Aviattic Decals

[eindecker]

I received my Aviattic decals from Richard (a BIG thank you!) and proceeded to do what you shouldn't.

As we said in the military, "Read the ******* manual." I will substitute "Hints and Tips" on Aviattic's website. There is a very good tutorial on how to apply them and you should see and follow it. I say this from experience, having charged ahead and not done so. Proper surface preparation and soaking are the keys to excellent results. I plan to experiment with surface features like oil staining prior to applying them in the future. (I have a Wingnut Wings E-I in the stack. I may have enough of Aviattic's CDL decals to cover the fuselage, and.... This could be good.)

Good thing the Aviattic decals are forgiving. Mine turned out well on the D.VII, but they could have been much better had I followed Aviattic's process. I will on the next set. So, this is fair warning. The decals are outstanding and should be treated properly to allow them to achieve the marvelous effect they were designed to do.

I will also herewith give Richard and the Wingnuts Wings crew an unsolicited recommendation to include Aviattic decals in future releases. Seriously.

[Trackpad]

Good post, Eindekker, as it points out the challenges of newer technologies to some who have yet to try them. As we used to say (almost like you): "When all else fails, read the instructions!" Hope you have increasingly good results in future!   

[eindecker]

I saw a post on Hyperscale (my monthly visit there lately) concerning Aviattic decals. I thought you might like to know what I posted in reply:

I've built a number of WWI kits requiring lozenge decals - Eduard and Wingnut Wings. I used Aviattic's lozenge decals for the first time on the Wingnut Wings Fokker D.VII (Fok) kit I am currently working on, and I will add that they contribute a great deal to the realism already inherent in Wingnut Wings kits. Specifically, Aviattic's lozenge decals supply the distinct impression of lozenge colors and patterns printed on linen, which other decal makers do not.

At first, this did not seem like such a big thing to me, but after comparing the Wingnuts Wings decals, which are made by Cartograph and live up to their excellent standards, the difference was striking. In addition, the Aviattic decals are tough, tolerating my ham-handed application efforts, and they are semi transparent, meaning that the underlying color painted on the model surface will have a marked effect on the decal once it is applied. This means one can enhance or mute the colors, depending on the underlying paint color. And, more interestingly, effects applied prior to the decals will show through to some extent, such as shading on ribs and formers, oil and grease stains, etc. Amazingly interesting effects can be achieved due to this semi-transparency characteristic of Aviattic decals.

It is important to know how to apply Aviattic decals. Fortunately, on their website at ( http://www.aviattic.co.uk/aviattic.co.uk/Hints_%26_Tips.html ) they provide a great Hint's and Tips section that explains exactly how to do this. It's not difficult, but it is a bit different than the technique I'd been using with other decals. Glossy surface. Color of that surface impacts the decal's appearance once applied. Soak for a minute, not ten or fifteen seconds as some decals require. I suppose Aviattic uses a different type of glue, but it works very well.

I'd say, give them a try if you are at all interested in WWI and lozenge decals, and, good news, they are releasing CDL (clear doped linen) and various PC shades of their "linen printed" decal sheets. Perfect for RFC and early German planes like the marvelous Eindeckers.