A little break from the build to draw some decals.
The provided decals aren't correct.
I know, who'll know the difference, right?
The reds are on the pink side, the UNITED STATES font is too bold, and the flight designation should be MR8.
I'll try to get my decals a little closer.
It's hard to find a closeup of the UNITED STATES running vertically down the Mercury Redstone.
In every picture I've seen, the font isn't as bold as the kit decal. The font on the Estes kit decal probably didn't even exist in 1961.
I spent a few years working on a photo typesetting machine. Wrong fonts and improper spacing is easy to recognize.
On the right is the BT-60 based Dr. Zooch Mercury Redstone. You can see the weight of the lettering. This is closer to the correct font.
If you want to see how a scale Mercury Redstone should be made, check out the John Pursley website: CLICK HERE Highly recommended!
His NARAM 44 picture was used to visualize the vertical spacing.
After this picture was made, the lettering was stretched a little wider, see the decals below.
Here's the decal redraw. I always make extras.
The MR7 boxes are now MR8s.
The kit supplied black and white roll pattern will be used. The red details in the roll pattern will get a darker red decal overlay on top of the pink.I've just printed off the decal sheet.
The font weight is closer to the real thing and the reds are more intense.
EDIT: I was told that the next run of Estes kit will have a darker red decal and the MR7 will say MR8. Maybe that's why the kit has been Out Of Stock for a while.
For those of us who already purchased the new Estes Mercury Redstone #1921. Can we e-mail you at oddlrockets@bellsouth.net and request your improved set of decals?
ReplyDeletePretty please... :-)
Hi Scott,
DeleteI can't release the decals yet, I have to finish the model and apply them to be sure they are the right size and width. If you've ever drawn and printed decals before, you know they usually aren't right on the first print. Especially with wrap around roll patterns.
Also, the small red details on the wrap may not come out the correct red when applied over the pink already on the decal.
If they turn out I'll make them available as a PDF.
I'm really enjoying watching your build of this one. Sounds like Estes got enough complaints about the decals to redo it properly. I bought a few extras of this model and I'm tempted to redo it following your expert build.
ReplyDeleteHi Eddie,
DeleteI hope the decals are corrected in the new run of kits, I've just heard the rumor that they are being replaced.
Glad you are enjoying the build, I didn't use the Estes assembly steps on the tower, more to come on that!
Your build log is great. Really helps a lot! I just received my kit on Monday and the decals show MR8 and the red looks ok. From my experiences Estes has great customer service. I ordered my kit from Tower Hobbies. Back ordered for 3 months. When it finally arrived Monday, the body tube was damaged beyond repair so I contacted Estes to see if I could purchase a new tube. The new tube showed up yesterday, no charge. Mike at Estes said they were a sister company to Tower so they help correct any issues with them.
ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteYour decal set looks great. Is it available yet for purchase? If so, how could I get a set?
Thanks,
Steve
Hi Steve,
DeleteI have the decal set available as a PDF. You can print it yourself at home. I don't sell printed decals. Email me at oddlrockets@bellsouth.net and request the Mercury Redstone Decal PDF. The PDF is free!