I have heard alot of things about Tamiya’s decals. Some are positive and others are negative. I have thought about buying AM decals, but since it sounds like some of Tamiya’s decals are OK, I’m wondering if I should use the kit decals. I have Tamiya’s F4F Wildcat. Has anyone built this model and what would you recommend: AM or kit decals?[%-)]
Its been my experience that Tamiya decals are too thick and difficult to apply. I suggest some thinner, more solvent-ready AM decals.
I have the Tamiya kit also and elected to use aftermarket decals rather than take chances with the kit offering. The aftermarket decals give you more in the line of service and warning stencils.
I agree with the votes for Aftermarket decals. Much higher quality & variety than the kit offerings.
Regards, Rick
While I have used some Tamiya decals, I almost always go AM for the large roundels and national insignia . It seems those decals from Tamiya kits have more of a problem than others… (some do some don’t but not worth the chance to me) I do the AM thing. As they almost always have several AC on the same page there are extras if I decide to do another build too!
As for the kit, if it is the first Tamiya F4F you’ve built, I think you will be pleasantly surprised… not a lot of filling and sanding… The only part to be careful of is when you assemble the undercarriage, lay the parts out just like in the diagram, i.e. the end of the part away from you in the diagram should be away from you on the table. There’s a ton of little slots and stuff and it’s easy to put one on backwards and not realize it till the NEXT part needs to be glued in.
—edit—
if you haven’t already built it and you plan on getting AM decals, check out www.greatmodels.com and look at the Ultracast seats for the Wildcat (do a search for “ultracast wildcat” for the F4F-4 like the Tamiya kit, the late war seats would work. They add a LOT to the AC without going to a big expense (about $5.00 for 2 seats) and once it’s closed up it’s about the most you can see anyway. A worthwhile investment!! if they are still on special order at greatmodels (meaning it might be a month or two till it gets in) you can get them from www.rollmodels.com and they are on sale right now! (just ordered me a set for my current wildcat build) Personally I think the harnesses on the Ultracast seats look more realistic than the PE harnesses. And a lot less than buying a whole sheet of PE just for belts!!
Good luck!!!
i agree with the above comments, and use aftermarket decals when funds permit. however i built the tamiya F4F and used the kit decals with good results. they went down nice and smooth with a couple of coats of microsol. they look really good with all the rivet detail.
TOM
Probably should have mentioned this ealier but there is a review on my site of the Tamiya kit along with the Ultracast seats, AM decals, KMC PE and lists of other accessories.
http://www.swannysmodels.com/F4F.html
I’d love to see a pic when you finish it, Swanny[8D]
I keep wanting to put it on the workbench next but something else always seems to crowd it back into the stash.
On WW II Navy planes like the Wildcat, have you considered painting the insignia on? Since there were so few markings, why not get Eduard’s national insignia masks. They are cheaper than decals, and since they are now made of that yellow Tamiya tape, they stick wonderfully. I have a set of the old style for an F4F, for which I have no kit, but they are in 1/32. Eduard and other companies (Try EZ Mask for numbers and markings, too. Everything they sell is outstanding and reasonably priced, including a vast line of canopy masks.) You’ll need to get the stencils from a decal sheet, and any ancillary markings, but painting white stars and bars on using adhesive stencils is not hard and it shouldn’t be intimidating. And Japanese Hinamarus, even those with the white surround, are easy to paint, and look a lot better than decals, as do painted-on German crosses. Eduard makes all the above, and I’m sure there are other companies that do as well. The Zero I’m working on now is being done entirely with painted on national markings and dry-transfer stencils and striping. I’m building the model with no water-slide decals, except possibly the unit insignia on the tail.
TOM
To be honest guys,
I’ve done several tamiya kits with no decal problems…With a good coat of future and some setting solution if necessary they should go on fine…With that said…
Many manufactures have great aftermarket decals with nice extras…and lately I’ve been choosing my kits based on the decals I’d like to see on them first…For example…I bought a great sheet of aftermarket A-7 decals and then picked up the hasegawa offering to build…
If you don’t mind the money the aftermarket decals are fun to work with and find…
Hasegawa decals seem to go a little further than tamiya for some reason in quality…I’m sure if you use your tamiya F4F decals they’ll be fine…Just use a nice glossy coat. They are more thick and as a result, some of the larger decals may need more special attention…
Good luck with your kit.
Tank
I am building this Tamiya kit as an F4F-3 (silver fusilage and wing unders, chrome yellow wing uppers, green tail ), and I used the Tamiya decals for the stars, and not only did I NOT find them on the “heavy” side, I found them to snuggle down so fast, when I tried to peel off one later, it would not budge! I tried adhesive tape, everything short of removing the paint, and the markings will not flake,peel, or anything!
Now I am considering franky painting over the two I wish to relocate, and simply using the two extras I have in the set.
I have used aeromaster decals also, and I do not find them any better then Tamiya’s for this kit or the Bf-109e I built.
Tom [C):-)]
Yea, I’ve also had the same success with tamiya decals. Sometimes you just get unlucky with this stuff…and sometimes it all works out the way it was intended…I always like to remember that we build and paint these machines in a more perfect fashion than the real ones…still however, it’s nice to have a quality piece you can be proud of…
Glad it seems to be working out for you…if you paint over the decals you might find they pull up later…it’s hard to say what might happen…sanding them is an option which will of course upset your paint job…
Good luck,
Tank
I just completed the Tamiya kit and would rate it 110%. EXCEPT FOR THE BLOODY DECALS! I used solvaset, vinigar, more solvaset, and then Future. Still they seemed to look thick and out of scale. Even ended up with some silvering.
Scott
Thanks guys. I plan to put a lot of work into this one. I’d hate to do a lot of research, use a bunch of resin and PE, and spend a lot of time on the paint and the weathering only to use decals that look unrealistic. That would ruin the whole model![V] Since I don’t plan to put this much work into all my models, I guess I could afford some AM decals.
I’m close to finishing my B-24 (it seems like I’ve been saying that for a long time now) and then I’ll start the F4F. I know if start it now, I won’t want to finish the B-24. I put the decals on the bombs (you know the proses; future, decals w/micro set / sol, future, and then something flat to kill the shine) and now I’m waiting for the future so cure. After that, I’ll spray it with something flat and wait for that to dry. Then I can begin gluing the thing together. Man, this thing may take to the end of the month to finish [:-^]
If you’re going to do an early F4F, I highly recommend Yellow-Wings Decals. They are resonably priced and the company is so specialized (the name says it all: between the wars US Navy planes only), and owner Wayne Tevlin does unbelievable research, using the National Archives as well as research sources most modelers have never dreamed of. And, the decals are perfectly thin, the colors are dead on and the register is always perfect.
As for the Tamiya decals, unlike most Hasegawa decals I’ve dealt with, Tamiya’s don’t go on as thickly as they look on the sheet. However, I’ve also found in general that you’d better put them in exactly the right place the first time, because the instant they touch the surface, they stick, and to pull them up and move them is to destroy them. I’ve wasted a half-bottle of Micro Set trying to get a Tamiya decal moved into the right position, only to have it end up as always: torn to pieces. So, I don’t even consider using them.
TOM
Well, it sounds like AM is the best way to go. That’s just what I’ll do.[:D]