1:48 P-51B-C decal sheet

A Mustang still with a spine

The letters B and C told only the production plant apart; otherwise it was the same aircraft: the first Mustang with the British Merlin engine, which took the American fighter force as far over Germany as it needed. The characteristic feature of this pair is the spine ridge running from the cockpit to the tail, because of which the pilot had a considerably worse view to the rear than on the later machines with a bubble canopy. A number of pilots therefore had their cockpit modified.

The art of moving a motif into the right position

The water under the film is not just a remnant of the soaking but a sliding layer, thanks to which the print can still be adjusted across the surface for several tens of seconds. Lay it close to the target place, pull the backing out with a flat stroke and tap the position into place with a soft brush, never with tweezers. The tip of a metal tool will make a tear in the dampened layer faster than you can ease off the pressure, and such a tear you can no longer mend.

Where printing beats a mask

White identification stripes can be sprayed and on large areas that is even the better way. But the national stars with bars at the sides call for two shades in an exact position relative to each other, and the marking moreover repeats in four places on the aircraft. Painting by hand or a mask here mean four attempts at the same thing, whereas the sheet brings all four identical. The lettering under the cockpit practically cannot be done in this size other than by printing. It also pays to have a dish of clean water and a second brush just for rinsing at hand, because the adhesive released from the backing otherwise gets spread over the whole fuselage and once dry it shines like a greasy fingerprint.