Paint or decals?

B747-enthusiast · 08-16-2011, 03:19 PM

There are more and more special liveries around. I wonder if the airlines paint the aircraft for the time they are to sport new special schemes or they use decals? Possible explanation could be that they use paint if the whole aircraft wears new livery and decals when only some inscriptions and symbols are added like in the examples below:

paint:
Photos: Boeing 747-438/ER Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net

decals:
Photos: Boeing 747-4B3 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net

Can anyone confirm my thoughts?

ALEXAKOS · 08-17-2011, 02:33 AM

KLM has done a WHOLE airctaft with decals.
I just dont think that decal is too safe. You never know when one little corner may come off and then during flight you havethat massive sheet come off and come jamming onto an engine, stabilizer what have you causeing an accident.
I prefer paint

modelmanGB · 08-17-2011, 04:01 AM

I prefer decals. I can never throw any of my 1/400 conversions fast enough for them to come off.

ALEXAKOS · 08-17-2011, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by modelmanGB

I prefer decals. I can never throw any of my 1/400 conversions fast enough for them to come off.

You never know! Practice makes perfect!

The thread starter was mentioning the 1:1 airplanes not the diecasts

B747-enthusiast · 08-17-2011, 05:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ALEXAKOS

I just dont think that decal is too safe. You never know when one little corner may come off and then during flight you havethat massive sheet come off and come jamming onto an engine, stabilizer what have you causeing an accident.
I prefer paint

You are right. I did not think about safety.

modelmanGB · 08-17-2011, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ALEXAKOS

You never know! Practice makes perfect!

The thread starter was mentioning the 1:1 airplanes not the diecasts

I guess that on a 1/1 scale you would need a lot of bottles of clear gloss coat to seal the edges.
Decals on the real stuff does seem risky to me but no doubt they use some wonder adhesive to make sure they stay in place.

ALEXAKOS · 08-17-2011, 09:35 AM

I am sure they use the best adhesive vinyl there is (cause the plane's stretches and retracts with temperature and altitude differences) yet still it seems to me like a stupid idea! Better safe than sorry!

MYT DC-10 · 08-17-2011, 10:12 AM

I doubt they decked the aircraft without considering any of the problems that have been said.

ALEXAKOS · 08-17-2011, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MYT DC-10

I doubt they decked the aircraft without considering any of the problems that have been said.

yup! and how many other things they thought they had decked