discussion Decals

[geegad]

right lads as i have always built armour every decals that goes on the vehicle goes on the vehicle


so my question is im building the F15 and i have got sheet loads of decals now i have looked a photos of the real thing and i cant see any of the ( dont step and warning) decals on them so does that mean they are not on the real thing so whats the point off putting them in the dox AAAARRRRR!!


for all you seasoned aircraft builds please help a armour guy figure it out


many thanks


john

 

[Guest]

No expert me John, but I'd say the pictures are not showing them coz they're too small & the photo resolution not good enough to show them.

 

[yak face]

They're there John its just that most of the time theyre not visible in photos , especially on the lo -viz schemes these days. I would persevere and put them all on - even though theyre tiny they can make a big difference . I remember the 1/48 Revell EFA Typhoon I did , that had hundreds but they look great when done. cheers tony

 

[Guest]

Just building an Apache and had the same thoughts.


Building a Hasawega but using Revell decals as they provide the UK Decals amongst


the decals for all types.


But the Hasawega have only a small percentage of the Decals for USA types compared to Revell. Plus on photos cannot see some of the decals which are on the Revell count.


Any way have put them all on.


Confusing John I agree.


Laurie

 

[geegad]

Cheers lads will go with all on thanks for the quick response

 

[stona]

First I have to say I'm no expert on 'modern' aircraft. I did, however, see a documentary which showed some Dutch F-15s being re-finished in the U.S. and every single stencil was re-applied.


I would guess that they should all be applied to a model.


Cheers


Steve

 

[geegad]

You guys have just cost me about five days of decaling...


Thanks for the help guys

 

[rickoshea52]

I know the feeling. I am closing out a 1/24 Hurricane and a 1/72 F-14, the hurricane has a fraction of the decals. A while back I posed myself the question of how realistic do I want my models to be. I could apply every decal on the sheet or just the basic markings of insignia and aircraft serials, I think either would achieve the goal of the model looking like the aircraft it was supposed to be, but just the insignia and serials would be a "lite" version, similar to the die cast Corgi aircraft models. The purist will insist that all be applied while others might apply only those that they feel justified...or bothered with.

 

[yak face]

You guys have just cost me about five days of decaling...
Thanks for the help guys

oops sorry John!!

 

[rickoshea52]

You guys have just cost me about five days of decaling...
Thanks for the help guys

It took me three evenings to do my nimrod, my lightning and my tomcat...each!

 

[Guest]

You guys have just cost me about five days of decaling...
Thanks for the help guys

So right John Took me 3 evenings on the Apache. They seemed to be every where.


Annoying thing is that the text is so small I could not read, even under a magnifier,


what the message was.

 

[Guest]

Lol enjoy John.

 

[stona]

If you gloss your model before decalling then using gloss varnish to set the little stencil decals is a good way to go. Put a little varnish where the decal will go (instead of water or your decal setting agent) and position the decal. Push it down with a damp piece of kitchen roll which will remove excess varnish. Paint a little varnish over the decal. When the varnish dries it will suck the decal down and prevent any silvering.


This should work for large decals too, but I only use it on the pesky little ones which are more prone to silvering.


Cheers


Steve

 

[Tom murphy]

If you gloss your model before decalling then using gloss varnish to set the little stencil decals is a good way to go. Put a little varnish where the decal will go (instead of water or your decal setting agent) and position the decal. Push it down with a damp piece of kitchen roll which will remove excess varnish. Paint a little varnish over the decal. When the varnish dries it will suck the decal down and prevent any silvering.


This should work for large decals too, but I only use it on the pesky little ones which are more prone to silvering.


Cheers


Steve

Steve
What varnish do you use? Do you apply it with a brush or airbrush?

It sounds like a great solution to me.

Thanks

Tom

 

[stona]

I still use the original Klear polish as a gloss varnish, but any gloss varnish will do the job (there is nothing mystical about Klear, just the price!). You should use the same varnish which you used for the overall gloss coat to avoid any nasty surprises.

I use a brush to apply a little varnish, dab it off and then brush a little over the decal.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Guest]

...So is that a water-based varnish? The decals will be wet when they separate from the backing card, so I assume so?