1:72 D3A1 Val Nat. Ins. w white outline

The real subject

The Aichi D3A, to which the Allies gave the code name Val, was a Japanese carrier dive bomber of the first years of the war in the Pacific. You can recognize it easily: the landing gear stayed fixed and the wheels hidden in teardrop fairings, while the other carrier machines were already retracting theirs. The D3A1 version is the first production rendition of the type.

What the set offers

The set is aimed at national insignia with a white outline, that is, at a red circle traced by a white ring. A sprayed insignia has two advantages over a decal: it has no carrier film edge around its perimeter, which readily gives itself away on a matte finish as a light border, and the paint follows the surface of the model even across engraving and rivets. The set is made for 1:72 scale, and the exact range and placing of the pieces are given in the manufacturer's instructions.

• National insignia masks with a white outline in 1:72 scale
• Made for the D3A1 Val model
• A sprayed insignia without a carrier film edge
• They are applied before spraying and lifted once the paint has dried

Application tips

The base has to be dry, clean and degreased, otherwise paint will get under the edge of the mask. Spraying runs from the lighter shade to the darker one, that is, the white outline first, which is masked once it has dried and only then does the red center follow. Apply the paint in several thin coats, because a heavy application is drawn under the edge and the circle stops being round. Lift the mask shortly after the paint has dried with a pull at a sharp angle. The exact order of the steps is given in the manufacturer's instructions.

Who it is for

For modelers who build Japanese carrier hardware and want the national insignia sprayed instead of applied. This is an accessory to a model; paints are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.