1:48 Avro Lancaster Stencilling and RAF Roundels

The lettering that makes a Lancaster

The British night bomber was not just a black airframe with an elevator. Dozens of small instructions for the ground personnel were crowded onto its skin and each of them had its reason. Without them even a superbly built model looks like an empty silhouette; with them it finally starts to look like a working machine.

This sheet brings exactly that kind of equipment. On it you will find the walkway lines on the wing with instructions on where one may and may not walk, the warning lettering by the emergency release of the life raft, the marks for positioning jacks, the places for fitting supports, the notices by the access to the engine nacelles in case of fire, and the marking of the fuel tanks including the octane number. Beside them it contains Royal Air Force roundels and the markings on the vertical tail surface, that is, elements that recur on the model in several sizes.

Working from the large to the small

• technical stencils, walkway lines and roundels for one model in 1:48 scale
• the lettering in red and black according to the original
• the tiny designs will call for tweezers with a fine tip and good lighting
• printing transferred with water, intended for a smooth gloss surface

Fit the roundels and the tail markings first, because all the other elements are aligned by them. Leave the tiny lettering until last and take it one piece at a time, otherwise two will stick together while still in the water. Anyone working with a well-lit magnifier will save hunting for a design that has slipped between the building mat and a sleeve.