes.

An alternative that is IMHO viable with codes of such size, is to use masks. You can cut these yourself if you have a steady hand or see if there's a mask cutting service local to you

[Work In Progress]

1 hour ago, andyf117 said:

 

And for the serial, this Xtradecal sheet has optional styles for various letters and numerals:

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/X32022

But being 1/32 scale is not relevant to this discussion 

[Work In Progress]

1 hour ago, Giorgio N said:

Wartime 8" serial numbers may be made with this sheet:

 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/VA7282

 

Yes, that's likely to be better than the post-war Xtradecal one I linked: well spotted. Beyond that don't worry about the exact letter forms (they aren't fonts) - no-one will notice

[andyf117]

9 minutes ago, Work In Progress said:

But being 1/32 scale is not relevant to this discussion 

  You know, I thought they looked a bit big, but assumed it was just an image scanned at an enlarged size!

Try this one - re-print of the old Modeldecal original, again with differing styles of some letters and numbers:

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/X72158

 

Edited November 15, 2019 by andyf117

[aerodes]

Thanks guys for replies - as ever great support and help on here.

I've time to look into the options you've given me and try some out. Might even try making my own with decal paper - plentyof stuff on youtube

I've got photoshop to play about and get the right size & colours. But I'm blummin well not paying the silly prices I've seen on the net for Testors decaal paper!

 

Thanks again - it's time now to put the camo paint on the Brengun Spitfire floatplane.

 

 

[rossm]

On 11/15/2019 at 11:41 AM, aerodes said:

Obvioulsy no matng decals in Italeri kit but scaling up the size from those provided they would have been 45" for the squadron code (in sea grey) and 8"-9" for aircraft code N9025 in white.

What makes you think Italeri got the size right? 48" was a standard size so is quite likely to be the one you need. The Modeldecal sheet linked above is about the only option BUT........

 

This sheet https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/KW72091 has an option for DQ-T P9600 and I have that option spare if you can convince yourself that airframe transferred to Invergordon with the squadron. If not I have some spare letters that you could cut up and use with part of the T to make a Y so you then only have to find the serial decals.

 

If you want them PM me your address and I'll get them in the post.

[rossm]

42 minutes ago, rossm said:

This sheet https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/KW72091 has an option for DQ-T P9600 and I have that option spare if you can convince yourself that airframe transferred to Invergordon with the squadron. If not I have some spare letters that you could cut up and use with part of the T to make a Y so you then only have to find the serial decals.

 

If you want them PM me your address and I'll get them in the post.

Ooops, the lettering on that sheet is bigger than 48", wonder why?