I just thought I would share a bit of detail work that I am quite proud of. I wanted to reproduce the Japanese character "oni" which means "demon" or "ogre" and appears on the rudder of Kawamoto's Ki.84. Since I didn't have a decal available, I decided to make one. I consulted various references to make sure my interpretation of the character was accurate and also studied the stroke order.
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1. My second attempt at calligraphy as more accurate, responding to critiques by my wife and daughter!
I then cut tiny strips of decal to make each brushstroke element. This took about three hours to perfect. I knew it was acceptable when I showed it to my wife, who confirmed its accuracy (she reads Chinese and the character is the same in both languages).
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1. Each "brushstroke" of the character is a fragment of decal
2. I cut the slices of decal from the backing sheet fro some of the kit decals that I didn't use
3. One stroke missing in this pic but added in the last!
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1. Note that I replaced the plastic mounting post for the rudder with a metal one (cut from a pin). This allows me to remove and reattach the rudder at will during painting and finishing. Very handy for jobs like this!
2. Looks a bit ugly as calligraphy in extreme close-up, but it is flowing and brush-like to the naked eye.
3. The box helps with the composition of the character, to keep it balanced-looking and not stretched or squashed.
