1:48 Messerschmitt Bf 109 - Stencils & Markings

What wet transfers are

Unlike an ordinary decal, a wet transfer has no transparent carrier film. It is transferred with water directly onto the surface of a model and once dry only the color is left, so no glossy island or step appears on the paint to reveal where the decal ends. With small technical lettering that shows most of all, because there tend to be several dozen of them on one aircraft and every border would be visible.

The scope of the sheets

This item brings together three partial sets: markings for desert machines, technical stencil markings for the F version and technical stencil markings for the G-2 version. The combination of stencils and markings in one package makes it possible to finish a machine without buying a further sheet.

The real subject

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 accompanied German aviation from the Spanish Civil War to the end of the Second World War and went through so many changes on the way that the late versions differ from the early ones even in shape. The typeface and the placing of maintenance lettering changed along with the equipment, which is why the stencils for the F and G versions cannot be interchanged. Machines committed in North Africa also carried special color bands and unit badges.

Working with the sheet

The surface has to be smooth and glossy, otherwise the transfer will not adhere evenly. Working in small areas, soaking up the excess water and letting it dry without touching proves itself; only then come matte varnish and the accenting of panel lines. Lettering once applied can no longer be moved, so the position is checked before it is laid down.