Using wood grain decals

[Jamo]

Following on from the recent review of Wood & Wire wood grain decals http://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=3520.new#new I thought it might be useful to open up a discussion thread about using wood grain decals where folk can talk about what has worked and what hasn't.

I have collected a few different wood grain decals in preparation for building the Avis Fokker E.V kit in 1/32 with pale/faded stain over the plywood wing. I haven't got as far as applying anything yet.

Here is a side by side comparison of the various sheets I have so far



I have two sets from Uschi van der Rosten: Fine Veneer Plywood WGSF48C #1005, and Super Fine WGSF-48. The Fine Veneer Plywood set has two A5 size decal sheets, one sheet of the main texture decal (with a lot of repeats) and the other sheet is split into three smaller patterns/textures which can be laid over the main texture to vary the effect. There are no knots in this set and wood grain effects are very subtle. The carrier film is transparent so the final result can be varied by using different base colours and pre-shading around the panel edges. The Super Fine set also contains two A5 decal sheets, one described as 'Rich' with a darker redder finish, and the other sheet is described as 'Pale' with a similar grain pattern but paler    The Super Fine set has more obvious wood grain including knots, which I wouldn't expect to see on plywood covering a fuselage or wing.

I have also purchased one of the many HGW wood grain decal sheets, #532001 Light Wood/Natural/Transparent. The transparent carrier film allows for the effect to be varied according to the base colour. The wood grain isn't really visible at all on this set, the effect is more about changes in tone.

Anyone feel like sharing their experiences with wood grain decals before I try it myself?

[Ian from Doncaster]

I got some of the HGW set.  I wanted to use it on the WNW Albie.  This product requires a base colour, which is no issue and also you can pre-shade and vary the base tones which helps.

However, I did find that these decals were difficult to work with, ie very thin etc and IMHO the pixellation overpowered the graining effect.  So on my Albie I used oils.  On a positive note however, the tonal variation isn't too bad, so if we are using these to give the impression of the wood effect where tonal variety can trick the eye, then they may be OK.

I will use the sheet still perhaps on interior wood such as instrument panels etc, or on frames where thickness of paint can be a problem.  For exteriors, I would like to try the decals that have some of the more interesting shapes in the flow of the grain, knots etc, which itself is more difficult to do by hand with oils.

I would argue also that even in 1:32 we are only really representing the tree ring patterns in the wood, not the individual grains.  In 1:72 these would be barely visible, hence perhaps tonal variations and weathering/finishing can give a reasonable impression of wood?

Each to their own of course

[uncletony]

I really like Uschi's WGSF-48.  I don't care much for his newer offering "Fine Veneer" WGSF48C #1005 as it has a very pronounced Moireé pattern (resonance of printing dots vs. intended pattern, creating third, unintended optical effect -- in this case, stripes)

I detailed my application method, really pretty much "by the book" here:

http://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=328.315

My big concern was silvering, and while there are a couple tiny spots yet, the decals respond well to copious amounts of Micro Sol and a pin prick with a needle. My biggest mistake was making the underpainting too dark, the result is very pleasing to my eye but almost certainly not authentic in this regard:




While I agree with Ian that for strictly scale modelling the effect is not accurate, I guess I fall into the impressionistic camp...

[RAGIII]

I really like Uschi's WGSF-48.  I don't care much for his newer offering "Fine Veneer" WGSF48C #1005 as it has a very pronounced Moireé pattern (resonance of printing dots vs. intended pattern, creating third, unintended optical effect -- in this case, stripes)

I detailed my application method, really pretty much "by the book" here:

http://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=328.315

My big concern was silvering, and while there are a couple tiny spots yet, the decals respond well to copious amounts of Micro Sol and a pin prick with a needle. My biggest mistake was making the underpainting too dark, the result is very pleasing to my eye but almost certainly not authentic in this regard:

While I agree with Ian that for strictly scale modelling the effect is not accurate, I guess I fall into the impressionistic camp...

Bo, I hear you on this one. As I have stated I am in the Less is best school of thought on graining. ON THE OTHER HAND, The grain effect realized by using these products are "Artistically" STUNNING! I guess it amounts to visually "Fooling" the eye in an artful way. I look at your beautiful wood work and say wow! Looking at mine one says NICE! Modeling in the end is an Artistic Impression!
JMHO,
RAGIII

[uncletony]

Well Rick, it's a subjective matter, and the grass is always greener..., beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, etc... Etc.

We kind of have this convo going on two threads now, but as I was saying in your build log, my use of the word "impressionistic" here is misplaced. The accentuated details (be it wood grain, fabric texture, nails, rivets, petcocks or whatever ) are really some kind of hyper-something. Not sure "hyperrealism" is the correct term... Almost certainly not. Anyway, it's not impressionistic at least in the way of Monet et al.

A long time ago RB had a great comment* which I think about quite often -- he really distilled the problem to its essence:

My honest thoughts are that you have entered that difficult area between realism and representation - a lot of modelers, including myself, often overdo the effects to a point far beyond what is realistic, but in doing so you create an effect that represents the purpose of the machine. I guess it turns on what you are trying to achieve - realism or representation. The best models somehow capture both - I hope to build one myself one day!

*(RB was talking about another modellers work, not mine)

[coyotemagic]

This discussion has gone on for as long as I can remember, along with whether or not the use of turnbuckles is appropriate for anything smaller than 1/32 scale.  Before the advent of Uschi and HGW I would never have considered using wood grain decals.  However, I feel this new stuff is excellent.  This is what the 1/48 HGW cookie cutter set looks like on the model.  I went with the translucent style and used preshading and filters for the desired effect.  I was pretty happy with them.



The only Uschi decals I've use so far is the first generation stuff.  Used it on my Albatros C.III.



They went on beautifully and, with a dark filter, looked the part.  My last two "wood" fuselages were done with oils, but I plan on doing an Albatros D type soon using Uschi's newest offering.  I really like the stuff.
Cheers,
Bud