Pendraken Miniatures Forum

Wider Wargaming => Genre/Period Discussion => 20th Century => Topic started by: fsn on 10 July 2013, 08:49:14 PM

Title: Joy of the Decal
Post by: fsn on 10 July 2013, 08:49:14 PM
Gentlemen!

Somewhat related to an earlier post of mine. I'm contemplating my British WWII forces. I've tried painting squadron markings on but they're patchy at best. The decals sold by Pendraken don't include British tac markings, and i-94 ones seem only to be for 20mm. Anyone have a source of suitable decals, or tips fro printing my own?

<this month's posts will be on a literary theme. Look forward to:

"Alice through the Sniper Scope", Lewis-gun Carroll
"Of Dice and Bren", John Steinbeck
"The Picture of Dornier - Grey", Oscar Wilde
"Frankensten", Mary Shelling
"David Copperfield-artillery", Charles Dickens
"The Brothers Kalashnikov", Fyodor Dostoevsky
"The Great Gatling", F Scott Fitzgerald
"The Big Jeep", Raymond Chandler
"Nineteen Eighty-Eights", George Orwell
"The Primer of Miss Jean Brodie", Muriel Spark
"One Thousand and One Knights", 
"Midnight's Centurion", Salman Rushdie
"King Panzer Lehr", William Shakespeare
"The Panzer Meyer of Casterbridge", Thomas Hardy
"Black BT-7", Anna Sewell
"The Vickers of Wakefield", Oliver Goldsmith
"The Maltese Falchion", Dashiell Hammett>

Title: Re: Joy of the Decal
Post by: Duke Speedy of Leighton on 10 July 2013, 08:58:35 PM
Try Doms decals
Title: Re: Joy of the Decal
Post by: Hertsblue on 10 July 2013, 09:11:11 PM
It is possible to print your own decals - you can buy the appropriate paper on the web.

http://www.craftycomputerpaper.co.uk/.Inkjet-Water-Slide-Decal-Paper_151.htm (http://www.craftycomputerpaper.co.uk/.Inkjet-Water-Slide-Decal-Paper_151.htm)

Main problem is that inkjet and laser printers can't print white. And the sheets are A4, which means you have to print an awful lot of 10mm decals to fill a sheet.
Title: Re: Joy of the Decal
Post by: petercooman on 10 July 2013, 09:13:24 PM
Let's wait for Fred, who used very nice decals on his british armour. He'll know where they sell them.
Title: Re: Joy of the Decal
Post by: fsn on 10 July 2013, 09:16:22 PM
Quote from: Hertsblue on 10 July 2013, 09:11:11 PM
Main problem is that inkjet and laser printers can't print white. And the sheets are A4, which means you have to print an awful lot of 10mm decals to fill a sheet.

Have you done this? I've got the paper, but think 1 A4 sheet would be enough to an armoured regiment. Two red circles per tank, 30 per squadron leaves a lot of space! Ah well, I think I'll give it a go.

I'm enthused because I've just taken delivery of some Churchill Crocodiles. Want them to look pretty!
Title: Re: Joy of the Decal
Post by: Hertsblue on 10 July 2013, 09:28:01 PM
I've never got around to actually printing on the decal paper yet. Farthest I've gone is to print out specimens on plain paper. Trickiest thing is getting the size right - the first ones always seem to come out far too large.
Title: Re: Joy of the Decal
Post by: petercooman on 10 July 2013, 09:39:14 PM
like this :P

(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff441/petercooman123/DSC02602_zpse6e928cd.jpg)
Title: Re: Joy of the Decal
Post by: fred. on 10 July 2013, 09:50:25 PM
Thanks Peter.

I mainly used the Scale Specialities decals for my British Armour - I got them from Minifigs some years ago. It is a good sheet with Tac Markings, Arm of Service, White Stars and Bridge Markings, the only poor bit is that it hardly has any divisional badges.

I have made my own as well, Arm of Service badges are dead simple, one or two colour squares with a white number. I even did some extra Black Bulls for 11th Armoured Div - but these were a bit faint, and needed a yellow square painting behind them to work well.

White stars are available from many suppliers - including Minibits.

I really like adding the decals to British armour - breaks up all the green - even if on the real tanks they weren't always used and were often hidden by dust or kit.
Title: Re: Joy of the Decal
Post by: fred. on 10 July 2013, 09:52:02 PM
Quote from: mad lemmey on 10 July 2013, 08:58:35 PM
Try Doms decals

Dom's stuff is very nice, but his AoS and Div badges are 15mm and are too big for 10mm (I have tried them)
Title: Re: Joy of the Decal
Post by: OldenBUA on 11 July 2013, 06:39:10 AM
BR-105 should have the squadron markings, but they may still be too big? On the sheet it says 15mm, but on the handy cross reference (http://www.i-94enterprises.com/cross_reference.htm) from I-94 it is listed as suitable for 10/12mm.  If this sheet is the same size as the other sheets from I-94, each sign would be about 6mm. That's a bit on the large side, I think, but might still work? :-\

(http://www.i-94enterprises.com/Decal%20Scans%20Dec%2008/BR105.jpg)  (http://www.i-94enterprises.com/Decal%20Scans%20Dec%2008/BR126.jpg)

Edit: There's also BR-126 which has two sizes, and is for 1/300 - 1/285 and 1/200 - 1/160 scales. That last one looks like a good fit?
Title: Re: Joy of the Decal
Post by: fsn on 11 July 2013, 03:34:07 PM
Gentlemen,

Thank you for your assistance. Always good advice from the sages of the forum.

The I-94 Br105 is too big I think, but I haven't seen the BR126, so I'll try them.

I looked at Dom's decals, but he seems to have gone on holiday for a few days on the 21st June, and hasn't returned. perhaps he met Leon in some foreign clime, and only one returned?  :-\

I may have a go at printing my own as well! I'll let you know how it goes.