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PostPosted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 5:39 am 
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Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2009 7:19 am
Posts: 122
Location: Central Japan
I've often seen really nice ship models on this site and the one thing that helps them to stand out is a really nice name plate. Does anyone have some tips to share on how they make a good name plate for their ship? I've been searching through the site and I can't seem to find any thread about it. I've seen nice ones in brass, but how do you put the name of the ship on there unless you buy PE nameplates such as Lion Roar make? Is it common to use letter decals and spell out the name?
Any advice would be gratefully received!


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PostPosted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 8:13 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 6:00 pm
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Location: Ottawa, Canada
Trophy shops are often a good source of them - they're used to making nice shiny name plates.

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 3:46 pm 
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Very reasonable prices too. I can typically get a 1.25 in X 2.5in brass plate with the ship's name and commission dates on it for 8-10 dollars. Have the lettering blackened too, makes it much easier to read.

Also, if you want a decent stand for it, look in the yellow pages under "wood workers" and call around. Most of them have experience with scale model stands. Most of them will make cases too, I know my woodworker is very reasonable with prices on those as well. He even replaced the decking for my 200 scale Yamato a few years ago!

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Tamiya 1/350 1995-1998
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USS Missouri
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Arrii 1/250 IJN Yamato 2010

Trumpeter 1/350 2011-2016
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 6:53 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2010 7:17 pm
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The Trumpeter kits come with name plates but the background is the same color as the text. Any trick in getting them to be different colors?

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Completed Projects:
Tamiya BB-63 USS Missouri 1:700
Trumpeter DDG-51 USS Arleigh Burke 1:350
Trumpeter DD-537 The Sullivans DD537 1:350

Current Project:
Trumpeter CA-38 USS San Francisco Heavy Cruiser 1942 1:350


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 7:43 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 5:11 pm
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Location: New Zealand
Zerro wrote:
The Trumpeter kits come with name plates but the background is the same color as the text. Any trick in getting them to be different colors?


I use this technique on photo etch raised letter number plates on car models, but the same method applies: Spray the letter colour of your choice over the part, ensuring plenty of thickness in the paint on the letters and/or border frame. Spray the background colour of your choice over the entire part, keeping the paint as thin as possible over the raised areas.

Now with a fine grade (minimum of 3600 grit working up through the grades to 12000 depending on how shiny you like the finish) of sandpaper or polishing compound rub off the paint on the raised areas. The sandpaper needs to be kept dead flat or there is a risk of polishing through the raised outer edges of the letters through to the plastic base colour. Patience is the key here, but any small rub through on the letters can be touched up by small brush, rather than strip the part back to bare plastic and start again, which is easy on photoetch, less so with a plastic part.

Another variation on this technique is to spray your first coat (letter colour) in lacquer and then top coat in enamel or acrylic. Then with a lightly moistened cotton bud with a thinner that won't attack the first coat carefully wipe off the paint on the raised areas.

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PostPosted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 7:23 pm 
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Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2009 1:50 pm
Posts: 267
I use stencils and then finish the letters in a custom mix of polished brass or bronze. the backgrounds are always dark blue or red , with a few done black. I use EVERGREEN PLASTICS .030 to cut for letters.If you want some thing fancy EVERGREEN has shapes that will let you make custom borders on your plaques too. Hope this helped. commodore4


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