HobbyDecal 1/32
Fw 190D Stencils

After reviewing the HobbyDecal stencil sheet for the F-15E Mud Hen (review here), I learned that they had also released the stencils for the Fw 190D in 1/24 and 1/32. I popped over to the Design & Marketing International website and ordered a set for an upcoming project.

The compete set of stencils are provided on one sheet of dry transfers printed in full color. A clearly printed instruction sheet is provided to show where all of these stencils go on the typical airframe. One instruction missing is the placement of the drop tank warning stencil, two of which are provided on the sheet - one in black, the other in red.

So why would you want to use these dry transfers instead of decals that are usually half the price? Two reasons - time and precision. When you use waterslide decals, you can only apply so many at a time before you run the risk of damaging or moving some while applying more. All you can do is stop after so many, wait for the 30-60 minutes for them to dry, then press on. With dry transfers, once they're rubbed into place, they're done. You can keep going as long as your attention span holds out.

As for precision, waterslide decals sometimes have a tendency to float if you haven't completely dried out the surrounding fluids. You might find a marking or two that have migrated into a new position or attitude before drying. Worse yet, the more decals you apply, the greater the chances for silvering - a decal that didn't properly adhere to the surface of the model. Against the backdrop of the dark RLM colors on the upper surfaces of the aircraft, any silvered decal would telegraph its presence to the casual observer. With dry transfers, there is never an issue with moving markings nor silvering. As with most computer programs you see these days, what you see is what you get.

If you want to go to the trouble of adding all of those maintenance stencils without the risks associated with conventional decals, these nice dry transfers are your ticket to success. Highly recommended!

I purchased my set online from Design & Marketing International.