32020 5 Col Lozenge WNW Albatros D.V - comes with PINK ribtapes.
** The COLOURS below are indicative as they can vary depending on the settings of your own computer.**
Photo by James Fahey from review on Hyperscale
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32020 PINK
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! Please REMEMBER
to ADD a SINGLE P&P charge PER SHIPMENT of decals !
Single Option for 32020PINK - 5 Col Lozenges WNW Albatros D.V
This set comes with 2 separate booklets:
1:) The development and use of printed 4 and 5 colour “Flugzeugstoff” fabric on German aircraft in World War One, by Richard Andrews and Harry Green of theaviattic.com.
2:) ‘Lozenge’ Camouflage Instructions:
If you, dear modeller, are anything like the writer, then instructions are for reading after the event, either to find out where you went wrong (very unlikely!) or as a prelude to a letter of complaint or an internet forum post about how the product didn’t work as it was supposed to........ well, maybe for the first time in a long time (apart from devouring the gorgeous Wingnut Wings booklets), we ask that you.....PLEASE, Please, Read below!!!!
1:) The development and use of printed 4 and 5 colour “Flugzeugstoff” fabric on German aircraft in World War One, by Richard Andrews and Harry Green of theaviattic.com.
2:) ‘Lozenge’ Camouflage Instructions:
If you, dear modeller, are anything like the writer, then instructions are for reading after the event, either to find out where you went wrong (very unlikely!) or as a prelude to a letter of complaint or an internet forum post about how the product didn’t work as it was supposed to........ well, maybe for the first time in a long time (apart from devouring the gorgeous Wingnut Wings booklets), we ask that you.....PLEASE, Please, Read below!!!!
Painting
Make sure that the different aileron control pieces for the D.V or Va are fitted to the upper wing before painting. Don’t fit the radiators until after the covering is completed and mask the recesses for it on upper and lower surfaces before painting.
Paint and finish the wing roots of the lower wings in the main fuselage colour of your selected subject, either your favoured wood finish or whatever overall colour is appropriate – most D.Vs with coloured fuselages tended to have the wing root stubs painted to match. For wood finish, paint the metal panels on the upper surface in the recommended grey/green shade, including the long panel on the port wing inner edge. Mask off the completed wing roots. Mask off the attachment tabs before painting – Wingnut Wings parts have a very precise fit!
We recommend that you completely paint the parts to be covered, in a shade mixed to closely match the chosen rib tape colour, blue or pink. This colour is not absolutely necessary, but will be helpful in ensuring a continuous margin for the edge tapes, in the event of any slight misalignment in application. If preferred, a solid dark colour, such as a blue grey or dark grey, can be used.
Paint all the moulded-on ‘hardware’, which will be visible through the various cut-outs in the decals, in the grey/green shade. It isn’t necessary to mask all these small parts off, as the decal acts as a very precise mask, so slight overspray isn’t an issue, but the tidier the better, obviously. These parts include: all control surface hinges, the metal attachment brackets at the tailplane leading edge tips, lower wing inspection panels, strut attachment/rigging plates and the ‘pips’ on the upper surface of the wings, above the strut attachment points (these little blighters are a source of some potential problems later, so you could cut them off and drill holes for their later replacement with plastic rod or similar).
Now give a good gloss coat to all the parts to be decaled. This is a critical step with all decal work, but essential for these large area decals. We would recommend a compatible gloss varnish, or Johnson’s Klear/Future. Let everything dry thoroughly for a good 24 hours.
Environment, equipment and general preliminaries for applying the decals
Find yourself a quiet corner, (if you don’t have a modelling ‘cave’), banish household pets and children and beg your significant other for a few uninterrupted hours – cash in those accumulated Brownie points – you didn’t really want that new Tamiya Mustang anyway.... Take the phone off the hook, turn off the computer and put on your favourite “working” music and relax!
Clear the desk/bench (no, really, CLEAR IT UP!) and get set up for decaling. You should have the following to hand before starting:
· Cutting mat or other non-absorbent surface.
· Flat tweezers.
· A NEW and SHARP scalpel blade
· Container of clean warm water (a good capacity means that the water will remain warm for longer and you have some large pieces of decal to dunk).
