1:48 Decal Stencils for P-38 Lightning

FOXBOT decal sheet 1:48 - technical lettering for the P-38 Lightning

The sheet contains technical lettering, that is the small service and maintenance markings that were printed all over the airframe of the real aircraft. These are not national insignia and not personal paintings: this set is an accessory used alongside the basic markings and it replaces the often simplified or illegible lettering of box decals. The product is not a kit.

The real subject

The P-38 Lightning was an American twin-engine fighter with an unusual twin-boom layout, a central nacelle for the pilot and a horizontal tail joining the two booms. It combined great range with the ability to carry heavy armament concentrated in the nose of the nacelle. It is precisely that broken-up airframe with two engine nacelles that means a model has a great many surfaces for technical lettering to go on.

How to manage dozens of small decals

• Divide the work into stages according to the parts of the model; applying all the lettering at once leads to mistakes in placing.
• Apply the lettering after the national insignia and the personal markings, so that the overlaps can be planned.
• Use sharp tweezers and a damp brush - a small decal slides off the paper better along a brush than along your fingers.
• Go by the placement diagram; with that many pieces it is easy to miss one or to place it the wrong way round.
• Varnish over them once they are dry, so that the edges of the film disappear and the lettering looks printed on.

Who the set is for

For modelers who build the P-38 in detail and want legible, crisp technical lettering instead of the approximate decals from the box. The work is slow but technically undemanding - even a moderately advanced builder with enough patience will manage it.

This is an accessory for a kit. The model, paints, varnish and a decal softener are not included in the package.