Decals for ship flight decks

[Who BootParticipant @whoboot]

[Who BootParticipant @whoboot]

I have scratch built a 1/144 scale model of a RN Type 23 frigate, which I am now adding to and touching off some details. However, I find it difficult to create the circle for the helicopter to land on. Having used an utensil with the right diameter to draw a circle around I then find it very difficult to free paint it with a brush. The result is never satisfactory – looking more pear shaped than circular. Has anyone any suggestions please on how I can paint a perfect circle or better still from where might I get decals of a flight deck circle?

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

WB.  very good question this.

 

I have in the past spent ages doing as you have been doing..filling in freehand, and touching up..and retouching up etc  afterwards.

 

I offer no sensible answers, as applying any sort of round thin decal seems to me a bit…difficult.

 

How about a white marker pen in a compass??  (not tried here). Enough bods build warships..there must be an answer out there?

 

Ashley

[Colin MillerParticipant @colinmiller68338]

I went and got trimline tape and carefuly put this down

or you can get the sheets of the stuff the trim line tape

is made of for aircraft then cut out  circle

[Peter FitnessParticipant @peterfitness34857]

Dave Wooley describes his method of making such circles in his build of the Aviation Cruiser Kiev, in Model Boats magazine, May 2010, page 26.

 

Peter. 

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

any craft shop will sell you what is called a Compass cutter…….exactly what it says on the box.

I have two of them and they will even cut through 3 mm plasticard to give good round discs.

neil.

[Who BootParticipant @whoboot]

Thank you all for your replies, all of them interesting and useful answers. Firstly, to Peter’s answer refering to the article on the Kiev ship in May 2010 issue of MB. Whilst I buy MB fairly often I did not happen to buy the May issue, I have just been now to check through my collection and found I don’t have it. As a non-subscriber I probably won’t be able to see the article on-line either. But how brilliant that someone has dealt so recently with the problem I raised.

 Neil’s suggestion of using a compass cutter is the one I’m going to try out. As it happens, today, which is the day after I posted my query, I thought of a compass cutter during an idle moment in work, and I have one in my tool box. What I’ve done is cut a round template from cardboard, and then cut it’s inside out to the right diameter so that it looks like a ring. Then I cut out a second circle which is 2mm less in diameter than the inside of the first circle, for that is the width I want for the helipad roundel. By placing the smaller circle inside the larger one, directly in the middle so that it has a 2 mm gap all round between them. Tack them down to where I want them on the ship’s flight deck, and then use a paint brush with white paint to paint the gap between the two circles. Then after two or three coats of paint and leaving it to dry, I lift the cardboard templates and hey presto I should have a white roundel on the deck. I haven’t tried out the painting yet, but the cardboard templates have been made and they are good. I’ll let you know how i got on.

[Peter FitnessParticipant @peterfitness34857]

Who Boot, check your message in box.

 

Peter. 

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