DH Heron MKII + Douglas DB7Havoc Bare metal

[rob Lyttle]

26 minutes ago, The Spadgent said:

The time you ordered a book?

Ha, 

It was just that I got 3 copies of the book, on 3 consecutive days.... 

I kept going back to make sure I'd clicked the right thing..... Yeah, it looked clicked alright but you gotta make sure, don't you.... 😎

It was still good value, and a great read...... 

[rob Lyttle]

This may look familiar but it is in fact printed onto the newly arrived CLEAR decal paper.... 

Lacquered up and drying nicely so I'm up for trying again with the Heron soon. That's gloss lacquer, I'm wondering if that's a mistake, but there's only one way to find out. 

[rob Lyttle]

Right O, the first few are on, applied to the foiled wing surfaces.... 

Top, 

 

 

Now, in comparison to the original Airfix sheet, the "Jersey Airlines" text is shorter in length and the height is pretty much the same, and then with the reg letters the length is more. But an Airfix transfer sheet from back then can't really be taken as gospel. 

Here's a picture of a DC3 port wing, 

..... Yeah, maybe my text is a bit too tight in comparison. 🤔

Well, it is what it is. 😇The carrier is not entirely invisible but I've had worse with commercial decals for sure. Don't know how decal-soft would work on this. 

I could try out on the under wing, 

Anyway, so far so good. I'm imagining the civil possibilities with this stuff and a bit of graphics skill on the old computer .... 😍

[AdrianMF]

Looks good!

 

For home made decals, you need to factor in the time you take looking at dozens of fonts after googling “free fonts”. Ask me how I know…

 

Regards,

Adrian

[rob Lyttle]

20 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

you need to factor in the time you take looking at dozens of fonts after googling “free fonts”.

Boy, ain't THAT the truth ⁉️

Rabbit hole warning! 🤔🙄😶

Here's what I've got so far.... 

Again this is a little bit longer than the original Airfix item. Here is a comparison before applying, 

But it fits the tailfin and that'll do nicely for me. 

And the Company title on the fuselage, 

This could have done with some lengthening without increasing the font height. Not stretching the individual letters but increased spacings between. Sophisticated graphics applications can facilitate these things, kerning and all sorts, but right here right now, I'll settle for this. I'm just pleased that the transfer technology works, and I'm pleased with the carrier film appearance, or lack of appearance I should say. It seems at this early stage that straight-on application is the way to go. No floating on with Kleer or anything else. Just slide'em on and leave. 

 

I noticed the anti-glare panel on the old sheet is in blue, but then everything on the sheet is blue! Was this to simplify the printing?? 

What I've used is the item from the modern Airfix sheet, which is black. I must admit I rather like the look of the black combined with the blue nose area and the white pinstripes so I'm leaving it like so, but I'm just wondering out loud 😎

[AdrianMF]

Your decals look super. Very smart.

 

The kit manufacturers often did re-use colours to keep costs down - I’ve got a 195x Hurricane IV RP with white codes and blue serials, for example.

And I’m sure that at least some of the time the fonts were whatever was at hand (or at least in the Letraset bank), especially before the advent of modern computer graphics.

 

I’m still waiting for an affordable laser printer that does white…

 

Regards,

Adrian

[rob Lyttle]

11 minutes ago, AdrianMF said:

I’m still waiting for an affordable laser printer that does white…

Good luck with THAT, Adrian! 

I'm not sure about the technology involved, but I think it's another level beyond the laser method entirely. I did read something about it somewhere but dismissed the notion out of hand for the cost and technology involved in the process. Unless you're thinking of setting up a commercial business it's all just way off the scale. 

(but let me know how you get on.... 😁) 

[AdrianMF]

You can get them now, for doing things like false chalk style menus on coloured paper.

 

I think they start at around 500 quid?
 

The trouble is, you have to swap out the black drum for white, so it’s not an integrated process. That wouldn’t be a problem for white lettering (I needed giant codes under my MS.406 for example), but for something like an Alberto Vargas nose art you would have to print out a white background and then do the regular CMYK over the top, either feeding the paper through twice and hoping your feed doesn’t wobble too much, or printing a white background decal and then adding the translucent CMYK decal over the top. 
 

So for me: more stuff in the house, too expensive, too much of a faff, too much like the day job! Filed alongside Silhouette cutters and 3D printers  *

 

 

Regards,

Adrian
 

* oh, and airbrushes!

[rob Lyttle]

Just a quick update to finish the Heron on here. I've been playing away in the civil vehicles area having some fun with a Shelby Cobra. 

But some final details have been happening with this build, and she's even been off to our annual show tables. 

So the plane itself was pretty well finished. The props were sprayed with my best aerosol can of metal. 

And I sorted a few figures around the passenger door.... 

 

A couple of holiday makers from some railway figures, and the kit stewardess and pilot or steward types, meeting and greeting. 

A ground crew guy and pilot around the front too.... 

 

I gave the mdf board a concrete surface with a mix of cement powder and a latex based building product called SBR. Marvellous stuff in real world applications. Here it has dried perhaps a little bit darker than I expected. Maybe some paint lining or markings would be a good finishing touch. 

I'm pleased I got the heads up early and went for the polished metal look 

On the rear cargo hatch is my effort to create the Royal Mail logo with excerpts from the original Airfix sheet copy onto the WHITE decal paper. The Crown bit in the middle will be taken from the print onto the CLEAR paper. 

Thought I'd try it before giving up on the idea. 

I can't complain about the self-print decals and I think I'll be using the method again in making civil options.

 

Not much to do on the Havoc either 😎

[bigbadbadge]

Rob this looks superb , a great effort there.  Love the base also, some faded lining would really look good,  it certainly looks the part sat on the base with the figures, love it.

Chris

[Paul J]

Hmm. The original font for the 'reggie' lettering etc on the Airfix decals is much ,much more accurate for the period. I see so many modern lettering fonts that are not right for what is really wanted. I just had some decals done for me for an Islander and Piper Pawnee done in the same font as yours but they  are wrong ( and in size) when compared to pics of the real aeroplanes.

[Paul J]

On 03/06/2022 at 00:08, rob Lyttle said:

 

Now, in comparison to the original Airfix sheet, the "Jersey Airlines" text is shorter in length and the height is pretty much the same, and then with the reg letters the length is more. But an Airfix transfer sheet from back then can't really be taken as gospel. 

Here's a picture of a DC3 port wing, 

.

Anyway, so far so good. I'm imagining the civil possibilities with this stuff and a bit of graphics skill on the old computer .... 😍

These AIrfix decals are correct in style and font!

[rob Lyttle]

2 hours ago, Paul J said:

AIrfix decals are correct

Thanks for the feedback Paul. Good to know that the original Airfix effort was sound. I guess this means that the current issue sheet is very wrong, or maybe it is a good match for the museum restoration aircraft....? 

Going back to the original livery, are you able to say if the anti glare triangle ought to be black, or blue as per the original Airfix sheet? 

I'm hoping that my graphics abilities will improve to facilitate the adjustment and manipulation of lettering etc, but as things stand it was either settle for this or not do it at all. 

Bearing in mind I didn't even know it's a bare polished metal project at the start of the build, I've learnt quite a lot along the way. 

I expect a good "copyshop" business could manipulate the image I have of the original sheet, "rinse out" the tinted background and laser print a pristine facsimile. That would just leave the white issue to sort.... 

Anyway, that's for another build.... 😉