1:24 Mercedes SLS GT3 - Blackfalcon No.19 Monza 2014 Decals Set (for Fujimi Kits)

Studio27 1:24, Mercedes SLS GT3 Black Falcon decals, No. 19, Monza 2014

You will find no plastic parts in the box. This is a decal sheet of the Japanese brand Studio27 in 1:24 scale, that is markings only. The model they are applied to is the Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 plastic kit from Fujimi, and that has to be owned or bought. The sheet represents the car of the Black Falcon stable with race number 19 from Monza 2014.

Number nineteen or number eighteen? The number decides

In the 2014 season Black Falcon fielded a pair of sister SLS GT3 cars and both Monza cars exist as separate sheets. This one is car number 19. Beside it there is a sheet with number 18, the same stable, the same circuit, the same year. The records of the 2014 season state that number nineteen ran in the Pro Cup category (a purely professional crew), while number eighteen ran in the Pro-Am Cup; outwardly, however, the main distinguishing mark is the race number and the accompanying sponsor markings. So check the number of the car before you order, otherwise you will get the sister car and not your own. A Black Falcon No. 19 from 2012 and other SLS GT3 liveries exist separately as well.

Monza and why the SLS

Monza, nicknamed the temple of speed, is the fastest European circuit: long straights, extreme braking points and the setting of a historic park. The endurance GT3 series opened its season there in 2014. The Mercedes SLS AMG is meanwhile a subject everyone recognizes: it has doors that open upward, gull wings, with which Mercedes deliberately picked up the thread of the legendary 300 SL Gullwing of the 1950s, and on a finished model it is the most striking element of the whole car. Mercedes sold the GT3 version to customer teams, it raced with dozens of stables around the world, and that is why so many sheets were created for it. A kit has one or two liveries in the box; a collector, though, wants a particular car from a particular race.

How to apply the markings correctly

• Decals are applied only to gloss clear coat. On a matte surface air is caught under the film and the decal starts to silver, the most common mistake on racing models.
• Large sponsor markings across curved areas call for decal softener, otherwise the film ripples.
• A final clear coat and polishing hides the edges of the film and gives the body a wet look.
• The sheet does not cover the whole body, so the shade of the paint under the decals has to match. Model paints are separate items.

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