1:24 Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 - No.1 Team Abu Dhabi Dubai 24h 2013 Decals Set (for Fujimi Kits)

Studio27 1:24, Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 Team Abu Dhabi decals, Dubai 24h 2013

This product is a decal sheet from the maker Studio27 in 1:24 scale. You are buying neither a model nor a kit, you are buying the markings only. For them to be of any use to you, you need the Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 plastic kit from Fujimi, to whose body the decals are cut. The sheet carries the livery of the car of the Team Abu Dhabi stable from the 24 Hours of Dubai 2013 endurance race.

The 24 Hours of Dubai, a night in the desert

The 24 Hours of Dubai is run at the Dubai Autodrome and has a charm of its own: it is held in January, so a large part of the race consists of driving through the desert night under artificial lighting. Thanks to the January date it tends to be seen as the opening of the endurance season and it attracts strong European and Middle Eastern crews. It was in Dubai that the Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 recorded its first win in a twenty-four-hour race, and the Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon team won there with this car in 2013 as well, which makes this livery one of the historically most interesting markings of the whole SLS era.

The real subject and why collectors buy sheets

Even a layman recognizes the Mercedes SLS AMG by its doors that open upward like gull wings, with which the designers knowingly picked up the thread of the legendary 300 SL Gullwing of the 1950s. On a finished model it is beyond argument the most striking feature. The racing GT3 was the customer version entered by dozens of teams, and that is why so many sheets exist for it: the Fujimi kit has only one or two marking variants in the box, but a collector wants that car of his from that race of his. Other SLS GT3 liveries exist as well, including three sheets of the Black Falcon team (No. 19 from 2012 and No. 18 and No. 19 from Monza 2014).

Practical advice on application

• Before the markings go on, the body has to be polished to a gloss, because on matte clear coat the decal silvers, as air is trapped under the film. That is the most common mistake modelers make.
• For the large sponsor areas on the fenders and doors have decal softener ready, because without it the film will not settle on the curves.
• Seal the finished markings with clear coat and polish them over; the edges of the film disappear and the surface takes on a wet shine.
• The shade of the body under the sheet has to agree, as the decals do not cover the whole car, so suitable model paints are needed.

This is a standalone decal sheet. The kit, paints, clear coat and softener are not included in the package.