1/72 PBY 3 Decals

[Dmarina]

Hello: I'm new here and have a very important question. I'm looking for 1/72 PBY 3 , decals. My father was killed in one in 1938 here in San Diego, CA. and my husband is building a kit of one and would like to put the numbers and markings on the plane that my Dad was in. Please if any leads I will be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks so very much for you time. Diane

[vikingBerserker]

Hi Diane, welcome to the board. What a cool way to honor you father.

ESCI makes at least one for the PBY in that scale, but I do not know the specifics of a Squadron or anything. If worse comes down to worse, you can always research the markings and make then yourself. Best of luck to you and your husband.

[Dmarina]

Thanks so very much for your reply. We have pictures of the plane and the markings so all we need is the decals. So far we aren't having any luck. All we need is number and letter decal in 1/72 scale. The shape of the 0 is very difficult to make. I will not give up trying. Thanks again very much. Diane

[Catch22]

Hello, and welcome! Would it be possible to post pictures of the plane? It would make it much easier for us to help you find what you need.

[Dmarina]

Thanks so very much for your reply. We have pictures of the plane and the marks what we need is the letters and numbers decals for his proper plane. The problem making our own is the number 0 is a difficult shape. I have had no luck so far, but will keep trying. Thanks again , Diane

[Dmarina]

Thanks again for your reply. Please forgive me as I'm new to all this. The only pictures we have of the plane is of two planes being retrieved from San Diego Bay, both in halves, as they had collided into each other upon landing on night maneuvers. The letters and numbers I needed are 5 P 12 & 5 P 13, in 1/72 scale. As of now we do not know which is my Dad's plane. We have the Navy's accident report, but it is very difficult to read and not much individual information. Thanks again very much. Diane

[vikingBerserker]

Hi Diane,

You can make decals on your computer and print them out using special decal paper. Any really good hobby store should have some. If you could post a copy of the accident report or info such as accident date and report number, some of the folks might be able to do some voodoo and tell you the exact aircraft.

Regardless, best of luck to you.

[Airframes]

Hi Diane, if you can't find any 1/72nd scale US Code Letter and Number decals the right size and colour, and there are sheets available from various manufacturers, then what VB suggested is the best bet. In a post here roughly a week ago, Grau Geist included a zip file for the correct typeface. Unfortunately, I can't remember which post or section it was in! However, perhaps a PM to Grau Geist might get the answer.
All you would need to do, is establish the scale size of the letters/numbers, and the colour, and select the required font and print onto Inkjet Decal Paper, just as you would onto ordinary printer paper. Once the decals are printed, leave them for a few minutes to allow the ink to set, then spray them with an acrylic clear varnish. Johnson's 'Future' will be OK for this, applying two coats, allowing the first coat to dry before re-coating. Then the decals can be used in the same way as any other waterslide decal.
If you're stuck as to what size or colour the letters on the PBY were, if you can post a picture, I'm sure that, between a few of us here, we can work out the size and colour, as 'standard' sizes were used, and the overall finish of the aircraft concerned will determine the colour of the characters.
I hope this helps a bit.

[A4K]

Welcome to the forum Diane!


With Terry (Airframes)...myself and a few others here have alot of spare decals - if we can see a pic we might be able to help.

Evan

[Lucky13]

Try Yellow Wings Diane! They do the USN and Marine markings from 1930 to 1942, in 1/72 and 1/48. Here's the link to their website Yellow Wings Decals. I used them for my Wildcat and I recommend them highly!

[Airframes]

Good work Jan.