Oldest Surviving Decals

[tigercat2]

As a companion piece to the "Oldest Surviving Model", what are your oldest surviving (and usable) decals, both aftermarket and kit decals?  I have a sheet from a Monogram 1/48 FW-190 that I bought about 1969 that I used the other day; amazingly after 40 years they did fine.  I have several aftermarket sheets that I remember buying at the Cameron Village Hobby Shop in Raleigh, NC in the late 60s that are still holding up fine.  I spray all the sheets with Glosscote and try to keep them at room temperature, and so far so good.


Wes W.

[Zeke]

I've still got some from an old Airfix 1/72 Phantom circa 1970ish...no idea if they're still useable mind you......probably better than the modern Airfix crud though!...

[PR19_Kit]

I have some really ancient Frog decals, maybe late 50s or early 60s, that I got with some models I bought from a local shop close down. But I'm darned if I know if they are still usable or not 'cos they're rubbish! 

If I was bulding the models, Attacker, FD2 etc. I'd use some more modern decals on them.

[NARSES2]

Well my oldest usable ones are a few sheets of "Almark" and "His Air Dec" generic sheets (RAF roundels and Luftwaffe crosses and swastika's) plus a sheet of "ABT Decals" for specific Hungarian Me 109's and CR 42's - the last CR 42 got used last year. All purchased circa 1967 ish

[PR19_Kit]

Cor, 'HisAirdec' and 'ABT', there's two names to conjour with.

I've got an 'ABT' set for Pierre Closterman's aircraft, a Spitfire IX and a Tempest if I remember correctly, plus some HisAirdec RAF grey bomber codes. Goodness knows when I saw them last but they're in my Decal Libary somewhere.

[kitnut617]

I've just used some of the decals from the sheet which was in the Airfix Beagle Basset box, Pattern No.255.  Although I can't find a date on the box my PAK-20 book says these Pattern numbers were used prior to 1972 and on the ATF forum it lists the first Basset release in 1968.  The couple of decals I have used worked just fine although the carrier film is a bit yellow, luckily it doesn't show on the Terrier's camo scheme I've done.

[tigercat2]

Well my oldest usable ones are a few sheets of "Almark" and "His Air Dec" generic sheets (RAF roundels and Luftwaffe crosses and swastika's) plus a sheet of "ABT Decals" for specific Hungarian Me 109's and CR 42's - the last CR 42 got used last year. All purchased circa 1967 ish

I bought a number of "His Air Dec" generic sheets in 1969 or so, and they are still good and usable.  I used some the other day on a FW-190.  I guess if decals can last 40 years, they could last for a while longer.

Wes W.

[Dork the kit slayer]

The oldest would be some sheets from classic Revell "S" boxings. F-102, Mariner,Regulas. (1959/60)
My mate the Hunter Gatherer and I have some pretty old Starfighter decals that get passed back and forth for safe saving,
depending on who is the High Keeper of the Decal Box that year.

[B777LR]

Oldest? I suppose that might be the Starfix Bf-109 decals...

[chrisonord]

Without getting all technical and doing some research ie, going up into the loft, I say my oldest kit and decals are my Airfix Fairy Delta ones, and there is some early seventies matchbox ones too, whether they are still, or were to begin with usable is anyones guess
Chris.

[Brian da Basher]

I'm not sure, but it's possible some of my RAF deecals go back to the days of balsa recognition models....

Brian da Basher

[puddingwrestler]

My oldest would be those on the 1970 released Revell Polikarpov I am currently working on over at MW. But they are not surviving, not by a long chalk. They are stuffed. Basically everything else I own is either current or 1980s at the oldest, so nothing really impressive there.

[HOG]

Hoyhoy`Al

Without giving my age away, some old first issue AMT Enterprise, Romulan Wrbird, Enterprise bridge,mini Klingon-Romulan-Enterprise plus others.

[Mossie]

Probably the oldest kit decals I have is the venerable Airfix 1/24 Harrier GR.1, the decals are still with it.  This box dates from late eighties/early nineties.  Chrisonord recentley sent me some decals from a Heller Ouragan, I'm guessing they're of a similar vintage.  Another from that era is the remains of an Airfix 1/48 Tonka sheet.

The oldest aftermarket set I've got dates from about 1985, I acquired them from Dave on the ATF forum a few years back.  They're for the RAE Dak & include the DC-3 50th Anniversary markings & were cut from a larger Modeldecal sheet of Raspberry Ripple aircraft.  It also includes a free sticker of the 50th Anniversary badge!

[Spey_Phantom]

well i might be only 25, but the oldest decals i have (witch are still unused) is a sheet of Belgian AF codes for spitfires, meteor and mosquito's dating back to 1962