Jump to content

Decals


Artanius

Recommended Posts

So I am wanting to make some of my own decals. My question is how do you size the pic to be the right scale at we'll say 1/48. Is there a formula or something?

 

Bob.......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And the answer is maybe. It really does depend on what you're doing. If you've got a scan of a 1/32 decal sheet, and want to downsize it to 1/48, you divide 32 by 48 and get (umm carry the 7) 66.667%. To do this you need a graphics program like Photoshop or PaintShop. There's a free one called GIMP, but since I have used PaintShop for years and own a copy, I find GIMP hard to use. But it does work to resize.

 

If you're working with a photo and want to produce a decal, you need some part of the aircraft/boat/tank/car visible in the picture to tell you how big the decal needs to be compared to some feature or area. Then you measure the same area on your model, and that's how big it needs to be.

 

Here's an example:

The guy who lives down the street from me flew as copilot on Frenisi. FRENISI1.jpg

He's back row, our left end. Anyway, you can see the cockpit window up there, and use that to figure out how big the decal needs to be. Also, I have another photo which shows that the second i is just behind the window at the front.

 

Another good technique. Print it on plain paper to check the size before committing to decal paper.

 

The other thing I learned on this model is that if you print yellow on clear decal paper and put it on the OD aircraft, the yellow disappears. You have to use white decal paper. THEN put a background of the same color as the background color of the model on the decal. You never get a perfect dolor match, but after the decal is on, you can use a fine brush and feather the colors together.

 

So if you have a natural metal aircraft, or at least ADC grey, you can use clear decal and the colors look OK.

 

HTH

 

Jim

IPMS 2209 - Phoenix, AZ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...