· Decal setting solution (Micro set blue label is recommended) and a clean wide brush. Not absolutely necessary, but some form of wetting agent will be very helpful – a drop or two of dishwashing liquid in the decal water also works.
· Johnsons Klear/future and a small brush.
· Container of clean water for rinsing brushes
· A hair dryer
· Paper kitchen towel (not tissue – it sheds bits everywhere you don’t want them!)
· Fine sanding stick or flexi-file (preferred) with a fine abrasive
· A pair of clean hands!
General decal handling
Cut the individual pieces from the sheets, in particular cut them free of logos, titles, copyright legends etc., as these have a habit of finding their way onto your model with the decals...
Don’t cut the separate rib tapes out yet, only as you need them. They have a wide area of decal film around them; this is to prevent them ‘snaking’ or kinking and keeps them nice and straight, so don’t cut too close to the coloured decal.
When dipping the decals in the water, do so only for five or six seconds, then place on the cutting mat or a non-absorbent surface until they can be moved freely – 30 seconds or so is normally sufficient. Just enough time to brush on the setting solution, if you are using it.
Know your parts!
Note that the tail planes are handed and the right side one has a larger locating tab than the left, so be sure that the upper decal goes on the upper surface! The ailerons on the wings are also handed, so, again, make sure you know which side is up!
Application
With all the lozenge decal pieces, position the decal, still on its backing paper, hold the edge of the decal down with a finger tip and gently pull the backing paper out, leaving the decal as close to the final position as possible. NOTE that the largest decals will not always slide around easily once off the decal paper – they can be simply adjusted for minor alignment, but the whole decal may tend to “grab” and not take kindly to major shifts. If you have made a major positioning mistake it is better to carefully remove the decal with tweezers, put it back on the backing paper and re-apply; the decals are very strong but attempts at major movements when on the model may tear them.
Adjust the decal by moving with a finger tip, a little at a time. When you are completely happy with the decal’s position, press it down with a piece of paper kitchen towel along the trailing edge and work forward to the leading edge using finger tips and a piece of towel to smooth the decal and push out air and water bubbles, as needed.
Now comes the particular trick for getting a good finish; almost all the decals have a slight overhang at the edges of the kit parts and they are reluctant to fold over by themselves. As soon as each decal has been smoothed into its final position, apply a small brush of Future/Klear along the edge of the decal, working about two or three centimetres at a time and going a few mm under the decal, quickly wipe off any excess on both surfaces with a fingertip and apply heat from the hairdryer (always on the low heat setting) for ten to fifteen seconds – probably as much as your fingers can stand – then smooth the decal over the edge with finger and/or thumb, using a finger nail or cocktail stick to “persuade” the decal around hinges etc. If it is reluctant to fold over, apply a little more heat and/or Future/Klear.
This process is perhaps a little daunting at first reading, but it works very well and once you get into the rhythm of it, it is a very easy and satisfying process. Use this technique on all the pieces which overlap the edges of the kit parts. This does the same job as a decal softening solution but without the attendant risk of damage to the decal which can sometimes be caused - especially if using some of the more aggressive solutions. Note that decal softening solutions in general are NOT recommended. In particular, Humbrol Decalfix has a marked adverse effect on these and Wingnut Wings decals.
Upper Wing
Always start by aligning the trailing edge and work chord-wise to the leading edge from there, checking from time to time that the decal has not slipped forward from the trailing edge alignment.
Top Surface
Start with the left tip decal. The cut-outs in the decal trailing edge fit precisely around the aileron hinges and the broad trailing edge tape is designed to fold over into the aileron recess face; when aligning these it is useful to check from the other side of the wing to ensure that there is a consistent overhang along the edge of the recess, before smoothing the decal into place.
The double curvature at the leading edge corner requires two or three slits to be made with a sharp new blade along the centre line of the outermost rib tapes – about 10-15mm is sufficient. Briefly (no more than 10 to 15 seconds at a time) heating the decal with the hairdryer on a low heat setting will help the decal conform.
Now work across the wing, butting up the next piece to the join and matching the pattern over the wing rib, aligning the trailing edge at the same time.
This is where those moulded pips can prove troublesome, as they will tear the decal if it is moved across them in the positioning/smoothing process; try to avoid moving the decal after it is positioned and apply only direct downward pressure over the pips.
