1:48 de Havilland Mosquito - Airframe Stencil / Data Marking (Part 1)

de Havilland Mosquito - airframe stencil and data markings, part 1, 1:48 - Aviaeology

This is a sheet of technical and servicing stencil markings for the airframe, that is, of the small notices and symbols printed on a real aircraft beside filler points, beside servicing doors, beside walkway and no-step areas or beside the jacking points. They are not national insignia, squadron codes or serial numbers; the manufacturer sells those in separate series. The manufacturer labels the sheet as part 1 of the series, so it need not cover the whole airframe. Check the extent of the sheet on the box.

The real subject

The de Havilland Mosquito was a British twin-engine aircraft with a load-bearing structure of bonded wood and with Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. Its low weight gave it high speed, so the early versions managed without defensive armament. On the real machines the instructions for handling, for jacking and for access to the tanks were marked out with small notices, and it is these that make a model more legible and more faithful.

Application tips

The stencil markings are small, so cut them out one at a time and carry them on a damp brush or with tweezers. A gloss varnish base matters even more on tiny motifs than it does on roundels. A decal fixer applied in advance pulls the decal down, and a decal softener after seating draws it into the engraved lines. Seal with varnish once dry so that the edges of the film disappear.

Who the sheet is for

• builds of the Mosquito in 1:48 scale with demands on fidelity
• modelers whose stencil markings from the box are missing or illegible
• builds for competitions, where the small notices are judged
• adding to an already painted model before the final coat

This is an accessory for a model, not a kit. The base kit, glue and paints are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.