1:72 Decal Born of the JGSDF Part I.

The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force

Post-war Japan barred itself by its constitution from keeping an army, and so a force with the cautious name of self-defense force came into being. From 1954 onwards the ground component gradually equipped itself with vehicles of its own, for which Japanese designers had to come to terms both with the limited space of the islands and with political limits. The result was machines that almost nobody has in a European collection, and ones that carry inventive and pleasantly colorful markings of the individual units and bases.

What the sheet offers

The sheet carries markings for several machines at once, so one package will let you build more than one variant of the same type. Where Western equipment repeats nothing but a different serial number, Japanese units often have an emblem of their own or a striking stripe. That is exactly what makes these sheets interesting material even for modelers who do not collect Japanese equipment systematically and are looking for an unusual piece for the display case.

How to handle the decals

The surface under the decal has to be smooth and glossy; on flat paint, air gets trapped under the film and a pale halo appears around the outline. Trim as close to the print as you can, and the clear edge will be less noticeable. Once it has dried, go over the area with a matte varnish, which will unify the sheen of the whole model.

This is the part marked as the first of a pair; the sequel is a separate item under its own number. Anyone who wants to cover the subject all at once usually buys both pieces, because their contents do not overlap. The kit and the paints are not included.