The slight, authentic, valleys between the ribs in the wing upper surface cause some initial wrinkling of the decal towards the front edge, but this works out as the decal is smoothed down and a little heat can also help the process.
Be careful when applying the next piece, as the large void for the radiator cut-out can be troublesome, so watch this carefully, particularly at the leading edge.
Next apply the other wing tip piece, using the same technique as for the first and finally add the two rib tapes (the longer ones on the decal sheets) over the joints between the decal pieces.
Lower Surface
The underside decals are much easier to apply, as there is no double curvature on the tip surface and little in the way of edge overlap. The sequence is slightly different to the top surface (see the colour illustrations), positioning is easier as the cut-outs for the strut locations aid correct location, although care should also be taken around the radiator cut-out, as for the upper surface.
When positioning the wing tip pieces, the critical alignment is around the wing tip, this may leave a small hairline gap at the junction with the inboard pieces, but this will be covered by the rib tape applied over this join.
Note that the central join is NOT covered with tape, so careful but-joining is essential here.
Lower Wings
Upper Surface
Start with the inboard piece, aligning the decal with the outer edge of the wooden wing root and the wing trailing edge, smoothing down when satisfied with the position.
The wing tip pieces are easier than the upper wing, as the curvature is less pronounced. Align the trailing edge and the edge against the first piece, and the cut-out for the strut location should fall exactly right, if necessary a small hairline gap at the joint with the inboard piece is not a problem, as the tape decal covers this area.
Lower surface
When the decals were originally designed, it was believed that the lower wing aileron pulley inspection hatches were only present on the D.Va and the Wingnut Wings instructions required their removal for the D.V kit. Accordingly, matching pieces of fabric are provided on the small underside decal sheet “D” to cover the taped surrounds and cut-outs on the lower wing decals for these hatches (they exactly match the fabric in these areas). It is now believed that many, if not the majority, of D.Vs also had these hatches, so their removal is not now believed to be necessary in most cases.
As with the upper surfaces, position the inboard sections first, ensuring that the hatches are aligned in the centre of their cut-outs and the decal is parallel to the trailing edge. Proceed with the wing-tip section, as for the upper surface, adding the rib tapes over the decal joint.
Ailerons
Apply the upper surface first, aligning the decal with the rear of the hinge cut-outs on the kit parts and using the technique described above to fold the decal over all around the edges. It is useful to check that there is consistent decal overhang of the decal by checking the aileron from the other side, against the light.
The lower surface has a much smaller overhang at the leading edge and should again be positioned with the rear of its hinge cut-outs aligning with the rear of the cut-out in the kit part.
Tail Planes
Apply the top surface first, aligning the front tip of the decal with the rear of the metal fixing plate on the tip of the kit part and the edge along the inboard edge, leaving just the very small decal film overhanging. The outer edge overhang can now be dealt with using Future/Klear and heat from the hairdryer, as previously outlined. If the decal has been carefully positioned a neat join will be apparent between the upper and lower pieces along this edge without the need for any touching up with paint. Repeat for the underside.
The tail plane roots top and bottom should be trimmed with a sharp new blade, cutting only in a downward direction a little at a time to remove the thin sliver of decal film, after the decal has been smoothed down.
Elevator
As with the ailerons, align the rear of the hinge cut-outs with the kit parts and when satisfied that the decal is in the correct position, with a consistent overhang, fold the edges over, starting with the leading edge and making a small cut in the corner of the elevator balance areas, then work around all the edges. Repeat for the underside.
Rudder
These decals are provided in both upper and lower fabric, the choice is yours. There seems to have been no particular convention and examples of both are found in the photographic record. Some rudders were painted white at the factory, it seems, as the Albatros logo transfer can be seen on some of these white-painted surfaces. Check your references for the machine being modelled.
After checking for consistent edge overhang and ensuring that the hinge cut-outs are correctly aligned, press the decal down and attend to the edges. Pay particular attention to the tip of the balance area when aligning the decal.
As for the tail planes, careful alignment and edge-folding should ensure a neat meeting of the decals along the centre-line of the rudder.
Cockpit rear bulkhead
As for the rudder, this oval decal is provided in both upper and lower colours, no convention exists as to which was applied and it is nearly always impossible to tell for a given machine, so use whichever you prefer.
