1:48 Imperial Japanese Navy WWII Aircraft Tail Codes - 280mm Red

1:48 codes for the tail surface of Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service aircraft, color red, Aviaeology ADD48C021M3

A sheet of codes for the vertical tail surface of Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service aircraft in red. What you get is a set of characters from which you make up the code of your own aircraft yourself: the manufacturer states at least four of each Japanese character, four of each Latin letter and four or more of each numeral, up to ten for the zero. The characters were drawn by hand and then traced digitally, so that they keep the look of hand-painted codes. The color is the main distinguishing mark: the manufacturer supplies the same set in yellow, black and white as well, under the part numbers ADD48C020M3, ADD48C022M3 and ADD48C023M3.

The real subject

The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service marked its aircraft with a code on the vertical tail surface. It joined characters or Latin letters for the unit with the number of the machine, so the aircraft's allegiance can be worked out from it. The color of the code differed according to the unit and the period, which is why a photograph of the particular machine is what decides. The nominal height of the characters with this set is 280 mm on the real aircraft, which the manufacturer gives as approximately 6 mm in 1:48 scale.

Application and painting tips

Apply the characters onto a dried gloss coat and cut them out one at a time; trim the carrier film close to the artwork so that no edge shows. Mark the spacing and the vertical in advance with a faint line or with tape, because with made-up lettering the error accumulates. Once it is dry, varnish the whole thing to gloss or to flat according to the scheme.

Who the sheet is for

• Builders of Japanese naval aircraft in 1:48 who lack the code of a machine
• Modelers who build a particular documented machine and need the exact unit code
• Anyone interested in faithful tail markings, where the color of the code has to match the photograph

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.