1:48 B-26F Marauder US national insignia

The star and bars sprayed in paint

American national insignia went through several changes during the Second World War. In the summer of 1943 the blue disc with the white star received white rectangles at its sides so that the shape would be recognizable even from a sharp angle, and for a short time the whole insignia had a red surround. When it turned out that red gets confused with the Japanese marking in a fast-moving situation, a dark blue outline replaced it. The aircraft of the B-26F version thus carried the late form of the insignia, and along with it the unit's numbers and letters on the fuselage and the rudder.

This set handles the markings with an airbrush instead of a decal. The pieces are cut into kabuki paper and follow the outline of the star and of both bars, so the insignia arises directly in the paint. The layer of carrier film that a sharp light betrays with a silvery sheen around the edge falls away, and the marking then behaves as part of the surface: in weathering it is sanded and soiled just like the metal skin next to it. The difference shows mainly in a close-up photograph of the finished model.

The recommended order of work looks like this. The area is oversprayed with gloss clear lacquer for adhesion, the mask is seated along the rivets and panel lines, the white is underlaid with a light coat and only at the end does the blue come up. Anyone who wants to age the insignia can go lightly over the finished shape with a thinned basic airframe shade.

The solution will be appreciated mainly by builders who weather their models heavily. A sprayed marking will take being sanded away to nothing, polishing with a compound and a layer of dust, whereas a printed film starts to tear and lift at the edges under such treatment.