The decal is sized to leave a consistent wooden edge around the bulkhead fabric, which was nailed to the wooden frame, its intention being to prevent the slipstream entering the rear fuselage and creating drag. As a consequence of air pressure, these panels acquired wrinkles in use and this can be simulated with some careful work with a scalpel blade and sandpaper on the plastic part before applying the decal, if desired.
Paint the kit part wood brown, picking out the lower longeron attachments in grey/green before applying the decal which has cut-outs for these and a flat bottom to match the part, so make sure it is the right way up!
Additional rib tapes
Some DV/Vas had additional tapes on the wings - inboard of the main struts on the lower wing, for instance. Additional tapes are provided should you need to add these – check your references!
Finish coating
When all your decals are in place, it is advisable to coat them with your preferred finish. Even if a glossy, factory-fresh finish is desired, we would still recommend this step. NOTE that in our trial application we tried Tamiya TS-13 spray can varnish and this reacted adversely with the decals, so it should not be used. Our preferred coating is the ubiquitous Klear/Future, with Tamiya flat-base paste added to give the required level of matting, but there are many others on the market.
Due to the number of different finishes available we have not tried them all, so we strongly recommend that you test your desired finish on one of the extra decals, applied to a piece of plastic card or a scrap part, painted with a similar base treatment to your model.
Weathering and texturing
As Richard explains in his accompanying essay, the dying of the original fabric was done with roller printing, giving a translucent, textured appearance, impossible (so far...) to reproduce with screen printed decals. The doping and varnishing of the original fabric also changed the appearance, especially if a tinted varnish was used.
In addition, the hard life of operational aeroplanes had its effects, rain, mud, oil and fuel adding a patina in various areas.
The ways in which modellers set about reproducing these effects are many and varied and we look forward to seeing how tinted varnishes, Tamiya “smoke”, filters, washes and weathering powders can be used – we’ll be trying a few different ideas ourselves in the future, but for now the photographs of our test pieces attached show them unadorned by any finish at all.
Masking
We strongly advise against using any sort of masking, be it tape, Bluetac or any other medium on the decaled surfaces, even after varnish coating. It will almost inevitably pull off portions of the decal on removal.
Problems, mishaps and disasters
Whilst we have tried these decals and found the experience simple and enjoyable, we are aware that this is a new departure, even for those experienced in the normal lozenge decal process. We are very conscious of the large amount of time and effort modellers put into their projects and will do whatever we can to rescue you from any disasters, irrespective of whose fault they may be!
If you encounter any problems with the use of these decals, please contact us at our email address and we will endeavour to assist. If provided with (preferably) photographic evidence or a description of your particular difficulties, we will be happy to provide replacements for any damaged pieces, if necessary.
Thank you for buying these new decals from Pheon, they have been something of a labour of love to create. If they are sufficiently successful, you can look forward to further sets for individual types, already we have several in the design stage and will also be covering four-colour fabric, where appropriate. Bring on those Wingnut Wings Fokker D.VIIs!
Make sure that the different aileron control pieces for the D.V or Va are fitted to the upper wing before painting. Don’t fit the radiators until after the covering is completed and mask the recesses for it on upper and lower surfaces before painting.
Paint and finish the wing roots of the lower wings in the main fuselage colour of your selected subject, either your favoured wood finish or whatever overall colour is appropriate – most D.Vs with coloured fuselages tended to have the wing root stubs painted to match. For wood finish, paint the metal panels on the upper surface in the recommended grey/green shade, including the long panel on the port wing inner edge. Mask off the completed wing roots. Mask off the attachment tabs before painting – Wingnut Wings parts have a very precise fit!
We recommend that you completely paint the parts to be covered, in a shade mixed to closely match the chosen rib tape colour, blue or pink. This colour is not absolutely necessary, but will be helpful in ensuring a continuous margin for the edge tapes, in the event of any slight misalignment in application. If preferred, a solid dark colour, such as a blue grey or dark grey, can be used.
Paint all the moulded-on ‘hardware’, which will be visible through the various cut-outs in the decals, in the grey/green shade. It isn’t necessary to mask all these small parts off, as the decal acts as a very precise mask, so slight overspray isn’t an issue, but the tidier the better, obviously. These parts include: all control surface hinges, the metal attachment brackets at the tailplane leading edge tips, lower wing inspection panels, strut attachment/rigging plates and the ‘pips’ on the upper surface of the wings, above the strut attachment points (these little blighters are a source of some potential problems later, so you could cut them off and drill holes for their later replacement with plastic rod or similar).
