1:72 RAF Coastal Command 1938-42

RAF Coastal Command markings 1938-1942

Printed markings from Xtradecal focused on the units of British Coastal Command in the period from the prewar expansion of the Royal Air Force to the second half of 1942. The package consists of a decal sheet, with no plastic parts: you use it on a model that you already have part-built or finished.

The tasks of Coastal Command

Coastal Command was created in 1936 as a separate branch of the Royal Air Force responsible for operations over the sea. In the period given it carried out patrol and reconnaissance duty over the North Sea and the Atlantic, escorted convoys, hunted submarines and attacked enemy shipping. The years 1940 to 1942 were the turning point: the units received aircraft with greater range, airborne radar and depth charges, the tactics changed and with them the appearance of the aircraft. The shift from prewar silver and green-brown finishes to the white and gray camouflage suited to flying low over the water is one of the most striking changes in the look of the RAF of that time. The system of codes and national insignia stayed common to the whole air force, and only adapted to the lighter background.

What to watch out for when applying

The fuselages of patrol aircraft have plenty of rivets and panel joints. It therefore pays to reach for a decal softener: it is applied both under the marking and on it, and once dry the carrier film is drawn into the engraving. Pierce any air bubbles with the tip of a scalpel and add a drop of the solution; never squeeze them out with a finger.

Suitable for these modelers

• builders of British maritime patrol aircraft
• anyone interested in the Battle of the Atlantic and the fight against submarines
• those building a diorama of a coastal base
• collectors of wartime aircraft markings