History

Shortly after the end of the Second World War, the RCAF replaced their British style roundels with a distinctively Canadian Maple leaf (becoming the first of the Commonwealth Air Forces to distinguish their aircraft with a nationally appropriate symbol. Other prominent exampless are Australia's Kangaroo and New Zealand's Kiwi,). The first design placed the red Maple leaf on a solid blue disc, but this was difficult to see at any distance, and so a white ring was added to separate the red and blue. This style of roundel lasted until 1965, when the simplified Maple leaf from Canada's new flag was substituted for the Silver Maple leaf which had been used until then. A very comprehensive article on Canada's roundels was published by Vintage Wings of Canada in their Roundel Round-up.

First Impressions

In 1/48 scale, 48 roundels of 7 different diameters are offered.

The printing is very sharp and the carrier film is as limited as possible, most often not extending past the printed outline of the marking. The decals look very thin. These are traditional silk-screen printing, not ALPS nor laser printed.

decal sheets

48 roundels are offered in 7 different scale diameters:

• 1: 84” X 2
  
• 2: 48” X 4;
  
• 3: 36” X 8;
  
• 4: 30” X 6;
  
• 5: 24” X 8;
  
• 6: 20” X 10;
  
• 7: 16” X 10
  

The largest markings are for Hercules or Lancasters while the smaller ones will fit fighters and small transports. Consult your references for precise sizes. An excellent resource is Pat Martin's Aircraft Finish and Markings, Royal Canadian Air Force 1947 – 1968

Although these are printed in 1/48, they can be fudged onto larger or smaller scale models. A similar sheet is available in 1/72 scale diameters.


The instruction sheet mentions that the decals may be harmed by strong setting solutions. I did a test using portions of a Voodoo's fuselage flash and my poor old knocked-about Revell 1/72 Voodoo.

• 1. Solvaset
  
• 2. Micro Sol
  
• 3. Micro Set
  
• 4. No setting solution
  

The results show that used carefully, Solvaset did not damage this decal, and that used without any setting solution at all, the decal still conforms to the moulded detail.


All Canuck Models decal sheets and accessories are available for purchase directly from the manufacturer at the Canuck Model Products website.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.