The Little World

Not a difficult choice when the design is complicated.

Also not a tough decision when the decal sheet has something exactly as needed. There are any number of decal setting solutions today that will let you drape a design over a wet porcupine, so just take your time.

When it comes to bigger scales and simple patterns – RAF roundels or Japanese suns – the idea of painting them on is more attractive. If you can lay the shape out on a wing or fuselage, you can mask and spray with reasonable success.

My moment of indecision comes with anti-glare panels, wing walks, and broad stripes. You can go either way with these. The availability of decal sheets of plain black, white, or red also makes it easy to lay out and slice stripes and lines.

Mind you, the work to mask the panels is about equal to the effort to persuade a recalcitrant black wing line decal to lay straight. The advantage of the decal is that if it cannot be coerced into behaving, it can be washed right off without affecting the underlying paint job.