Warbird Information Exchange

When looking through the repair manual for my glider, I came across a reference to the national insignia being available as a decalcomania from stores. No part number was given, that would just be too easy.
I don't think I've ever come across that before, and I'm trying to image the fun of a 24" or 30" water-slide decal. Micro-Sol is available by the gallon, right?

Was this a more common item than I imagine - particularly for fabric covered aircraft - or is it one of those things you often find in manuals that existed only in some theoretically perfect world, but never actually stocked anywhere.

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Lest Hero-worship raise it's head and cloud our vision, remember that World War II was fought and won by the same sort of twenty-something punks we wouldn't let our daughters date.

Actually, unless they've changed in the last few years, they are a 'wrap' type contact vinyl decal like you'd put on a semi truck door. They have (had?) a pattern of teeny air escape holes so you could squeege them down and not risk wrinkles. And I can verify they stay put! EG&G used to use the decal as the Red window stripes and the painters hated stripping them off because even TURCO wouldn't dislodge the stuff, it took lots of painters helpers with hard plastic scrapers to almost flake the stuff off the fuselage in tiny little chunks, tougher than Martian Algebra.

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Should have mentioned that the manual is dated 1943.
I had always seen the wartime photos of markings being masked and sprayed on, but never decals. OTOH, I know the AVG Tiger logos on P-40s were decals (produced in the Disney shops supposedly), so it's not beyond the pale.

The teeny air escape holes are there because the tiny little bubble at sea level, that would be fine on a truck, becomes a mothering huge bubble at 40,000 feet<G>. Somewhere around here I have some RR decals for V2500 nacelles with all the tiny holes.

I'll probably got with a hi-perf 2mil cast vinyl graphic film when the time comes. I did signs and such for 10 years, so neither masking nor stickies hold any dread for me, just curious about the originals.

_________________
Lest Hero-worship raise it's head and cloud our vision, remember that World War II was fought and won by the same sort of twenty-something punks we wouldn't let our daughters date.