On the Workbench: WW2 Aircraft Carriers

With the blog having switched to a nautical theme over recent weeks, I post here an update on naval painting, in particular aircraft carriers. I have purchased some flight deck decals from "Flight Deck Decals" (link on the right) which really are superb. They do require some trimming to fit as closely as possible the Navwar models and many are also suitable for Davco. The current naval painting bug has inspired me to crack on with aircraft carriers in particular to utilise these decals.

Royal Navy carriers (all Navwar) from left to right:
Top row; Hermes, Ark Royal, Glorious
Middle row; Ameer, Victorious, Furious
Bottom row: Biter; Indomitable, Eagle

Continued -

A closer look at the Ark Royal. This model is 30 - 40 years old and was caked in old paint. So much so that I had almost written it off. A good dousing of nail varnish remover managed to strip most of the old paint leaving a respectable looking model. I am particularly pleased with the end result given its age and the state it was in.

Although this post focuses on aircraft carriers, I include here a repaint job of the Rodney. It is of similar age to Ark Royal and also caked in old paint. 

Rodney

USN carriers:
Top; Yorktown, Wasp
Bottom; Saratoga (Davco model)

USN Carriers.

Japanese carriers:
Top; Zuiho, Akagi
Bottom; Ryujo, Kaga

Japanese carriers

Japanese Seaplane carriers/tenders:
Top; Chitose, Kunikawa Maru
Bottom; Kamikawa Maru, Hiyokawa Maru

Navwar 1/3000 scale aircraft have been added to add more detail to the models and making it easier to differentiate the Maru's from general cargo ships.

Flight Deck Decals provide video guides on how to apply their transfers on their website. Personally, I have found that once painted I give the flight deck a coat of gloss varnish. Apply a coat of Humbrol Decal Cote immediately before placing the decal. Decal Cote is applied to the top of the decal brushing off any excess. The model then receives a spray coat of gloss varnish and after basing, 2 coats of spray matt varnish.

The video guide emphasises the need to apply with great care to avoid damage to the decal. I had a couple of near-misses when applying being overly careful and creating a mess in the process. I found them to be a little more resilient than I expected and overcoming nerves when applying them made it easier. 

I am in the midst of painting more US and Japanese carriers and will add them to the blog when completed.