CW4 Erick Swanberg Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Toying with the idea of starting my own decal line specializing in Helicopters from all branches of service (USA,USAF,NAVY,USMC, and COAST GUARD) and in all scales 1/72,1/48, 1/32, 1/35. Would be from Vietnam to present day more than likely starting out with some Hawk stuff then working outward, the new MH-60S kit has some great markings that I am drooling over. Nothing set in stone yet but looking for feedback to see how many here would be interested.. Erick Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Check Six Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Awesome! Can you start with decals for the Academy 1/35 MH-60 Seahawk/Jayhawk ?!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rustywelder Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 I'd be all over any usn/usmc decals in1/72. Especially if you were to do some csar sh-3a's from Vietnam. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Check Six Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 And then continue with 1/48th scale decals for Sikorsky H-53 series (Navy/Marines/AF early Viet Nam to present) . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sarathi S. Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 (edited) I NEED IT. Some modern AH-1W/AH-1Z stuff would rock. Edited December 23, 2014 by Sarathi S. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rotorwash Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 The more the merrier, Erick. You can never have too many decal options! Ray Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hajo L. Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 I´m interested as well, as long as shipping to Europe doesn´t cost an arm and a leg. HAJO Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zerosystem Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 PAVEHAWKS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
salvador001 Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 (edited) You should release some decals for helicopters of different air forces... Great news by the way! Rod. Edited December 25, 2014 by salvador001 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dan 88 Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Do it! I sent you some great ref pics for a certain squadron. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Liberator24 Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I think it would be a very good idea. There really is no company out there supporting some of these helos. Im in! -Jim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MattP Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 How about serving a need for the 1/144 scale community? DML makes all kinds of H-60's, Sweet makes SH-3's, and Revell makes an amazing AH-64D. So far the decal choises are too few and far between. Just an idea y'all might want to think about. MattP Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lancer512 Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Wow! Sure thing! Are you planning to do some of the USAREUR stuff? I know they're not as flashy as others, but considering how many aircrews were stationed over here, it might be worth it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hawkwrench Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 How about 1/48 scale Pave Lows, PLEASE!!! Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
B-1 Nut Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Erick, Go for it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pixeluser Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 (edited) Call me in, would you also make some decals for not so comon machines? Edited December 27, 2014 by pixeluser Quote Link to post Share on other sites
strikeeagle801 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 PAVEHAWKS :rolleyes:/> Yes please! I'll try my best to get a full walk-around of the MH-60M's at JBLM for you as well if you want. Aaron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hawkwrench Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Aaron, do any of the JBLM hawks have any special markings? Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nfiler Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Erick Great Idea, but have you really considered the size of the market for this? Put your personal interests aside and look at this from a business point. There is a reason helicopter models are not top sellers. The interest/market is not very big. The smaller the order quantity for most decal printers makes the per item cost pretty pricey. And every one that does not sell just puts you farther into the financial hole that makes the next item more difficult. Another thought is almost all the really great artwork Flygirl is putting on Navy stuff includes gradients and transparencies that are about impossible to do properly with silk screen printing. There are options out there. I would love to see some of the Navy stuff in decal form. I have profiled almost all of them, but they mostly would be really interesting stuff to lay out as decals. The fit would be critical to specific kits as most cover the entire tail/aft fuselage. A careful paint instruction and decal would be in order. Not meant to discourage you at all, would like to do just the opposite, but please be sure you're doing this for the right reasons. Norm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
strikeeagle801 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Aaron, do any of the JBLM hawks have any special markings? Tim Not that I have seen. Aaron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ziggyfoos Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Erick, I'm a bit late to this topic but I'd be all for seeing helo decals too, I'm a big fan for anything helo and wish there were more kits out there. For decals though I'm probably in the minority in that I don't care for the special/fancy markings, I'd rather have a typical line scheme. As Norm hit on, you may have an issue with the market base for them. If you're not aware already, Microscale and Cartograf have a minimum print quanity of 250 and 300 sheets respectively. And it will be multiple thousands of dollars up front to cover the printing cost; and more colors required, the more money. I just started doing decals myself with zero experience prior, process was overall easier than I expected but it took/takes a lot of time upfront. Considering my time invested, I will never get my return for "labor" but the selling price would at least cover the out of pocket money I had to spend to print, shipping materials, and postage. But I enjoyed doing the research and decal artwork process and most of all I covered subjects I wanted and it turned into a hobby into itself, so I'm not overly at a heartache if it turns out I'm still sitting on unsold decals years from now (though would be nice to sell them all of course...). Obviously others may feel different about that prospect of unsold sheets than I. Something to consider. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DonSS3 Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 (edited) I'm with Salvador, I'd like to see more foreign subjects as well. That being said, they probably wouldn't be as popular with the average modeler as more familiar aircraft. Edited January 10, 2015 by DonSS3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
viper730 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I'd like to see some Variety of decals for Helo's also. I was just searching for something for Academy's MH-60S. nada..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anvil6 Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 i think it would be great to have more decals available to the helicopter market. maybe the market would be bigger if there were more options and variety available to modelers. Do heed the experience of those before you who have tried to make a business, but if its something that you would really like to do then find a way and dont get discouraged. maybe start small, start with something you know well and make it awesome. build a fan base and then when your reputation as a company is solid, then expand. personally, i would LOVE to see more options for army aviation, ESPECIALLY Black Hawks, and i would be happy to contribute reference photos (although i didnt take the best of pictures back then - i was too busy having fun on the job!) either way sir, good luck and i wish you success in your future business because when you succeed, we all succeed. -Ramon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
norbert Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Hi Erick Fingers crossed. Norbert Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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