SPA Modeler

Posted: **Tue Jul 07, 2026 7:39 pm**

No - very strange. The gray-green scheme required painting two white stripes around the fuselage. I tried some white decal stripes that I had but couldn't get them to conform so I opted for the blue strip which oddly enough didn't have any callout on the decals sheet instructions. The tail code was just out of convenience as the numbers where in a row as opposed to cutting each number to match the instructions. Other oddity was the callout for the gray-green bird required painting for the wheel pants - a type of red arrow. Curious why Hasegawa didn't provide the decals given that the scheme for the boxart was so elaborate and provided all the decals. Ya - I fudged it.

Posted: **Tue Jul 07, 2026 7:56 pm**

I've done substitution on decals when original for the scheme doesn't cooperate with me. Nothing wrong with it.

The Val looks really good! Well done, John!

Posted: **Tue Jul 07, 2026 10:55 pm**

keavdog wrote: ↑Tue Jul 07, 2026 7:39 pm No - very strange. The gray-green scheme required painting two white stripes around the fuselage. I tried some white decal stripes that I had but couldn't get them to conform so I opted for the blue strip which oddly enough didn't have any callout on the decals sheet instructions. The tail code was just out of convenience as the numbers where in a row as opposed to cutting each number to match the instructions. Other oddity was the callout for the gray-green bird required painting for the wheel pants - a type of red arrow. Curious why Hasegawa didn't provide the decals given that the scheme for the boxart was so elaborate and provided all the decals. Ya - I fudged it.

Ok, that makes sense to me now. The single blue fuselage band was used by Soryu’s Air Group From Pearl Harbor until the Indian Ocean raids. But the EII tail codes are for the Zuikaku’s Air Group, which used two white fuselage stripes. Soryu’s tail code prefix was BI. The different carrier Vals used different configurations of stripes on the wheel spats.
The fuselage stripes along with the tail code prefixes indicate carrier air groups. The stripes on the tails indicate leaders within the squadrons. 3 for the squadron leader, 2 for a division leader, 1 for an section leader

Shokaku

Zuikaku

Soryu

Hiryu

Akagi

Kaga

Posted: **Tue Jul 07, 2026 11:22 pm**

Only you would know that my friend!

Posted: **Mon Jul 13, 2026 5:43 pm**

I'll start a proper thread for this, but in the meantime any gueses?

Posted: **Mon Jul 13, 2026 6:31 pm**

My guess is a biplane of some sort… Perhaps a Fairey Swordfish?

Posted: **Mon Jul 13, 2026 6:39 pm**

Working on decaling the Nu Gundam. I've got several Gundams that I've gotten water slide decals for lately.

Posted: **Mon Jul 13, 2026 7:10 pm**

Stuart wrote: ↑Mon Jul 13, 2026 5:43 pm I'll start a proper thread for this, but in the meantime any gueses?

Sopwith 1 1/2 strutter?

Posted: **Tue Jul 14, 2026 1:25 am**

Stikpusher wrote: ↑Mon Jul 13, 2026 6:31 pm My guess is a biplane of some sort… Perhaps a Fairey Swordfish?

keavdog wrote: ↑Mon Jul 13, 2026 7:10 pm
Sopwith 1 1/2 strutter?

Ah nice, I see where you're going with that - but no, It's actually Airfix's rather nice interior structure for the Westland Lysander I started building last week.

The detail and the fit is superb.

I'll get a thread started for it.

Posted: **Tue Jul 14, 2026 1:27 am**

Medicman71 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 13, 2026 6:39 pm Working on decaling the Nu Gundam. I've got several Gundams that I've gotten water slide decals for lately.

Really nice Mike - that'll really add to the detail.

What are Ban-dai's decals like?

Loving the

mug!

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