1:32 Finnish Air Force Swastikas and Serials 1944-45

Finnish national insignia in the late form

Finnish military aircraft had carried the blue hooked cross since 1918, that is long before the same shape spread through central Europe. It reached the Finnish Air Force as the personal good luck mark of a Swedish nobleman who gave the young country its first aircraft, and it shares no origin with the later German symbolism. In the last years of the war the cross was painted on a circular field in a light gray shade, and it is exactly this form of the markings that the sheet covers.

What the sheet offers

The set is laid out on three large sheets. One carries the national insignia themselves in seven diameters, so it covers the fuselage as well as the upper and lower wing surfaces and can be used on several types of Finnish equipment. The remaining two sheets consist of an alphabet and numerals printed in black for serial markings. The range of letters and numerals makes the sheet a universal accessory: the builder assembles the code of a particular machine himself, without having to hunt for a further set. The printing is deep and the edges of the cross hold a sharp line even at the smallest diameters, which shows mainly on the spine of the fuselage, where the insignia lies close to engraved panel lines.

Working with the decals

The area under a decal has to be smooth and glossy, otherwise a matte edge will remain around the film. Once soaked in water, the insignia slides off the paper, is moved into place, the excess water is soaked up, and once dry the whole is covered with matte varnish. The large crosses on the wings take a decal softener, which draws them into the engraved grooves. The package holds decals only; the model itself and paints are not part of it. It is sensible to cut the letters and numerals out one at a time and lay them out dry on a strip of paper, so that the spacing in the code comes out even.