Starfighter

[Joe66]

Rick,

 

A shame about the decal issues.... not sure what to tell you, other than to say I have never used future as my base layer for decals. I have always used one of the solvent based gloss coats, applied decals, then a solvent based matt coat over the top. That said, I know a lot of people do it the way you are and haven't had issues, so as suggested...maybe use a different setting solution. As for the fix...I really don't know, as I have no real experience with Future, as I am not a fan of it.... I do hope you get it taken care of without a huge amount of trouble though !

 

The Missle with wings looks great !

 

Joe

[Joel_W]

Rick,

   Believe me, I feel you pain. Decaling can be a one of the real joys of a build, or one of the most frustrating parts of the build, solely depending on how the decals react to your decaling procedures.

 

  Decals crack for a number of reasons. One is that they curl when placed in cool water to a greater degree then in warm water. when placed on a paper towel the tendency is to try to nudge them into a more flat position, and that will crack a lot of decals if they're not soft enough from the water bath. To remedy this, I always place the decal upside down in the water bath which really restricts the curling. I give it a full min in the bath, then place it on a ceramic tile, not a paper towel. The paper towel will wick up the water that the decals needs to continue to loosen up from the backing paper, as well as relax. Once the decal easily slides off the backing paper, you're ready for the next step. Decals also crack because they're drying out from age, humidity conditions, and/or to cold of air temps.  I keep all my decals in various sizes of Ziplock bags with as much air removed as possible, and store them in the house, not the garage or unheated basement.

 

 Setting and softening agents can damage decals as well. If I'm not familiar with the brand of decal, I'll test a decal I'm not using from the sheet (there's always decals for this on most sheets). My standard procedure is the Micro system plus Solvaset as the final solution. I use a warm, moist towel as part of the process. The decaling procedures I use are Paul Budzik's method. He has a excellent decaling video that explains exactly how he decals, as well as prep work and glossing.  If the decals don't settle into the nooks and crannies, I'll up my game to Mr. Mark Sol and Set, which is much stronger then Solvaset, but I'll test it as well prior to brushing them on to the decals. I do find that they work really well with Asian kit decals.

 

  Air bubbles are usually handled with a sharp needle, or a sharp #11 blade, then another application of whatever decal Setting solution you used.

 

  As far as Future goes, unless there is Ammonia in your decaling solutions, their not dissolving it. The discoloration you was most likely the solutions leaching the color off the decal paper.

 

Joel

[vvwse4]

 

Which colour did You use for the basalt-grey ? (Paint-brand & colour-number) TIA !

 

Hi Rudy,

 

I used Mr Hobby Colour for the basalt gray, number H305 Gray FS36118.

 

After putting on the first layer of paint I added a few drops of white to the base colour to lighten teh large area's to get some more depth. At least I like to think that that will be the effect.

 

Hope that this will help you.

 

Rick

[vvwse4]

Thanks for all the kind words.

 

@ Joel. Thanks for the advise, i will have a look at Paul Budzik's method, never too old to learn right?

 

In the mean time I have had contact with Dutch Decals and they will sent me a replacement sheet which is an awfully nice gesture and great service!!

 

Any tips on how too remove the decals before using the new ones?

 

Rick.

[Uncarina]

Rick,

 

Outch! I truly sympathize. You can remove decals with tape pressed firmly against them, and repeat with fresh tape until satisfied. You might have a little left, and for this I use steel wool. At this point you might have to repaint, but after repeating the clearcoat you will be good to go. Have you considered masks instead of decals? https://www.amazon.com/OLFA-1057028-Rotary-Circle-Cutter/dp/B001CEAMCY

 

Cheers, Tom

[Shujaa]

Thanx for the colour call-out Rick !

 

As for removing the decals I guess Tom covered that pretty well. You might even try polishing-paper (grid 5000 & up) or even some polishing-compound to get the final bits and smooth out the surface. Still, as Tom already mentioned, You probably end up doing some touch-up's...

Best of luck & I'm looking forward to Your next update.

 

Kind regards Rudy

Edited April 20, 2017 by Shujaa

[LSP_Kevin]

Looking good, Rick! Good luck with your decal fix.

 

Kev

[vvwse4]

Hi all,

 

Spent the sunday patching up. 

 

 

Removing decals does ruin the paint. The only problem is that I mix paint just on the eye, so I will never get the same colour I am afraid. So I decided to repaint panels, I figured that in real life damaged panels were replaced or repainted and that those colours would be off also. It is a warplane not a piece of art right? ( at least in real life...)

I also painted the pointy things that stuck out of the inlet ( no idea how you call those ) and painted the light panels, I messed those decals up too. I like paint better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I glued the nose on, just to get my fair share of glue.

 

 

Could not resist.

 

Now decal time again......I received a new set from Dutch Decals, again great service!!

 

Rick.

[ClumsyDude]

Awesome!

[Joel_W]

Rick,

  A perfect save. No traces of those decals, and the redone paint looks like it was never patched up. 

 

  I hope you painted a spare piece of plastic that you can 1st test out the new decals on just to be on the safe side.

 

Joel

[vvwse4]

After taking a deep breath time to decal!!

 

I have tried some on a spare piece but that was not very convincing but I figured I would have a go at it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think everything went quite well except the roundel wich is giving me hard times, don't know how to fix that.

 

I took me all day to do one side, that makes me wonder did they fly these planes or read them?

 

Rick.

[Joel_W]

Rick,

  The replacement decals really did the trick. Just an excellent decaling job.

 

Joel

[Basilisk]

I think everything went quite well except the roundel wich is giving me hard times, don't know how to fix that.

 

I assume you are using decal softener as I can see some Microscale bottles on your desk. Maybe some stronger stuff like Gunze Mr Mark Softer will flatten the roundel. But try first on a spare decal as not all decals agree with the stuff.

 

Cheers, Peter

[themongoose]

I admired how well your cockpit came along from the first photos to the last. It really "pops"

Great recovery on the decals. I saw the areas you had where the paint was all off and thought you would be stuck redoing it all but your patch work looks perfect. You must have a repeatable eye for that paint mix! Well done, it looks really sharp.

[vvwse4]

I admired how well your cockpit came along from the first photos to the last. It really "pops"

Great recovery on the decals. I saw the areas you had where the paint was all off and thought you would be stuck redoing it all but your patch work looks perfect. You must have a repeatable eye for that paint mix! Well done, it looks really sharp.

Thank you