Cast your mind back to my May 2012 review of the 1:12 scale Airfix Doctor Who ‘Welcome Aboard’ kit. It was the one I hadn’t completed, as I was trying to summon up energy to finish the complex paint job. One thing on the waiting list was the intricate pattern on Martha’s fashionable pink top, mainly as it was, well, intricate! I’m pleased to report that a quick solution has arrived.
OK, perhaps these things needn’t worry us too much - Martha likely had quite a few tops and, as we know that the Doctor Who TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) is of infinite dimensions internally, there may be a branch of Next or Top Shop inside that British police box, somewhere, somewhen…
However, also cast your mind back to my first review of the WonderFest event this year, where I mentioned a British ex-pat I met, Jim James. Although he’s not normally in the after-market decals business, Jim has stepped in to produce a decal set to get around the ‘Martha’ problem. It has a comprehensive instruction booklet, showing where the decals need trimming to fit correctly.
He produced this set primarily for the complex pattern on Martha’s T-shirt, but has added a few others as well. The tattoo on her upper right arm is included, as are the logo and stripes for Doctor Who’s sneakers, and a block pattern for his tie. Note that several sets of each decal are supplied, so you can experiment freely.
The decal sheet is first produced by inkjet printer, then oversprayed with Testors Dullcote. However, it’s a fragile product, so Jim has provided multiples of each decal. Before use, you might find that applying a few more coats of Dullcote, or maybe the Humbrol equivalent, will also be beneficial. Delicacy in application is essential, but well worth it for the improvement to the finished model. To apply the T-shirt decal safely, I used Micro-Set wetting agent, and Micro-Sol softener.
Martha stands by the TARDIS (above), still without her patterned top, but with Jim James decals ready and waiting to correct this. Et voila! Martha finally wears her correct T-shirt (below).
The decals are available as an exclusive item from CultTVman’s online store. It’s part of a combined set that also includes a set of paint templates for masking off TARDIS windows and the pinstripes on Doctor Who’s suit, these last two from the accessories outfit, Aztek Dummy. The set costs $11.95 USD, and is a must-have if you decide to build the Airfix kit.
Thanks to Jim James for supplying review samples.
SMN Doctor Who ‘Welcome Aboard’ May review here.
Decals at CultTVman here.
SMN WonderFest articles here.
Micro-set and Micro-sol are available from model suppliers and made by Microscale Industries.