1:24 European Lincense Plates Vol.05

Why not to overlook the license plate

An empty plate holder is one of the few things that even someone with no interest in models will notice. A plate, by contrast, can set a vehicle in a particular country and period without your having to rebuild anything on the model. Yet kits often deal with it only in passing, or not at all, and on older tooling the print is indistinct.

What the sheet offers

It is a stand-alone sheet of European license plates for 1:24 scale, that is for the most common size of car kits. The series is numbered consecutively and this volume is the fifth in it; the individual volumes are sold separately, so you can widen your selection of plates step by step. The list of which countries and which periods are covered on the sheet is given by the manufacturer on the packaging.

How to apply the decals

The usual procedure with sheets of this kind is the wet one. Before you soak the sheet, though, check in the instructions whether it is a self-adhesive version: a soaked self-adhesive film is ruined beyond recovery, whereas an unsoaked wet-transfer decal can be soaked later as well. With the wet procedure, first varnish the surface of the plate holder to a gloss, cut the plate out close to the edge and immerse it in lukewarm water for a few seconds. Let it rest until it starts to slide on the paper, slide it into place and draw off the excess water with a soft cloth. Set it by the edge of the holder so that the plate does not sit crooked, and do not move it again until it is dry.

Who it is for

For builders of car models who take the details all the way and want the vehicle marked to match the setting they have chosen. A model, paints, varnishes and decal softener are not part of the package, unless stated otherwise.