1:48 de Havilland Mosquito Night Fighter

Night Mosquitoes on one sheet

The night fighter versions of the Mosquito carried radar, a dark finish and a minimum of conspicuous markings. All the more depends, then, on whether the code letters, the serial numbers and the national insignia on a model are the right shade, size and spacing. The sheet brings markings in 1:48 scale from the Czech publisher DK Decals, which has long concentrated on the aircraft of the British and Allied air forces.

The real subject

The de Havilland Mosquito was an all-wood twin-engine machine originally designed as a fast bomber without defensive armament. The night fighter version received radar in the nose and four cannons, and from 1942 it formed the backbone of the British defense against night raids; later it escorted bomber streams over the continent and hunted German fighters over their own airfields.

How the decals are made

The printing runs on a continuous carrier film, from which the individual items are cut out. Before they go on, the model needs a glossy base, or air will settle under the film and the edges will whiten. The piece is soaked in lukewarm water, after a few seconds it slides off the paper into place and the excess water is blotted away. A softener will help it settle into engraved lines and over rivets.

Storing the sheet

Store the unused parts flat and in the dark, as the film yellows in light and grows brittle in time. An older sheet can be saved with a thin coat of clear varnish, which strengthens the carrier layer and stops it breaking up when soaked. Always cut close to the artwork; an unnecessarily wide margin gives itself away on a matte finish with a sheen that even a final coat will not fully suppress.