Wood Effect Decal Sheets

Pegasus, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Mark Davies

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Models of early aircraft such as WW1 subjects with varnished wood panel always seem eye-catching to me. Usually, the finish has been achieved by first coating with an acrylic base colour such as flesh, buff or light tan etc. Then oil-paint, usually a darker brown, is applied and left to partially dry. A soft brush is then stroked through the oil paint in the one direction, simultaneously removing some oil pigment and producing a wood grain effect. This is done as often as necessary, or if a mistake is made, it can be cleaned off and repeated.  Once dry, a coat of sealer, such as an acrylic clear yellow or orange is applied to simulate a varnished finish. The results can be moist convincing, but drying times for the oil paint can also be slow.

An alternative to the above method is to use wood-grain decals, and these are the subject of this review. Pegasus Models offers two sheets; one is a slightly brick-red and the other fairly orange. In each case a quite constant and straight grain is used. Pegasus point out that they may suit scales other than 1/72 that is indicated on the packaging.  In fact, the sheets may be more suited to 1/48 and larger scales as I feel that the grain looks a bit heavy and over-stated for 1/72-scale. I took some photos of 1/72 scale kit fuselages against the decal sheets to illustrate this point. The camel had just a few panels around the cockpit in plywood, whereas almost the entire airframe of the Lloyd C.V was plywood covered.

At first I thought that the decals will not work on compound surfaces, and of course they will not; in so far as their grain will end up overlapping itself even if the decals are made to conform. But then it occurred to me, the use of plywood in aircraft does not form compound curves, as the plywood’s inherent properties means that it cannot. Therefore, in theory there should be few if any situations which wood-grain decals are not suited to.

I should also think that could have tinted colours like clear-orange applied to vary their tone and give varnished appearance. Furthermore, I should think that filters, used in the AFV painting parlance, could also be employed over the decal to provide variation.
 
Having established their utility, I then considered the advantages that decals might offer when compared to streaked oil-paint. For those who cannot achieve good results with the streaked oil paint method the advantage is a given; assuming they can cope well enough with decals. So moving on from this group, I can see a distinct speed advantage, especially for small areas as no masking is needed, and of course no base coat, oil covering, and brush streaking; and possibly no tinted varnish coat either.

Another speed advantage, again linked to avoiding drying times and masking, is jobs requiring multiple panels with grain running in different directions, as this is easily accomplished using decals. However, the uniformity of the grain provided by the sheets may prove to be a problem where many panels are to be covered; unless of course the finish requires a uniformity of grain!

It also occurred to me that could manufacture you own wood-grain decal sheets using the streaked oil method over decal film. This would mean you only have to wait for everything to dry once, and you could get more grain variation within the sheet if you wish.

Is wood grain decal sheet a complete replacement for the hand-streaked finishes? No, I think not. It is however another tool, which used in the right situation, could be. I am sure that the wood finish decal option is potential time saver, especially where multiple panels are needed.

The sheets may appeal more to 1/48 and a larger scale builder, as the grain seems too heavy and widely spaced for 1/72-scale.

It is obviously a matter of personal preference as to which method you use to simulate wood finishes. However, I would encourage readers to try the product out as I do think it has something to offer those willing to experiment with it. It is to these people, and those who have failed using eh streaked oil paint method that I recommend the product.   

Thanks to Freightdog Modelsfor the review samples.

Text and Images Copyright © 2013 by Mark Davies
This Page Created on 8 April, 2013
Last updated 8 April, 2013

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