Hi everyone,
I just got to the decal stage on my 1/48 Tamiya Korean war P51 and found that the decals just disintegrate when dipped in water. They looked a little roughly printed and although we all know that Tamiya’s decals are less than great, these are the worst I have ever used. They literally just fall apart in the water. Did I just get a bad set or does this particular kit have bad decals as a rule? Is there after market decal sets for all the stencilling for a P51. I have after market decals for an Aussie bird but the kit stencilling (For around fuel caps and panels etc) is unusable. Any Ideas appreciated. thanks.
Sounds like you got a bad set. I built that kit a year or so ago without any problems. Plenty of great aftermarket decals out there - look at Eagle Strike for possible replacements.
Yeh, I had the same problem with the mustang III, I get them to send me a second set and between the two of them managed to get them all on, but I sure as heck wouldn’t try doing that again, that’s way more frustration than I really need.
I’m really a newbie here and I haven’t tried this but would overcoating the decals whilst still on the sheet give them a bit more strength. Maybe a coat of Future?
G’day fellas, I just got a new set of P51 stencils from squadron (Great service, only took about 6 days from US to Oz). Interestingly, I just read Scott Van Aiken’s review of the Tamiya Korean War kit in the P51 “Aircraft of the week” thread and he had the same issues with the original decal set in the kit, then again with a set from an identical second kit, and then again after Tamiya sent him a replacement set. Hmmm, so it seems I didn’t get an isolated bad set at all. So for anyone building a Korean War bird from this kit I would suggest you get after market decals and stencils right from the start.
In my opinion, the hands-down, no arguments, greatest source for any type of stenciling are the dry transfers from HobbyDecal, a Korean firm. The guy who runs it goes to what we would consider insane lengths to get his stencils, stripes and other secondary markings accurate. And, they can be applied drirectly to the grainiest matte finish with no silvering. And with a magnifying glass, HD stencils are so sharp you can read them easily.
Now, Kim, the owner, is beginning to put out sheets for entire aircraft (beginning with a sheet for an F/A-18F from VFA-103 “Jolly Rogers,” including squadron markings. This sheet includes markings for two identifcal models, one in 1/72 and the other in1/48 scale.
And the only place to get an even close to accurate set of stencils for a Zero is from HobbyDecal. No other decals, where the Zero in particular is concerned, can hold a candle to HobbyDecal, whose sheet was designed by Ryan Toews (he and his research can be found on jaircraft.com, the last word on anything Japanese that flies).
Find HobbyDecal at www.hobbydecal.com and the Mustang stencils (and stencils for many other types) come in every scale up to and including 1/24.
And, no, I’m not a paid spokesman for them. I just get excited when I see someone take a chance on a new product since modeling is so conservative when it comes to innovation, especially, and probably because, money is so tight.
TOM