Where are all of the aftermarket 1/32 Spitfire decals?

[dennismcc]

It would probably be easier just to fetch out sheets of code letters and numbers in Sky and the correct size numbers and letters for serials, plus pennant badges. A sheet of roundels and fin flashes and off you go, I've been using the roundels and fin flashes from Eagle Editions sheets but using masks for codes and bodging the serials from various sources.

The codes though are the main stumbling block when it comes to building Spitfire conversions, after the Sky codes there are also those wonderful Middle East colourful codes to consider.

 

Cheers

 

Den

[Royboy]

It would probably be easier just to fetch out sheets of code letters and numbers in Sky and the correct size numbers and letters for serials, plus pennant badges. A sheet of roundels and fin flashes and off you go, I've been using the roundels and fin flashes from Eagle Editions sheets but using masks for codes and bodging the serials from various sources.

The codes though are the main stumbling block when it comes to building Spitfire conversions, after the Sky codes there are also those wonderful Middle East colourful codes to consider.

 

Cheers

 

Den

 

I'd be quite sure that if we did get a new tooled Hawker Hurricane (PLEEEZE!) then the decal manufacturers would follow it up with some nice markings.

Here in the U.K Hannants haven't let us down and produced not one, but FOUR decal sheets for the new Trumpeter E.E Lightning F1A/3 kit.

Thankyou to all at Hannants, and incidentally, I rewarded that initiative by ordering every single sheet!

If the subject is popular there will be a good demand regardless of scale.

If you like them, please make sure that you order those sheets and back up those manufacturers who take the commercial chance for us.

[nmayhew]

this thread struck a chord with me for sure.

 

now i won't go on my "why on earth no decent Spitfire I / V and Hurricane kit in 1/32" rant, but the decal thing does get my goat, especially given the lovely PCM kits out now.

 

it's not just a Luftwaffe thing though - where are the BRITISH decal sets / schemes?

 

Spitfires with stars on just don't look "right".

 

EagleCals for one makes some stunning sheets, but i look at their Spitfire stuff and fall asleep - BRITISH pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!!!

 

I have just had a flick through Osprey's Aircrfat of The Aces book - a decent enough place to start i thought, and yet from the profiles you get the impression that 90% of the Spitfire pilots were Canadian, American etc etc. Hmmm, really???

 

annoyed,

 

Nick

[Radub]

Decals are a weird beast!

They are costly to print and slow to sell. They are a low-margin enterprise. That is the main reason why manufacturers are not rushing with decals. Sadly, posts on forums from people who say "you make it and I will buy it" is never a good gauge for interest. Once that guy buys the one item he requested, you are left with an attic full of decal sheets. I know that for a fact. My slowest selling products are those that were made "by special request"

I have enough artwork to fill a few decal sheets, and they could be out in 6 weeks, but I am really unwilling to invest up to 600 euro (or sometimes more) in a decal run only to sell 20 sheets. So, sadly, they are not a priority, especially these days when a poor investment can sink a business.

Radu

[nmayhew]

Decals are a weird beast!

They are costly to print and slow to sell. They are a low-margin enterprise. That is the main reason why manufacturers are not rushing with decals. Sadly, posts on forums from people who say "you make it and I will buy it" is never a good gauge for interest. Once that guy buys the one item he requested, you are left with an attic full of decal sheets. I know that for a fact. My slowest selling products are those that were made "by special request"

I have enough artwork to fill a few decal sheets, and they could be out in 6 weeks, but I am really unwilling to invest up to 600 euro (or sometimes more) in a decal run only to sell 20 sheets. So, sadly, they are not a priority, especially these days when a poor investment can sink a business.

Radu

 

i understand your point entirely Radu, and sympathise with you. However, surely someone such as yourself is actually in a BETTER position than the might of Aeromester etc?

 

I say this because you and your work are known and TRUSTED. Therefore, if it was a case of money "up front", you could command this where a large company could not ie you say i'm going to produce decal sheet "xyz" after discussing on here, but it only goes ahead if i get paid up front...

 

you also have the edge in that i'm sure aeromaster couldn't even get an email out in 6 weeks, let alone get the decals good to go.

 

just a thought, but certainly 1/32 scale seems to have a much more "club" feel, where everyone is a lot closer than say in 1/48, so maybe it would work...

 

just a thought, so please don't take it that i'm telling you how to run your affairs (oops! i am!! ).

 

kind regards,

 

Nick

[Kagemusha]

I'd settle for some code letter masks, Gators Mask have some listed, but from the graphic they look more like USAAF codes with they angular design: http://www.gatorsmask.com/aircraftmask.html

[R Palimaka]

I think that Radu has touched on the key to this. 1/32 decals are a bit of a risk, and decals themselves are a low profit margin item. Printing is expensive, and manufacturers are looking at sales patterns where the initial sales may be good, but then trail off and they sit with inventories of stuff that then trickles off the shelves after modellers have moved on to something else.

 

In the case of the Spitfire IX, the situation gets more complex. The kit is from a small manufacturer, and although beautiful, requires some building skill. It carries the perception that it is a short-run kit, I have no idea how many PCM has had produced. It's not a mass-produced Hasegawa/Tamiya/Trumpeter where the numbers produced might convince a decal manufacturer to take the risk to print. I bought 2 each of both of the PCM Spits, and will likely get one of the Mk.XVI versions (maybe two....just in case...) but I don't think that's the norm. In order to keep the final cost of a decal sheet down, you have to have a large enough print run to take advantage of a lower cost per unit. The trick is that if you don't sell as many as as you hope, you've already paid up front for the print run and may have lost money...or it will take a long time to recover it. Not a smart risk in these times.

