Estes Mercury Redstone #1921 Build Part 27, Decals

The kit decals didn't have the 1/8" wide lower black bar.
I cut mine from old decal sheets.

Notice how the MR8 decal is set over the bar, no space between it and the black band.
I used online pictures of the actual launch and Alway's ROTW as a reference. The low bottom line of the MR8 box overlaps the black band and disappears.

Online rocket data searches can be misleading. You'll find incorrect painting and detail photos especially on rockets that are on display at some museums. Every few years a rocket is repainted, sometimes incorrectly!
In the end it's a compromise. I try to get my decals and decal placement as close to the original as possible.
I often refer to Alway's Rockets Of The World for colors and detail placement.

I placed the 1/4" wide center black band 8.75" down from the top of the body tube edge.

I used paper wrap to be sure it was going straight around the tube.
The decals are slippery! This horizontal band can easily slide after you think you have it straight.

As mentioned earlier:
The older instructions say the vertical UNITED and STATES are set 3/16" above and below that line.

It's hard to see in the picture but you can line up the UNITED STATES by the reflection of the fins sharp leading edge.
When you look down the body tube you'll see the leading edge reflected in the glossy, wet decal.





After positioning my home print UNITED STATES decal, I placed the kit supplied decal next to it for comparison.

You can see the pink tint of the kit decals.