Can any one put me in line with a company that has a large selection of aircraft decals? I have started working on my stash of aircraft that I have been collecting for about 8 years some of the kits are over 30 years old and I have tryed to save them with different sprays and solvents with no luck. And some I have out right lost. My kits are 1/72 scale and some 1/44 airliners. Thanks J.
you might want to try a search of your specific plane on the main online hobby shops. Try Squadron, Sprue Brothers, Great Models, Lucky Models, etc. Every now and again they will have some great discounts on decal sheets (sometimes selling them for only $2.00 !)
Hannants in the UK has a large selection of decals, and many times some older stuff not available in other places. Their shipping to the US is usually pretty fast too. (Plus it’s always cool to get something marked “Royal Mail!”)
What kind of planes? What scales?
There are alot of differant answers to your question.
Stated in 1st post 1/72 and 1/144 scale Too many A/C to list from bi planes to modern jets Just looking for different options.
HAve you tried using Testor’s Decal Bonder to save old decals? I use t for that, plus for finishing the decals I print out on decal paper… The stuff’s designed to work for that, but has saved many an old sheet from splintering as well… It’s much more flexible that any type of clear coat you could spray over a sheet…
Thanks Hammder I will try the Testors decl bonder next time I place a paint order. Can you explain what/ how you mean about printing out on decal paper I have never done that thanks
I just grab a sheet of decal paper and print out my own decals on an ink-jet printer. I don’t have PhotoShop, so I use MS Paint or paste a particular bit of nose-art and “pilot name” decals into the window, then hit “print”. Once the decals are dry (takes about 3-4 minutes to be sure), I cut out the decals and spray them with the Decal Bonder. You just have to make sure that the stuff doesn’t get on the back of the paper, or the decal wil be forever entombed…
Decal paper comes in both clear and white. I get mine at Hobby Lobby… Costs about ten bucks for a pack of three sheets. Use the white for opaque art. You can also make the background color match (almost) the color of model’s paint by using the color mixing palatte in MS Paint. But ALWAYS test print on plain paper until it’s good enough for ya… And leave it as a Bitmap… A jpeg will lose color and clarity…
I also use it to make rank and unit patches for 1/35th scale figures…
how do you save as a bitmap? whats the difference between that and a Jpeg?
Owl,
To save as a BITMAP, you use the “save as” option and use .BMP as your file extension. In answer to your other question,
JPEG and BMP image types use different programs and algorithms to record and store the data. The BMP (bitmap) is the older format while the JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format is more recent.
One difference between a JPEG and a BMP file is that the bitmap file is larger in size. This is due to the JPEG file being compressed which in turn causes a loss in picture quality.
All the best
Ray
You can get plenty of good 1/72 decals on ebay, the best two types to get are the now out of business aeromaster and teh polish firm techmod.
You can usually get a set for about 10 dollars plus shipping, let me show you a few examples of my recent usage of them:
Techmod 1/72 BF 109G decals;
decals on a airfix 109 (modified G-6 backdated to a g-2)
Another example
Techmod 1/72 P-40N decals
On a hasegawa P-40N
