airscale | 1/32 Instrument Decals
Reviewed by Kevin Futter
Airscale is a new entrant in the crowded aftermarket decal field. They have, however, set out to provide something different by responding directly to a perceived lack in the current marketplace. Their first slew of releases encompasses a variety of instrument decal sheets. And while we've seen this type of product before, two things set these Airscale sheets apart.
Firstly, of the 10 sheets currently in production, 8 are for 1/24 scale subjects (these sets are shown in the lead photo). Yep, that's right; instrument decals for 1/24 scale subjects. And while this alone should be differentiation enough, the second way in which these sheets are unique is that 6 of the 8 are targetted at specific aircraft subjects, and provide complete instrument panel layouts tailored to fit existing kits of the types in question.
Airscale's 1/32 decals are currently limited to a pair of generic instrument sheets, one for WW2 RAF, and the other the obligatory Luftwaffe equivalent. Both should prove eminently useful, and the features their equivalents in 1/24 scale.
The instructions that accompany each sheet should be more than adequate for anyone with a modicum of decal-placement experience. They also suggest a solution for scratch-building your own instrument panel, and each sheet comes with a rectangular section of acetate that can be used in the traditional 'sandwich' method. Evident in the photograph is the crisp and detailed printing courtesy of Fantasy Printshop:
Alternatively, the generic instruments could potentially be applied directly over the kit panel's dials. Carrier film for each design is minimal, and each of the decals on the generic sheets is numbered and keyed to a legend on the accompanying instruction sheet.
The complete range of Airscale instrument decals so far comprises the following sheets:
Full Instrument Panels (1/24):
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk.1/Vb - £3.95
- Hawker Hurricane Mk.1 - £3.95
- North American P-51D Mustang - £3.95
- Focke-Wulf Fw 190A - £3.95
- Messerschmitt Bf 109E - £3.95
- Junkers Ju 87B Stuka - £3.95
- De Havilland Mosquito FB Mk.VI - £4.55
Single Instrument Dials:
- WW2 RAF 1/24 scale - £4.55
- WW2 Luftwaffe 1/24 scale - £4.55
- WW2 RAF 1/32 scale - £3.75
- WW2 Luftwaffe 1/32 scale - £3.75
Peter Castle, the man behind Airscale, advises that the Mosquito set will be available from late October 2010
The utility of these sets is self-evident, and they fill a small but neglected niche for LSP modellers. The focus on 1/24 scale subjects is particularly welcome.
Airscale decals are currently available from the their website at www.airscale.co.uk. Thanks to Airscale for the review samples.
© 2010 Kevin Futter
This product is available from the following LSP sponsors
This review was published on Saturday, July 02 2011; Last modified on Wednesday, May 18 2016