Now give a good gloss coat to all the parts to be decaled. This is a critical step with all decal work, but essential for these large area decals. We would recommend a compatible gloss varnish, or Johnson’s Klear/Future. Let everything dry thoroughly for a good 24 hours.
Environment, equipment and general preliminaries for applying the decals
Find yourself a quiet corner, (if you don’t have a modelling ‘cave’), banish household pets and children and beg your significant other for a few uninterrupted hours – cash in those accumulated Brownie points – you didn’t really want that new Tamiya Mustang anyway.... Take the phone off the hook, turn off the computer and put on your favourite “working” music and relax!
Clear the desk/bench (no, really, CLEAR IT UP!) and get set up for decaling. You should have the following to hand before starting:
· Cutting mat or other non-absorbent surface.
· Flat tweezers.
· A NEW and SHARP scalpel blade
· Container of clean warm water (a good capacity means that the water will remain warm for longer and you have some large pieces of decal to dunk).
· Decal setting solution (Micro set blue label is recommended) and a clean wide brush. Not absolutely necessary, but some form of wetting agent will be very helpful – a drop or two of dishwashing liquid in the decal water also works.
· Johnsons Klear/future and a small brush.
· Container of clean water for rinsing brushes
· A hair dryer
· Paper kitchen towel (not tissue – it sheds bits everywhere you don’t want them!)
· Fine sanding stick or flexi-file (preferred) with a fine abrasive
· A pair of clean hands!
General decal handling
Cut the individual pieces from the sheets, in particular cut them free of logos, titles, copyright legends etc., as these have a habit of finding their way onto your model with the decals...
Don’t cut the separate rib tapes out yet, only as you need them. They have a wide area of decal film around them; this is to prevent them ‘snaking’ or kinking and keeps them nice and straight, so don’t cut too close to the coloured decal.
When dipping the decals in the water, do so only for five or six seconds, then place on the cutting mat or a non-absorbent surface until they can be moved freely – 30 seconds or so is normally sufficient. Just enough time to brush on the setting solution, if you are using it.
Know your parts!
Note that the tail planes are handed and the right side one has a larger locating tab than the left, so be sure that the upper decal goes on the upper surface! The ailerons on the wings are also handed, so, again, make sure you know which side is up!
Application
With all the lozenge decal pieces, position the decal, still on its backing paper, hold the edge of the decal down with a finger tip and gently pull the backing paper out, leaving the decal as close to the final position as possible. NOTE that the largest decals will not always slide around easily once off the decal paper – they can be simply adjusted for minor alignment, but the whole decal may tend to “grab” and not take kindly to major shifts. If you have made a major positioning mistake it is better to carefully remove the decal with tweezers, put it back on the backing paper and re-apply; the decals are very strong but attempts at major movements when on the model may tear them.
Adjust the decal by moving with a finger tip, a little at a time. When you are completely happy with the decal’s position, press it down with a piece of paper kitchen towel along the trailing edge and work forward to the leading edge using finger tips and a piece of towel to smooth the decal and push out air and water bubbles, as needed.
Now comes the particular trick for getting a good finish; almost all the decals have a slight overhang at the edges of the kit parts and they are reluctant to fold over by themselves. As soon as each decal has been smoothed into its final position, apply a small brush of Future/Klear along the edge of the decal, working about two or three centimetres at a time and going a few mm under the decal, quickly wipe off any excess on both surfaces with a fingertip and apply heat from the hairdryer (always on the low heat setting) for ten to fifteen seconds – probably as much as your fingers can stand – then smooth the decal over the edge with finger and/or thumb, using a finger nail or cocktail stick to “persuade” the decal around hinges etc. If it is reluctant to fold over, apply a little more heat and/or Future/Klear.
This process is perhaps a little daunting at first reading, but it works very well and once you get into the rhythm of it, it is a very easy and satisfying process. Use this technique on all the pieces which overlap the edges of the kit parts. This does the same job as a decal softening solution but without the attendant risk of damage to the decal which can sometimes be caused - especially if using some of the more aggressive solutions. Note that decal softening solutions in general are NOT recommended. In particular, Humbrol Decalfix has a marked adverse effect on these and Wingnut Wings decals.
