Hasegawa Trytool Finish Films
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
While many modelers have used decal trim color sheets for various custom applications, there is another option available now: self adhesive films. These sheets from Hasegawa offer a very useful alternative to decal sheets, which can sometimes have issues with color density and require the typical finish for decals (i.e., glossy finish, setting solutions, et cetera).
The immediate question when looking at trim films such as these is just how thin is it? Ideally the film would be as thin as a decal, and surprisingly, these are. Well, depending on the decal, of course. I would estimate these sheets to be thinner than Tamiya decals but thicker than Microscale decals. At this level, a couple coats of clear should hide the edges like any other decal. This can be further amplified by using the film along existing panel lines, to further hide the thickness. Speaking of panel lines, that brings up the next question: how do these sheets handle going down over panel lines and other irregular surfaces? I tried a small square on the underside of a 1/32 P-51 that had heavy recessed panel lines. With just finger pressure the film went into the panel line, and running the backing paper through the panel line further deepened that effect. More pressure and the film cut along the panel line, which answered another question, that being how easy this would be to trim while on the model.Adhesion seems to be very good, and it pulls up only with strong effort. There doesn't appear to be any leftover residue, either, so there shouldn't be any issues with cleanup after applying and trimming a piece of this film. When it comes to potential uses for such a self-adhesive film, the options really grow. Initially I was thinking these would be good for things such as framing greenhouse canopies or pinstriping a car. Given how thin the film is, though, I could see using these for custom markings such as rudder kill markings or wiring wraps.
The only downside is the breadth of colors available: currently there are only white, red, and yellow, in addition to two hologram sheets, one solid and one transparent. While I haven't seen the latter in person, the sample photos on the Hasegawa USA website shows some very interesting applications for those: jet exhausts and car headlights. Those examples really show some of the creative uses for these sheets. If Hasegawa continues to expand this line, I would like to see them provide several different shades of aluminum and natural metal, including chrome.
While it might be something a modeler might dismiss out of hand as not being useful, I was very surprised at the quality, thinness, and color density of these films and I am already looking at ways to incorporate them into my regular modeling workflow. My thanks to Hasegawa USA for the review samples.