F-15E stencil size

[seawinder]

I'm using the kit decals for a build of the Revell 1/48 F-15E in Desert Storm markings. The decals work fine, contrary to other reports I've read, but the sheet doesn't supply enough "NO STEP" stencils. I've got an Afterburner sheet, but the "NO STEP" markings are pretty much twice the size of those on the kit sheet. The kit markings look like 1 inch, the Afterburner ones 2 inch. Which begs the question: which size is right? No other F-15 sheets I've got have the markings as small as the kit decals, which makes me think Revell got it wrong. However, it may be that the stencils were enlarged at some point after DS. Does anybody know?

 

Thanks! Pip

[arnobiz]

Did you compare with walkaround photos? If the difference in size is so large it should be quite obvious from actual photos which is closest.

 

You should get a good idea here:

 

Or here at 00:53

 

Arnaud

Edited September 5, 2020 by arnobiz

[seawinder]

Thanks for posting the pics, arnobiz. I'd seen the top one, although I wasn't focusing on the stencils at the time. The NO STEP markings, clearly visible, seem to be the larger size of what I've got (again I'm guessing 2-inch height). The other variety of stencils shown in the bottom photo (with the circles around the letters) matches all the decals I have -- there's no discrepancy for those. I've actually gone ahead and replaced all the NO STEP markings with the larger size. There doesn't seem to be any documentation that they were smaller in 1991, plus there aren't enough of them on the sheet anyway.

[Ben Brown]

FWIW, if you go looking for aftermarket replacements, you might want to try to track down the old SuperScale F-15E stencil sheet 48-464. Caracals' stencils are probably accurately-sized, although back in 1991 there were a lot more than what's provided. 

 

Ben