HobbyDecal | ST32003: Fw 190 Stencils
Reviewed by Rato Marczak
Another great set of dry transfers by HobbyDecal. Product ST32003 comes in three sheets, printed in up to five colors. This time the subject is the Fw 190, in the wake of the great long nose Doras recently released by Hasegawa. The instructions calls for a D-9, but the sheet can be mostly used in the D-13 or earlier A/F versions as well.
As usual, the quality of HobbyDecal printing is outstanding, and the register is good in my sample (I found a small fault in the blue layer). The set has many stencils and markings in common with other Luftwaffe sets reviewed previously.
The Fw 190 sheet (image courtesy: Hobby Decal).
HobbyDecal product numbers indicate the current version of the set, showing that they are listening you about mistakes for possible future corrections.
Just like any item of their dry-transfer range, every single item is readable using a magnifying glass. Some items are duplicated, but most of them are not, so be patient during the application. I included a reduced version of the manuals below to allow a better appreciation the amount of work put on this set.
HobbyDecal didn´t forget the propeller blade logos and the trim tabs. All dashed lines showing the fastening position of movable surfaces fixing plates are included. These items are very susceptible to silvering, and very fragile in conventional decals.
The stencils for drop tanks and bombs are also in the sheet, but their placement, however, are not shown in the instructions. Of course we are plenty of photos showing the correct position. Like previous HobbyDecal Luftwaffe sheets, the fuel/oil/coolant triangles are offered with the option of applying them complete or the white background triangle first, and then the yellow one on top of it. The last option should be used in case you don´t agree with eventual out of register problems.
A zoom on the sheet.
HobbyDecal line of dry transfers are not cheap products, but worth every cent, in our opinion. Decals are more forgiving, sure. However, undoubtedly dry transfers have they place in modeling:
- you can apply dry transfers directly over flat paints, and they won´t detract from the final appearance of the model, as they are flat too.
- they conform to the surface details without stinking setting solutions that can stain your paint job after some years.
- they are unbeatable for natural metal finishes, an old nemesis for water slide clear films, you know (although not the case here).
Be very gentle when applying hot thinners directly over them, because they may melt the transfers. If you are not convinced, you can always apply the dry transfers on a piece of clear decal film and use them as an ordinary decal.
Hopefully, HobbyDecal will cover most aircraft model released in 1/32 and larger scales, because these dry-transfers are great modeling products. Highly recommended.
Review sample compliments of Hobby Decal. Thank you for your support.
© Rato Marczak 2004
This review was published on Saturday, July 02 2011; Last modified on Thursday, August 13 2020