1:32 RIB TAPES FOR LOZENGE - 2 COLOR TYPES

Old Propeller 1:32 rib tapes for lozenge, two color types

A supplementary decal sheet in 1:32 scale containing only the tapes that on a real aircraft covered the stitching of the fabric above the ribs. According to the name of the product there are two color types on the sheet. It is an accessory to the sheets with the lozenge pattern itself, not a standalone mask or a kit.

The real subject

The fabric covering of German aircraft of the First World War was sewn to the wing ribs and the seam was then covered with a narrow tape of the same cloth, sealed with dope. It is precisely these tapes that create the characteristic regular pattern of transverse stripes on a wing. On machines with lozenge camouflage cloth the tapes were made either from the same printed cloth or from a single-color material, so both solutions could be met on one aircraft. On a model the tapes are what makes the covering believable: without them an area papered with lozenge looks unnaturally smooth.

Application tips

Here the trimming and the parallelism decide everything. Cut the strips along a metal ruler with one stroke of a sharp blade, so that they do not have a frayed edge, and cut yourself rather more of them in advance. Lay them on the wing along the axes of the ribs marked out in pencil beforehand, not by eye: the human eye spots converging strips at once. Move the tape on a film of water and align it while it is floating, and only then squeeze the water out with a soft cloth from the middle toward both ends. Fold any overhang past the trailing edge over the edge and settle it with a softener.

Who the sheet is for

• Builders of First World War aircraft in 1:32 scale
• Modelers whose lozenge sheet lacks the tapes
• Builds that combine printed and single-color tape
• Repairs and additions after damage to your own decals

These are decals, that is, an accessory to a kit. The kit, the paints and the lozenge sheet itself are not included in the package.