Upper Wing
Always start by aligning the trailing edge and work chord-wise to the leading edge from there, checking from time to time that the decal has not slipped forward from the trailing edge alignment.
Top Surface
Start with the left tip decal. The cut-outs in the decal trailing edge fit precisely around the aileron hinges and the broad trailing edge tape is designed to fold over into the aileron recess face; when aligning these it is useful to check from the other side of the wing to ensure that there is a consistent overhang along the edge of the recess, before smoothing the decal into place.
The double curvature at the leading edge corner requires two or three slits to be made with a sharp new blade along the centre line of the outermost rib tapes – about 10-15mm is sufficient. Briefly (no more than 10 to 15 seconds at a time) heating the decal with the hairdryer on a low heat setting will help the decal conform.
Now work across the wing, butting up the next piece to the join and matching the pattern over the wing rib, aligning the trailing edge at the same time.
This is where those moulded pips can prove troublesome, as they will tear the decal if it is moved across them in the positioning/smoothing process; try to avoid moving the decal after it is positioned and apply only direct downward pressure over the pips.
The slight, authentic, valleys between the ribs in the wing upper surface cause some initial wrinkling of the decal towards the front edge, but this works out as the decal is smoothed down and a little heat can also help the process.
Be careful when applying the next piece, as the large void for the radiator cut-out can be troublesome, so watch this carefully, particularly at the leading edge.
Next apply the other wing tip piece, using the same technique as for the first and finally add the two rib tapes (the longer ones on the decal sheets) over the joints between the decal pieces.
Lower Surface
The underside decals are much easier to apply, as there is no double curvature on the tip surface and little in the way of edge overlap. The sequence is slightly different to the top surface (see the colour illustrations), positioning is easier as the cut-outs for the strut locations aid correct location, although care should also be taken around the radiator cut-out, as for the upper surface.
When positioning the wing tip pieces, the critical alignment is around the wing tip, this may leave a small hairline gap at the junction with the inboard pieces, but this will be covered by the rib tape applied over this join.
Note that the central join is NOT covered with tape, so careful but-joining is essential here.
Lower Wings
Upper Surface
Start with the inboard piece, aligning the decal with the outer edge of the wooden wing root and the wing trailing edge, smoothing down when satisfied with the position.
The wing tip pieces are easier than the upper wing, as the curvature is less pronounced. Align the trailing edge and the edge against the first piece, and the cut-out for the strut location should fall exactly right, if necessary a small hairline gap at the joint with the inboard piece is not a problem, as the tape decal covers this area.
Lower surface
When the decals were originally designed, it was believed that the lower wing aileron pulley inspection hatches were only present on the D.Va and the Wingnut Wings instructions required their removal for the D.V kit. Accordingly, matching pieces of fabric are provided on the small underside decal sheet “D” to cover the taped surrounds and cut-outs on the lower wing decals for these hatches (they exactly match the fabric in these areas). It is now believed that many, if not the majority, of D.Vs also had these hatches, so their removal is not now believed to be necessary in most cases.
As with the upper surfaces, position the inboard sections first, ensuring that the hatches are aligned in the centre of their cut-outs and the decal is parallel to the trailing edge. Proceed with the wing-tip section, as for the upper surface, adding the rib tapes over the decal joint.
Ailerons
Apply the upper surface first, aligning the decal with the rear of the hinge cut-outs on the kit parts and using the technique described above to fold the decal over all around the edges. It is useful to check that there is consistent decal overhang of the decal by checking the aileron from the other side, against the light.
The lower surface has a much smaller overhang at the leading edge and should again be positioned with the rear of its hinge cut-outs aligning with the rear of the cut-out in the kit part.
Tail Planes
Apply the top surface first, aligning the front tip of the decal with the rear of the metal fixing plate on the tip of the kit part and the edge along the inboard edge, leaving just the very small decal film overhanging. The outer edge overhang can now be dealt with using Future/Klear and heat from the hairdryer, as previously outlined. If the decal has been carefully positioned a neat join will be apparent between the upper and lower pieces along this edge without the need for any touching up with paint. Repeat for the underside.
