Forum: Scale Models - F-16, F-35, F/A-22, F-2

Is it just me, or do the light grays on the Hasegawa decal sheets look all wrong? I was just looking at my sheet for their 1/72nd F-16CJ (kit #00448) and the light gray markings look almost yellow/brown. What up wit dat?

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I guess I hadn't noticed since I tend to use aftermarket sheets.

I'm kinda bummed, I really like WW tail coded jets (Wild Weasels, and I live about an hour from the old George AFB, once home to the WW jets). Guess I could decal bash something together. . . Another thing, if you look at the serial number for the 79th FS jet (and I mean look, it's small), the number is wrong. It says it's "94-4047". I haven't been able to find that serial on here or jbaugher site. The closest one I've found is "94-0047".

I noticed that too - the correct number should be 0047 as you noted. I scanned that part of the decal sheet at 2400 dpi just to be sure!

now, if anyone really wants to change that when they build the kit, more power to them!!

I'm looking at this sheet again, and to me it looks like Hasegawa used something like F.S 36307 Light Sea Gray or 36251 Aggressor Gray (Mod Eagle Light Gray, whatever you want to call it. . .) for the light gray on their sheets. It's not just this sheet either. I have kit #00601 and 00603 (well, the reboxed versions as B1 and B2, kits 00231 and 00232) and those sheets show the same color. Just more ammunition for using aftermarket sheets I guess. . .

That off-grey color you see is probably due to the fact that the sheet is on a tealish colored backing paper.

never thought about that. so, maybe once they come off the backing they'll look okay?

which means they're pretty transparent, so when I lay them over the Gunship Gray they're going to darken up.

What it will do is sort 'light up' the decal. Many decals have a certain transparency, but when a background color is added, it gives it an opaque undertone that brings out the vividness of the decal. In the case of greys, it helps a lot, you want that background to show through ever so slightly. But when it's on the decal paper, the yellowish tint shows through. When it's on a grey undercolor it looks like it should.

Thanks, here I am all freaking out and it's no big deal. . . guess I should actually get one built and painted so I can try it!