Description

HGW has given us a new selection of water slide wood grain decals. Some sheets come in generic panel sections others come in a layout that is designed for panels on specific scale WWI aircraft. It is these cookie cutter / fitted decals I will discuss. When designated by aircraft type the wood grain decal sections have specific positions and a location template is provided on the backside of the cellophane sleeve. The sections are generous in size and you must cut them to exactly fit a panel before you apply them. Note, the location template provided by HGW is not to scale and has one identity error on the pilot’s left side at the rear. Check the build images I provide.

As I used these I started with the transparent set (#548014) on the Eduard 1:48 Alb. D.III (Oef). This set has a clear base carrier for the pigments to ride on. I started with a semi-gloss almond or yellowed white base coat of paint on the kit fuselage. The white based decals (#548015) set has a lighter cast to it. The good thing is that I used panels from both of these sets on my fuselage to add some lighter and darker panels to accentuate the over-all appearance and as one master modeler said, “. . . lighter panel – gives the whole thing a bit more depth and interest. . .” Though I am thinking I would like to do a more blonde version of this decal set. One little known fact is that most plywood skins for aircraft were A/B grade Ash or Birch not Pine. So the lay of the grain could be fairly straight or pretty wild. This was called the "burl" of the grain. A was the outer face and the B or C grade was the inner face.

Contents

A. One sheet of decal film with panels of wood grain.
B. One printed page with instructions..

Application

You must start by laying down two good coats of a “hobby” clear gloss on the new unused decals sheet. This goes for both the transparent and the white base sheets. Then after the second coat is dry to the touch and leaving no finger prints begin cutting paper templates on the model of the areas you want to work on first. Note! Do not use a general use clear gloss as they might be too “hot” for the decal sheet and ruin your project before you get started. Also the surrounding areas of the decal in black are excellent test areas to see if your sheet is dry to the touch. I use Testors “Glosscote” and “Dullcote” rattle can sprays. I have not seen them ever yellow with age.

Then transfer the paper pattern to the decal on the sheet and cut the panel out with a "sharp" blade. This is applied in cut sections over the existing painted panels. Know that the transparent sets need to be used with caution. Use liberal amounts of setting solution as these will stick fast if you do not have some fluid to slide them into place. Note; The empty decal paper backings can serve as templates for any future projects in the same scale. When they are completely dry just mark them by number or location as to their placement positions.

When cutting the templates it helps to remember with this or any similar wood grain decal sheet always work entirely using either the front (toward the nose) of the panel vertical edge or from the rear of the panel vertical edge(toward the tail). The over-all fit is always tighter this way. The distance from these vertical edges give you the length of a panel. These verticals are almost always at 90 degrees and the other two panel sides can be judged from the vertical edge end points. I know it is simpler to say “cut to fit”, but some modelers need the details.

Decal Profile

1@ Albatros D.III Oeffag 53, 153 or 253 series fuselage, factory finish wood grain paneling only.

Here are a few other 1:48 decal sheets

548001 Pine Tree (BOROVICE) - Transparent
548002 Pine Tree (BOROVICE) - Transparent
548003 Pine Tree (BOROVICE) - Transparent
548004 Pine Tree (BOROVICE) - Base White
548005 Pine Tree (BOROVICE) - Base White
548006 Pine Tree (BOROVICE) - Base White
548007 Dark Wood - Transparent
548008 Dark Wood - Base White
548009 Albatros D.III OEFFAG Transparent
548010 Albatros D.III OEFFAG Base White
548016 Albatros D.V / D.Va Transparent
548017 Albatros D.V / D.Va Base White

When contacting manufacturers and publishers please mention you saw this review at AEROSCALE