1:24 German WWII Swastikas

The tail marking of German machines

From the middle of the 1930s until the end of the war, German military aircraft carried the national marking on the vertical tail surface. Its form changed several times over that period: the size differed, as did the width of the white border and whether it was placed across the rudder or only on the fixed part. For collectors and modelers it is a detail that reveals the period at first glance, and sometimes the particular unit as well.

Why separately in a large scale

Kits in 1:24 scale are rarer in the ranges, and their decal sheets need not hold all the variants a modeler needs for a particular machine. A separate sheet offers more sizes and makes it possible to assemble a marking exactly according to a period photograph. The printing comes from a Warsaw workshop that has long specialized in narrow, specialized sheets.

Application

Proceed as with other decals: a gloss base coat, clean water, enough time for the backing to release and a move into place with a soft brush. In a large scale the design has a bigger area and therefore ripples more easily if you move it too soon. Use the decal softener sparingly; on large areas a smaller amount is enough. A matte varnish finishes the job.

• Decal sheet in 1:24 scale
• German tail markings of the Second World War years
• Several size variants on one sheet
• Printing by a Polish brand specializing in aviation decals

Watch out for one practical thing: in a large scale the marking tends to be made up of several separate pieces, which are assembled in place. It pays to mark the position out on paper beforehand, so that the assembled design finally sits straight.