1:32 Hungarian National Insignias and Numbers (1950-1990) Dry-Water Decal Sheet

The red star over Hungary

For four decades Hungarian military machines carried a red star with a white outline and with concentric rings in white and green in the middle. It appeared on the wings and on the sides of the fuselage, from piston-engine trainers through Soviet-built jet fighters to transport aircraft and helicopters. Besides the insignia, the basic outfit of every aircraft included tactical numbers, which in Hungary were painted conspicuously large so as to be legible from a distance and in poor visibility.

The sheet covers precisely this period, that is, the years before the political break at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s. In 1:32 scale every insignia comes out substantially larger than in the more usual scales, which places higher demands on the printing: the print registration, the sharpness of the edges and the density of the coverage are all immediately visible over a large area. This sheet is therefore printed on very thin film with a minimal carrier margin.

It is applied in the usual way: polish the base to a gloss with varnish, release the decal in lukewarm water, seat it in place and draw it down with a decal softener so that it follows the rivets and panel lines. Once thoroughly dry, the whole area is evened out with varnish, depending on whether the machine is to look fresh or well worn.

The model, paints and chemicals are not included in the package. The sheet suits machines of eastern provenance in a large scale, where the choice of markings tends to be limited. It also lets collectors of Hungarian equipment build a pair of the same type in two different periods and stand them side by side.