1:72 J-35 Draken Nat. Ins. Hasegawa

Three crowns on the wings

The Swedish Air Force uses as its national insignia a circle with three crowns arranged in a triangle. On the Draken it appeared in several sizes according to the place it was applied, and in later years it was reduced and toned down so that the machine would not be conspicuous. This development is visible on museum examples too: two aircraft of the same type from different periods have insignia of markedly different size and intensity.

The motif with three crowns is among the most difficult subjects for a decal, because the fine points of the crowns easily go wavy while being settled onto a curved surface. A sprayed variant gets around this trouble: the shape is pressed to the surface and follows the curvature exactly. The need for softeners also falls away, after which a fine drawing sometimes loses its sharpness.

Step-by-step procedure

Pre-cut masks for these insignia are available in 1:72 scale. The surface is polished with a gloss coat, the mask is stuck on, the paint is applied in two or three thin passes and the film is lifted off while the finish is not yet fully cured.

It pays to test the covering power of the chosen shade on a piece of plastic beforehand. Yellow and other light colors need a white base over a dark ground, otherwise the circle would look dirty and uneven. The difference between a good and a bad result is decided here by the base, not by the mask. If you are building a late home-service example from the 1980s, look at period shots first. The size and placement of the insignia changed several times during the service and the difference between the early and the late form is apparent at first glance.