1:72 WWII British Pacific Fleet Roundels, Code Letters & Numbers

Insignia and letters of the British Pacific Fleet, 1:72 scale

A decal sheet focused on the markings carried by British carrier aircraft in the closing stages of the Second World War in the Pacific. Besides national insignia it also contains code letters and numerals, that is, a typographic set from which the individual markings of particular machines are put together. It is a sheet of markings; do not look for plastic in it.

Why the insignia looked different in the Pacific

British roundels had a red center, and at a distance that was exactly what resembled the Japanese sun disc. So that the crews of Allied aircraft and ships did not lose time on recognition, the red was removed from the national insignia and only the blue and white were left. The marking was also enlarged and given white rectangular bars at the sides, much as on American machines. The code letters and numbers on the fuselage and on the vertical tail served to distinguish a particular aircraft within a unit, and their shape and spacing followed the regulations of the time. From the individual characters in the set you can therefore assemble the markings from a photograph of the machine you are building.

Assembling the markings step by step

• Lay the letters and numerals out on paper first, so that you can see the overall width of the lettering.
• Apply them from edge to edge and check the spacing against the panel seams.
• Seat the white bars only after the circular marking itself, as they line up on the axis more easily.
• Once dry, go over the markings with a decal softener so that they follow the shape of the fuselage.

It will be appreciated by modelers of carrier aviation and by everyone who wants to assemble their own combination of markings instead of the ready-made lettering from a kit.