Small World Accessories (Mondoridotto)

1/48 53rd Stormo "G. Chiarini" Cameri-Novara

Sheet Number: SWAD 48001

Reviewed by  Dick Montgomery, IPMS# 14003

MSRP: Eur 12.50 (approx $17 US) Thanks to Mario Bartoli and Small World Accessories for the review item. The decal sheet arrived in a zip lock bag, well packaged and padded. The decals sheets (two) were separated by a non-stick wax paper. An unexpected but pleasant surprise is the inclusion of an 8 page booklet. The booklet features color pictures of actual aircraft bearing the markings on the decals, as well as 3 view color drawings of each aircraft. The sheet features the 53rd Stormo "G. Chiarini" Cameri-Novara unit insignia and codes. Aircraft covered are a T-33A, an MB-326E, an F-104S, and a Tornado 53 RMV-1. Several fuselage numbers are included for the F-104S. The decals are printed by Cartograf and are designed and manufactured in Italy. Registry is dead-on and the various warning stencils are clear and crisp, even under magnification. In order to test the decals, a 1/72 B-36 wing was cleaned and primed using a rattle can of gloss white. The decals were dipped in tap water (72f) and removed from the water. The decals slipped easily from the backing after 20 seconds. The surface of the wing was prepped with a brush load of Solvaset and the decals were pushed into place. Holding the decals down with a brush, excess water and Solvaset was squeezed out from under the decal. The decals remained flat with no curling at the edges. I continued to push one of the decals around to see if it could handle a little abuse, and it displayed sufficient strength throughout. To test the flexibility of the decals, one of the markings was placed directly across the "panel" line separating the aileron from the main wing. On the 1/72 B-36 that is a big, deep groove. Using a brush, the decal was pushed into the groove and allowed to dry. The decal conformed to the groove in the wing without difficulty. Absolutely no silvering was present, the decals appear to be strong enough to handle repositioning, and respond well to Solvaset. In fact, these are some of the best decals I've had the experience to use. I highly recommend these decals. Visit www.mondoridotto.it for more information.

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