 

So, much as we complain (me included) about no decal sheets available, we have to think about the manufacturer's view. Much as we are convinced that the decals we want printed would just fly off the shelves...we individually might buy one sheet and be satisfied, while the manufacturer would be stuck after the couple of hundred or so real enthusiasts have ordered.

 

All that being said, I think that there should be a strong market for Spitfire IX/XVI decals. My own interest is Polish and Canadian aircraft, and it sounds like there may be enough coming out to keep me happy, if Techmod does come through. That sounded selfish!! As for actual British pilots flying a British aircraft, I guess it's a matter of finding aircraft you are interested in seeing and bringing them to the attention of outfits like Hannants or Aviation Workshop. I think part of the reason that "foreigners" are so prevalent on decal sheets is that the markings for their aircraft seem to be more colourful and bold. To begin with they have their national markings, and then the individual squadron markings with kills and mission scoreboards. In the case of us "colonials" (including Americans) personal artwork was also seen. I'm sure that there must be British (and Welsh and Scottish) pilots with interesting schemes that would interest a decal manufacturer.

 

Sorry for the long rant...I had two coffees this morning and couldn't stop typing.

 

Cheers,

Richard

[Radub]

I'd settle for some code letter masks,

 

I do custom spraypaint masks. It is as unique and customised as it gets. You tell me what you want and I can do it for you. There are size limitations of course (some very small designs will never work), but we can cross that bridge when we get to it.

I have some regular customers, but I also get a zillion tyre kickers that can be frustratingly vague. The first question that anyone asks is "how much will it cost?" but they never say what exactly they want done. So, if anyone wants anything done, please be as detailed as possible when asking, otherwise the GIGO (G_arbage I_nput G_arbage O_utput) rule automatically kicks in.

Radu

[Steve C]

I think the 'real' reason we aren't seeing any decals for this kit is that it is a limited run from a non mainstream company. If it had been produced by Hasegawa, Tamiya, or Trumpeter then you could probably wall paper your house with all of the different decal sheets available. Sort of double edged sword. Yeah we get a good Spitfire in 1/32, but the decal manufactures aren't going to recognize it due to it's limited availability. Too bad really. Oh yeah you can get a 1/32 sheet for Clive Caldwell's Mk VIII from PacificSpitfires.com

[Kagemusha]

Dutch Decals: http://www.dutchprofile.nl/profile.php?id=36&bid=27

[rotary]

I think the 'real' reason we aren't seeing any decals for this kit is that it is a limited run from a non mainstream company. If it had been produced by Hasegawa, Tamiya, or Trumpeter then you could probably wall paper your house with all of the different decal sheets available. Sort of double edged sword. Yeah we get a good Spitfire in 1/32, but the decal manufactures aren't going to recognize it due to it's limited availability. Too bad really. Oh yeah you can get a 1/32 sheet for Clive Caldwell's Mk VIII from PacificSpitfires.com

good point steve---and richard ------probably the same reason why there is no glut of decals for the kinetic sabre.

dave.

[nmayhew]

I'm sure that there must be British (and Welsh and Scottish) pilots....

 

Cheers,

Richard

 

Hi,

 

Before any of our Celtic cousins, or indeed my fellow Anglo-Saxons are aroused into a fury, to clarify: if you are Welsh or Scottish, you are by default British. The same if you are English - you are also British, but British and English are not the same.

 

Nick

[nmayhew]

I do custom spraypaint masks. It is as unique and customised as it gets. You tell me what you want and I can do it for you. There are size limitations of course (some very small designs will never work), but we can cross that bridge when we get to it.

I have some regular customers, but I also get a zillion tyre kickers that can be frustratingly vague. The first question that anyone asks is "how much will it cost?" but they never say what exactly they want done. So, if anyone wants anything done, please be as detailed as possible when asking, otherwise the GIGO (G_arbage I_nput G_arbage O_utput) rule automatically kicks in.

Radu

 

Thanks Radu - I will certainly bear that in mind when i get "back on the wagon" (saving for new compressor at the moment),

 

The problem with masks is exactly what you highlight though - the small fiddly bit eg lots of unit insignia, personal markings etc are just not possible in masks - hence we're kind of back to square one.

 

Sorry, feeling "glass half empty" at the moment: i've sold off all my 1/48 kits and now realised that many of the projects i want to make in 1/32 (or larger) have major decal issues!

 

Kind regards,

 

Nick

[R Palimaka]

Hi,

 

Before any of our Celtic cousins, or indeed my fellow Anglo-Saxons are aroused into a fury, to clarify: if you are Welsh or Scottish, you are by default British. The same if you are English - you are also British, but British and English are not the same.

 

Nick

 

Sorry, certainly did not intend to offend anyone with that...especially with sensibilities already stung by the lack of decals.

[dennismcc]

I think the 'real' reason we aren't seeing any decals for this kit is that it is a limited run from a non mainstream company. If it had been produced by Hasegawa, Tamiya, or Trumpeter then you could probably wall paper your house with all of the different decal sheets available. Sort of double edged sword. Yeah we get a good Spitfire in 1/32, but the decal manufactures aren't going to recognize it due to it's limited availability. Too bad really. Oh yeah you can get a 1/32 sheet for Clive Caldwell's Mk VIII from PacificSpitfires.com

 

I think you may have it right there, currently I'm building a SH P-39D and at one point decided to finish it as an example in Soviet service, but there are no decals out there, which is pretty amazing.

Will see if the theory holds true when the PCM Ta 152 comes out.

 

Cheers

 

Den