The colorful markings of the air racers certainly make your model stand out from the green and grays of most other aircraft.  Trying to reproduce these unique markings is another matter.  Have you have known the frustration of piecing together slivers from different decal sheets, trying to keep dry transfers aligned or hand painting your own into something resembling the prototype?  This is no fun for the artistically challenged. Computers and software have made creating art for that one off vehicle easier.

ALPS decals are printed on an ALPS MD-1000 printer. Using a PC and software, artwork can be created and edited and then printed on the ALPS.  I usually start with a scanned image and then edit as needed or start from scratch from photos and drawings.  The finished image can be easily scaled to almost any size from 1/144 to 1/32. The caveat is that the ALPS can also print white, gold and silver!

The ALPS uses a thermal ink transfer process that is resistant to water and covers glossy, non-porous surfaces such as decal paper.  They are printed onto one solid sheet of decal. They must be trimmed out individually. I use Tango Papa decal sheets and found them to be very thin and respond well to setting solutions.

The ALPS does have some limitations. Admittedly while not the quality of screen-printed decals, they are very sharp and in some cases indistinguishable. Opacity is good but typical of thin decals with light colors. Most of my decals are first printed with a white underlay to help. The ALPS also it has its issues when reproducing yellows or oranges accurately. So I try to avoid printing images with large areas of those colors when possible.  Being very thin they are some what fragile and will scratch easily. They will benefit from a coat of clear paint or a layer of Micro Sol decal film with no ill effects.

If your artistic talents are as limited as mine, then this is much better than trying to mask and hand paint your own.  When reproducing markings for a unique, limited interest subject that will never be  produced by any large company, this is the answer.

Many Red Pegasus decals are available in ALPS printed sheets.  These are available in any scale from 1/144 to 1/32.  Prices range from $6 to $20, depending on scale and printed area.  Many not yet listed on our Decals & Conversions Page are also available, a list will be coming soon.  E-mail me for more info.