The tail plane roots top and bottom should be trimmed with a sharp new blade, cutting only in a downward direction a little at a time to remove the thin sliver of decal film, after the decal has been smoothed down.
Elevator
As with the ailerons, align the rear of the hinge cut-outs with the kit parts and when satisfied that the decal is in the correct position, with a consistent overhang, fold the edges over, starting with the leading edge and making a small cut in the corner of the elevator balance areas, then work around all the edges. Repeat for the underside.
Rudder
These decals are provided in both upper and lower fabric, the choice is yours. There seems to have been no particular convention and examples of both are found in the photographic record. Some rudders were painted white at the factory, it seems, as the Albatros logo transfer can be seen on some of these white-painted surfaces. Check your references for the machine being modelled.
After checking for consistent edge overhang and ensuring that the hinge cut-outs are correctly aligned, press the decal down and attend to the edges. Pay particular attention to the tip of the balance area when aligning the decal.
As for the tail planes, careful alignment and edge-folding should ensure a neat meeting of the decals along the centre-line of the rudder.
Cockpit rear bulkhead
As for the rudder, this oval decal is provided in both upper and lower colours, no convention exists as to which was applied and it is nearly always impossible to tell for a given machine, so use whichever you prefer.
The decal is sized to leave a consistent wooden edge around the bulkhead fabric, which was nailed to the wooden frame, its intention being to prevent the slipstream entering the rear fuselage and creating drag. As a consequence of air pressure, these panels acquired wrinkles in use and this can be simulated with some careful work with a scalpel blade and sandpaper on the plastic part before applying the decal, if desired.
Paint the kit part wood brown, picking out the lower longeron attachments in grey/green before applying the decal which has cut-outs for these and a flat bottom to match the part, so make sure it is the right way up!
Additional rib tapes
Some DV/Vas had additional tapes on the wings - inboard of the main struts on the lower wing, for instance. Additional tapes are provided should you need to add these – check your references!
Finish coating
When all your decals are in place, it is advisable to coat them with your preferred finish. Even if a glossy, factory-fresh finish is desired, we would still recommend this step. NOTE that in our trial application we tried Tamiya TS-13 spray can varnish and this reacted adversely with the decals, so it should not be used. Our preferred coating is the ubiquitous Klear/Future, with Tamiya flat-base paste added to give the required level of matting, but there are many others on the market.
Due to the number of different finishes available we have not tried them all, so we strongly recommend that you test your desired finish on one of the extra decals, applied to a piece of plastic card or a scrap part, painted with a similar base treatment to your model.
Weathering and texturing
As Richard explains in his accompanying essay, the dying of the original fabric was done with roller printing, giving a translucent, textured appearance, impossible (so far...) to reproduce with screen printed decals. The doping and varnishing of the original fabric also changed the appearance, especially if a tinted varnish was used.
In addition, the hard life of operational aeroplanes had its effects, rain, mud, oil and fuel adding a patina in various areas.
The ways in which modellers set about reproducing these effects are many and varied and we look forward to seeing how tinted varnishes, Tamiya “smoke”, filters, washes and weathering powders can be used – we’ll be trying a few different ideas ourselves in the future, but for now the photographs of our test pieces attached show them unadorned by any finish at all.
Masking
We strongly advise against using any sort of masking, be it tape, Bluetac or any other medium on the decaled surfaces, even after varnish coating. It will almost inevitably pull off portions of the decal on removal.
Problems, mishaps and disasters
Whilst we have tried these decals and found the experience simple and enjoyable, we are aware that this is a new departure, even for those experienced in the normal lozenge decal process. We are very conscious of the large amount of time and effort modellers put into their projects and will do whatever we can to rescue you from any disasters, irrespective of whose fault they may be!
If you encounter any problems with the use of these decals, please contact us at our email address and we will endeavour to assist. If provided with (preferably) photographic evidence or a description of your particular difficulties, we will be happy to provide replacements for any damaged pieces, if necessary.
Thank you for buying these new decals from Pheon, they have been something of a labour of love to create. If they are sufficiently successful, you can look forward to further sets for individual types, already we have several in the design stage and will also be covering four-colour fabric, where appropriate. Bring on those Wingnut Wings Fokker D.VIIs!
