Hobby Decal

1/48 P-47 7.5 inch Dry Transfer Tail Codes

Product # TC48001V1 

Product Article by Steve Bamford on Mar 26 2013

 

 

This new decal sheet from Hobby Decal includes dry transfer 7.5 inch Tail Codes for the 1/48 P-47.  Full sized 1/1 aircraft have their markings painted on using paint stencils.  Regular decals are ink printed on a clear carrier film....which is fine, but they are not as accurate in look and application as dry transfers.  

Dry transfers are reverse printed on a  temporary clear film.  When you apply the stencils you lay the back of the stencils on the painted surface of the model and then burnish (rub) them down through the clear temporary carrier film.  The dry transfer sticks to the model and dis-engages from the clear carrier film.  The beauty of dry transfers is on models with bare metal finishes.  On bare metal finishes you do not have any clear carrier film as you would have with regular decals.  The decals are beautifully printed on 1 decal sheet.  One complete set of stencils is included on this decal sheet.

Click on images below to see larger images

The dry transfers are very clearly printed and will replicate the actual tail codes on the 1/1 P-47 perfectly.  

These dry transfer stencils are very clearly printed and you will be impressed.  To apply the dry transfers you need a rounded tool to rub the clear carrier film to burnish the dry transfer top the painted surface of the model.  Above is the tool sent to me by Hobby Decal....my wife recognized this as a Crochet needle....a type of knitting.

The instructions are clear and include drawings showing tail code marking placement.  Plus a cardboard page which includes 8 steps of instructions with drawings and text instructions.  This page is cardboard to give protection to the product and avoid bending during shipping.  The Hobby Decal website also has instructions on installing dry transfers. 

If you want maximum realism.......then try these dry transfers, you will be impressed....and for a bare metal finish there really is no substitute for dry transfer stencils.  Hobby Decal has a variety of dry transfers for a large variety of aircraft. 

Steve Bamford

      

Photos and text © by Steve Bamford