The Little World

Nodecal – the pill that makes you a better modeller.

One review of this Hobby Boss Wildcat kit bemoaned the fact that there were no decals for the wing or fuselage bands. The review also went on to complain about the proportions of the tail and the scribing in the wing surfaces.Now, I’m not a hermit or a recalcitrant – I can be bidden to change things. I sanded away a bit at the tail and filled in the wing-fold lines. I scraped and filled a machine gun mounting. And i carefully masked and painted my own ID bands.

The business of supplying every single marking that could possibly be found on the outer surface of a plane is one approach to it – Airfix and some of the better small-market kitters who get Cartograf to print for them can indulge in this. Yet time and again I have found their opinion on what might fit over the surface of a plane to be flawed. Decals can be too thick, too thin, under or over size, and out of register. Frankly, when an opportunity presents itself to use an airbrush instead of a decal. I like to take it.

The wing and fuselage bands are no-brainers. If the colour call-out is at all detailed, you can get your positioning right by counting engraved lines or features. Fortunately, Hobby Boss does quite decent call-outs -with Mr Hobby or Mr Color references and adequate detail.

Not completely accurate, however. The white nose band on the Grumman was missing from the call-out and a light gull grey engine cowling suggested. Nope – existing examples and original photos say different.

Note: I am proud of myself – I am getting enough control of the airbrush to be able to paint this sort of thing with minimal masking.